Mark Stefanos
Like your favorite TV crossover events — the Flintstones meet the Jetsons, Urkel popping up on “Full House,” Stephen A. Smith getting stabbed to death on “Law & Order” — sometimes stars align and your favorite LA party collectives join forces to create mega events. These are the must-see-part-ties of the season, mixing all the vibes into an even greater Neapolitan delight.
In July, we covered LoveChild’s Block Party, which brought ten of LA’s best collectives to close out summer with a bang. Hood Rave threw Rhythm 2 Revolt in September, a “Boycott Room” festival with loads of DJs from different collectives. LA’s top raves do this to great effect routinely, and there were many others. Shoutout to all of them.
But two in particular really hit home this year, giving us fuzzies in our chest and skips in our shoes: LA Gives Back: Fire Relief, spearheaded by two LA fixtures, IHEARTCOMIX and Brownies and Lemonade, and The Do-Over’s 20 Year Anniversary.
We know that it’s not always candy and butterflies between LA party crews, with squabbles ranging from fun competition to real beefs. But as lovers of the cumulative scene, and “together we’re better” squishes in our hearts, we applaud all crossover efforts and are rooting for more collabs and mutual love in 2026.
The Do-Over 20 Year Anniversary
The Do-Over team throwback (Photo: Al Myers)
A trip down memory lane for most LA millennials will usually encounter a Facebook album featuring their friends in tanks and jerseys piled on top of each other, drinking carafes of sangria and neon cocktails out of a fishbowl, wilin’ on the dancefloor in the sun at The Do-Over.
For 20 years, The Do-Over has been an anchor of summer and embodied the collaborative spirit from its inception. Founded by the visionary trio of Chris Haycock, Jamie Strong, and Aloe Blacc (who also shout out “Azul, Sean O, Danny Carbajal and all of our crew in LA and around the world”), the party kicked off in 2005 as a renegade Sunday reset in Hollywood for LA’s nightlife-exhausted souls, serving as a counter to the era’s prevailing wisdom with a fresh idea: “No egos, no set times, and often no announced lineups.”
It’s a formatless fiesta where rap bleeds into funk and disco dances with house, with a goal to “bring communities together through the power of music” — the approved answer from all your disparate friend groups to that question that became their tagline: “What’cha Wanna Do?”
The local lifeline turned into an international blueprint, with pop-up editions in 50 cities on four continents, and performers ranging from Diplo to Pusha-T. But the real flex is its seismic impact on LA’s party ecosystem. The Do-Over proved that true hype blooms from community, and inspired a wave of daytime raves and pop-up collectives, reminding the scene that parties thrive on heart, and fostering a legacy of joyful rebellion that’s kept LA’s spirit funky, free, and ferociously cooperative. There’s a reason why DJ Jazzy Jeff called it the best party on the planet.
The Do-Over 20 Year Anniversary (Glen Han @glenjamn)
For their rip-roaring 20th on November 9 at the lush LA River Center & Gardens, they brought in four of LA’s finest party teams for the music curation (plus surprise performances, of course). Let co-founder Chris Haycock tell you all about it and what it meant to him:
LA Weekly: How did the 20th go?
Chris Haycock: It was a smash! We partnered with some of our favorite LA crews — A Club Called Rhonda, Pangea Sound, Link Up and Donavan’s Yard. BADBADNOTGOOD did a live session and brought out Sam from Future Islands, as well as a special Aloe Blacc performance. All ticket proceeds went to a trio of non-profits that we felt strongly about supporting. The venue, the crowd and the vibe were immaculate!
What does it mean to you to have been throwing this party for two decades?
I’m still processing it. In American dance music and nightlife culture, only a handful of brands in history have hit that mark. To be included in that book alongside those institutions is an honor beyond belief. We never planned on this.
What’s next for The Do-Over?
In the next couple months … Miami / Art Basel at Dante’s Hi-Fi, New Year’s Day in LA and a few other things for those that are EXTRA tuned in.
Follow The Do-Over @do_over and thedoover.net.
LA Gives Back: Fire Relief
LA Gives Back Fire Relief (Courtesy of IHEARTCOMIX)
It may be a fading memory for some, but it was the start of this year that LA endured its worst fires in modern history. For those still living with the fallout, it’s an ever-present reality.
But in that cloud of ash we saw the best of LA as folks of all walks came together to pitch in and lift each other up. That included a long list of fundraising music events from small teams to heavy-hitters alike. They all deserve massive kudos, of which we noted several here (although one massive one has since received some side-eyeing, you can be the judge).
One felt particularly emblematic of LA for all the right reasons, and that was LA Gives Back: Fire Relief, presented by the LA party pioneer turned creative agency IHEARTCOMIX, kick-ass crew Brownies & Lemonade, Another Planet Entertainment and Teragram, held January 29 at the beautiful Bellwether downtown.
The event featured a host of party who’s whos: Rhonda, Emo Nite, Pangea, Electric Feels, Heav3n, Ninja Tune, Lights Down Low, Shrek Rave, Production Club, and all sorts of other guests and performers — some almost comically different in vibe, but all united for a great cause. Going room to room, getting a little taste of each, felt like a festival of LA, with the kind of diversity we haven’t seen altogether in one place since FYF.
LA Gives Back Fire Relief (Photo @hillpetersonphoto)
Throwing a benefit came naturally to IHC — it was their seventh “LA Gives Back” since 2015, which normally benefits the nonprofits My Friends Place and Downtown Women’s Center. The 2025 iteration gave 100% of its proceeds to The California Fire Fund, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, MusiCares and the Pasadena Humane Society.
We asked IHC’s founder Franki Chan how it all came together:
LA Weekly: What made you decide to throw a fire benefit?
Franki Chan: It just felt like the right thing to do. We’d already built this charity brand with the LA promoter community over many years to address the unhoused problem. Once the destruction of the fires was clear and many of our friends suddenly found themselves facing the same, very real issue, we knew we had to use what we can to help the problem and LA Gives Back was our tool.
How easy was it to pull it together with all the party collectives on short notice?
The city was motivated and everyone answered the call on three weeks notice. LA Gives Back: Fire Relief was a 100% volunteer-run and donated event. EVERYTHING. So many people dedicated their time, talents and resources to bring it together. It was incredible to witness and be a part of.
How’d the event go?
Very successful! The event was sold out and we raised $67,000 for four charities. The LA community showed up in full force.
Follow @IHEARTCOMIX and iheartcomix.com and @BrowniesandLemonade and browniesandlemonade.com.