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Avoid This Street, Hit That Drone Show, and Enter This Art Contest

West Valley carnival detours, free events, and creative calls to action.

Author

Adam Kruze
June 26, 2025

It’s a big week for art, airspace, and asphalt. Burbank just dropped over $56,000 in arts grants to fund everything from Afrofuturism to chamber music (and yes, a Halloween-themed variety show). The Pride Art Contest is open for entries through June 30, inviting locals to design the library’s next card. And if that’s not enough, two massive drone shows are about to square off for your attention — one classy and candlelit, the other free with food trucks and patriotic beach party vibes. We’ve also got updates on Reseda’s street closures and a motion that could shake up parking rules across LA. Let’s dive in.

Did You Know - Hollywood Burbank Airport was the first airport in Los Angeles County to offer commercial flights—way back in 1930. It’s also where the very first Lockheed Vega aircraft (flown by Amelia Earhart!) was built nearby.

🎨 Burbank Awards $56K in Grants to Local Arts Projects

The City of Burbank is giving a big round of applause (and $56,500) to local creatives! As part of the 2025 Community Arts Program, the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department and Cultural Arts Commission have awarded 17 grants ranging from $1,000 to $4,250 to support music, dance, theatre, film, and multidisciplinary projects — many of which will be free or low-cost for the public.

Nine of the recipients are Burbank-based, and the lineup includes everything from ballet and chamber music to Afrofuturist art, trans folk music, game music performances, and even a Halloween-themed variety show. (Yes, you read that right: Varietyville-O-Ween is happening.)

The program aims to boost local talent and bring diverse, high-quality cultural programming to the community. Whether you’re into klezmer workshops, sustainability-themed block parties, or scripts with your sips, there’s something coming soon to a stage — or sidewalk — near you.

👏 Notable recipients include:

  • Media City Ballet – Ballet Contemporary!

  • Burbank Community Band – 85th Anniversary Concert

  • Conundrum Theatre – New Works Festival

  • Burbank International Film Festival – Yes, it’s back for 2025

  • Brett Long – The Animation Station: The 26 Letters of the Alphabet

Keep an eye out this year as these projects roll out across Burbank — your next favorite show, concert, or art party might be funded by this very list.

Check out the full list here.

🌈 Design the Next Burbank Library Card!

📅 Deadline: June 30

Burbank Public Library is hosting a Pride Art Contest, and they’re looking for local artists to help them celebrate Queer and Trans joy—with the winning designs featured on brand-new library cards!

Submit your artwork by June 30, and your design could be unveiled in September during Burbank Pride and National Library Card Month. It’s a chance to share your vision, support inclusivity, and leave your mark on the stacks.

🚗 PARKING MINIMUMS MAY BE OUT—HERE'S WHY THAT MATTERS

Two LA City Councilmembers (Bob Blumenfield & Nithya Raman) just introduced a motion that could eliminate minimum parking requirements for new developments and building reuses across the entire city, not just near bus stops and train stations.

Wait, what does that mean?

Right now, LA zoning rules say you have to build a certain number of parking spots—even if the business or apartment doesn’t need them. That means more concrete, more cost, and often, less space for housing, greenery, or literally anything more interesting than an empty car lot.

This new motion is asking city planners to study what would happen if LA scrapped those rules altogether. I think anyone who’s lived in the Valley for half a minute can tell them what will happen. It’ll get harder and harder to find street parking! I’m always amazed, though, at how few people actually use their garages and driveways to park their cars. Maybe this would start a trend of garage cleanouts. I do understand the need for more housing, though. I’m just not so sure landlords and property investors are going to pass along the savings derived from not having to build parking spaces along to tenants.

💸 WHY IT MATTERS

  • Housing costs could drop. One underground parking spot can cost more than $50K to build. That gets baked into your rent or mortgage.

  • It could help local businesses. Mom-and-pop shops have to meet strict parking rules… meanwhile, Amazon vans flood your street without needing a single spot.

  • More flexibility. LA already waived parking requirements during COVID to help reuse buildings. That went great. This could make it permanent.

🧠 Did You Know?

Over 770,000 LA households have 0 or 1 car. But most zoning laws assume everyone’s a two-car household. 🤔

⚠️ Watch This Space

The city hasn’t made a final decision. First, they’ll do a study. But if it moves forward, expect more projects with fewer (or smarter) parking setups—and possibly a few growing pains in neighborhoods already tight on street parking.

For now, expect lots of heated public comment… and possibly fewer future buildings wrapped in giant parking garages.

Here’s a link to the motion on the City Clerk website.

🚧 Street Closure Due To Carnival In Reseda

As of this afternoon, Vanowen St is closed between Vanalden Ave and Wilbur Ave. You’ll want to take Sherman Way or Victory Blvd through Reseda if you’re going to be in the area. See the events section below for more details.

🎨 Burbank Talent Reignites for Charity with “Art 76”

Three lifelong friends and Burbank natives—Colin Recchio, Brent Myers, and George Kalcoff—are reuniting their creative forces for Art 76 2025, an inspiring art show benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

These three have shared roots since their teenage years in Burbank. Their latest collaboration promises not only a showcase of their evolving individual styles but also a collective effort to make a real impact—100% of proceeds from the show will go directly to CHLA.

📅 Event Details
• What: Art 76 2025 — exhibition & fundraiser
• Who: Colin Recchio, Brent Myers, George Kalcoff
• Why: To support Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through the arts
• Where/When: Saturday, June 28, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Los Angeles Center Studios in The Refinery space, located at 450 S Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Whether you’re a long-time fan or just discovering local art, this is a heartfelt chance to connect with Burbank’s homegrown talent—and help bring hope to families through CHLA. It’s community, creativity, and compassion wrapped into one beautiful weekend.

🎡 West Valley Carnival Returns!

Get ready for a weekend of summer fun at the West Valley Carnival, happening right in front of the West Valley Police Station on Vanowen St (between Wilbur & Vanalden)!

🎟️ Pro Tip: Grab your presale tickets now from the CRO office at the police station — $30 gets you 10 tickets, and during presale, each ride only costs one ticket. Wait until carnival weekend, and rides will cost you more per ticket. They’ve got a table in front of the police station that will be set up between 4pm-7pm this afternoon and Friday between 2pm-5pm and the event starts at 5pm. The ticket pre-sale is a great deal. I walked the length of the venue and the price per ride is between 3 and 6 tickets. You can bet tickets will probably be somewhere around $1 each. We missed this event last year but we went in 2023 and it was pretty nice. The only thing it was lacking was some good food booths or food trucks, but some street vendors set up shop on Wilbur. If street food isn’t your thing, there’s Joey’s Tacos right down the street that has great prices on street style tacos. If you’re looking for something vegan, Vinh Loi Tofu is somewhere I highly recommend (get the Banh Mi).

Bring the whole crew and enjoy classic carnival rides, local energy, and a budget-friendly way to kick off summer in the Valley! Here are some pics I took from either end of the event location.

The view from Wilbur looking West

The view from Vanalden looking East

🛸 Battle of the Drones: Two Sky Shows, One Weekend

It’s a drone showdown in the Valley this weekend, with not one but two jaw-dropping aerial shows lighting up the sky—each with its own unique vibe. If you’re looking to keep a little more classy and low key, and don’t mind paying $44-$49 a ticket and $15 in parking, I’d go with the Equestrian Center DroneArt Show. If you prefer free, going somewhere the kids can let loose, and having food trucks to find some dinner or a snack from, Hansen Dam should be your choice.

🏖️ Hansen Dam 4th Annual Independence Day Drone Show and Beach Party

On June 29, the 4th Annual Drone Show + Beach Party hits Hansen Dam Aquatic Center with 800+ drones, food trucks, a kids zone, and major Independence Day energy. This one’s totally free, and you can splash around before the patriotic drone show caps off the night.

🎻 DroneArt Show at LAEC When: June 26–28 | Where: Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Griffith Park Gates: 7:15 PM | Showtime: 8:45 PM

✨ Classical music meets 500+ sky-bound drones in this glowing open-air spectacle.

The DroneArt Show is what happens when Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky get invited to a tech rave. Over 500 synchronized drones will light up the night sky in time with live performances of The Four Seasons and Swan Lake—a 65-minute fusion of art, music, and drone wizardry you won’t want to miss.

Program Act I: The Seasons

  1. 🪴 Spring

  2. ☀️ Summer

  3. 🍂 Autumn

  4. 🧊 Winter

  5. ❄️ The Snow Is Dancing

Act II: The Birds

  1. 🥚 The Ballad of the Unhatched Chicks

  2. 🐦️ The Cuckoo

  3. 🦢 The Swan

  4. ♒️ Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act IV: No. 29, “Finale”

  5. 🍃 Brezza (Breeze)

Bring a blanket for picnic-style seating under the stars, or grab a reserved chair spot. It’s family-friendly, candlelit, and unlike anything else you’ll see this summer.

🎟️ Tickets are limited! Kids under 3 get in free. On-site parking available.

😆 Comedy

  • Jack Jr. – June 27 | 8 PM – Live comedy show at HaHa Comedy Club

  • Hal Sparks Fri Jun 27th 9:30pm Flappers Comedy Club 102 E. Magnolia Blvd Burbank

  • Jay Leno Sat Jun 28th 7:30pm Flappers Comedy Club 102 E. Magnolia Blvd Burbank

  • FRITZ COLEMAN'S UNASSISTED RESIDENCY Sunday June 29, 2025 @ 3 pm, El Portal Theatre 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

  • Sundays With Jeff Garlin Sun Jun 29th 7:30pm Flappers Comedy Club 102 E. Magnolia Blvd Burbank

🎭️Theatre and Performing Arts

  • The Wedding Singer the musical comedy. Last chance to see the show! Friday, June 27 at 8pm, Saturday, June 28 at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday June 29 at 2pm and 7pm The Colony Theatre 555 N 3rd St, Burbank

  • Shakespeare by the Sea presents As You Like It at Sepulveda Garden Center Friday June 27, 7 PM – FREE admission (donations encouraged) 16633 Magnolia Blvd, Encino

📽️ Film

  • Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore - Q&A with subject Marlee Matlin and director Shoshannah Stern following the 6:00 P.M. screenings at the NoHo 7 on June 27 and 28, Laemmle NoHo 7 5240 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood

  • The Wild Robot at Johnny Carson Park June 28 @ 6:00 - 10:00 pm Starlight on Tour presents a FREE Screening of the critically acclaimed “The Wild Robot” at Johnny Carson Park. All ages welcome! 400 Bob Hope Drive, Burbank

  • Toy Story at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park Saturday, June 28th 6pm-10pm 14201 Huston St, Sherman Oaks

  • Die Like A Man Three Free screenings: June 27, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM, LA Valley College Conference Room ACA 2505 - June 28, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM, El Portal Theater - June 28th, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM, El Portal Theater

🎵 Music

🤷‍♂️ Other

  • Sepulveda Basin Habitat Restoration Day - Help remove invasive weeds from the biggest park in the Valley. Saturday, June 28th, 8:00am-11:00 am, 6350 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys

  • Saturday 70's Mixer Saturday June 28, 7pm-11pm Dress up, grab a name tag, choose your fav 70's hits and mingle! Free event! Brewyard Beer Company 906 Western Avenue, Glendale

  • Valley Blockfest Saturday June 28, 2025 | 2pm to 8pm, 20914 Nordhoff Street, Chatsworth, CA. 91311. Located between De Soto Avenue and Eton Avenue

  • Wallflower on Artsakh Popup Market - Saturday June 28th 4-9pm 131 N Artsakh Ave, Glendale

  • Sheldon Skatepark Community Day Free food, fitness and dance workshops, and skate contests with giveaways. A raffle prize package will be available—each of the first 30 attendees receives one ticket for a chance to win new GR818ERS gear and other prizes! Sunday, June 29, 2025, 12 – 3pm Where Sheldon Skatepark 12511 Sheldon St. Sun Valley

  • The Oakridge Estate Tour - Advance Registration Required $15/person Sunday, June 29 @ 10am 18650 Devonshire St. Northridge

⚠️ BEACH AREA WARNINGS (as of 6/24):

  • The Bel Air Bay Club at Will Rogers State Beach - 100 yards up and down coast from the club border fence.

  • Windward storm drain at Venice Beach - 100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain.

  • Ramirez Creek at Paradise Cove - 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.

  • Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach - 100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain.

  • Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica - 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.

  • Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey - Entire swim area.

  • Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro - Entire swim area.