UCLA PRESENTS THE BEST in arts and culture, community events, sports and entertainment. From fabulous film screenings and amazing art exhibitions, May has a myriad of experiences unlike any other. For more UCLA events, visit community.ucla.edu.
MAY 16
Spring Sing | 7:30 P.M.
Back and better than ever, UCLA Spring Sing is here. The “oldest and greatest musical tradition” presents a slew of fabulous student performances and jaw-dropping celebrity judges. Spring Sing is known for its deep well of talent, having discovered Sara Bareilles and members of Maroon 5. For the first time since its conception in the 1940s, Spring Sing returns to Royce Hall. Save the date, look out for the ticket drop and don’t miss yet another year of homegrown Bruin talent ready to take the musical world by storm.
THROUGH MAY
Mike Cloud is giving the Hammer Museum at UCLA a special gift in the form of three “loosely abstracted portraits.” It’s part of Hammer Projects, single-gallery exhibitions featuring a contemporary artist’s new work at a pivotal moment of their development. Cloud is the latest artist to present their new works on the prestigious Hammer floor, and he uses abstract and mixed-media paintings to explore contemporary social and political issues. For his Hammer Project, Cloud will present past works composed of adorned children’s clothing (Painting Clothing 2007–08) alongside two forthcoming commissioned works, collaged from paper grocery bags, magazine advertisements, cash and printed materials. Bright, unapologetic, experimental and symbolic, Cloud’s first solo West Coast museum presentation brings a controlled chaos to the Hammer walls that commands your attention. No tickets necessary — just come in to see Cloud’s Hammer-exclusive works.
THROUGH MAY
For 35 artists, the American land and Pacific Ocean they traverse are not just terrain, but a foundation for exploring economy, sovereignty, memory and home. The recently revamped Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents an exhibition, titled Grounded, that features the vast, earthy works of these wandering artists, sharing their unique perspectives on the western environments that give them life. Representing UCLA: artists Eamon Ore-Giron M.F.A. ’06 and Jackie Amézquita M.F.A. ’22, who bring their own connections to western geography, conjoining their experiences in Los Angeles with time spent in Peru and Guatemala, respectively. (Angelenos get free admission daily after 3 p.m. and on the second Tuesday of every month.) And look out for special programs expanding on the eco-artistic works of Ore-Giron and Amézquita, like the free Communities Create LA! Program, which invites you to make your own abstract landscape with natural materials at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park.
MAY 1–2 | 8 P.M.
Composer and writer Josh Quillen employs director and performer Ain Gordon’s help to portray an especially personal story tracing Quillen’s family’s three-year odyssey following his father’s ALS diagnosis in 2006. Quillen and Gordon anchor the theatrical and musical portrayal in three relics: a recorded interview with Quillen’s mother; his father’s journal; and a surprising accompanying playlist. Using spirited performance, lively song and inventive dramaturgy, Quillen and Gordon combine these disparate elements into a deeply moving and lingering experience. A cross of intimate storytelling, dynamic podcast and theatrical production, Relics and Their Humans takes Quillen’s individual narrative and flips it into a relatable and vibrant depiction of one family’s multifaceted journey of grief, love, laughter and light. Tickets here.
My 15 | 2 P.M.
Have a spare trumpet, trombone, guitar or saxophone? And a free hour or two? Come to the UCLA Rubasamen Music Library for a Jam Session with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble, an all-student band with a decadeslong legacy known for producing the world’s top jazz performers. First, the ensemble performs a set from its repertoire, with six third-year students showcasing what they’ve learned in one year of their jazz “fellowship.” Afterward, the musically inclined among the audience are invited to an open jam session sure to be chock full of playful improvisation and lively celebrations of jazz. Study up, prepare for great solos and pull up to the UCLA Music Library — no RSVP (or immense talent) required.
MAY 19 | 7:30 P.M.
These days, it feels like UCLA is drowning in MacArthur Fellows. As part of its perennial poetry series, the Hammer Museum has invited MacArthur “genius” Fellow and Oxford Professor of Poetry A.E. Stallings to read from her latest book, Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters, and their Friends Formed Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Parthenon. Her book is an edifying and entertaining examination of how artists and intellectuals have responded to the Brits moving the Parthenon’s Elgin Marbles from Athens to the British Museum. During the Hammer program, Stallings discusses the contents of Frieze Frame and her poetry with UCLA English professor Stephen Yenser, then explores her own original verse poetry. This event, like admission to the Hammer itself, is completely free.
MAY 29–31
2026 UCLA Film & TV Archive Festival of Preservation
You no doubt know that the UCLA Film & Television Archive is always hard at work screening classic films, bringing cutting-edge filmmakers to campus and cataloging decades of cinema for future generations. What you may not know: Behind the scenes, the Archive arduously restores and preserves rare moving-image media, meticulously collecting visual memories to add to the second-largest repository of motion pictures and broadcast programming in the nation. (Only the Library of Congress is larger.) The Archive’s biennial UCLA Festival of Preservation is the celebration of its latest preservation and restoration projects, displayed on the big screen. Each edition of the festival presents beloved, award-winning titles alongside obscure works ready for rediscovery — all beautifully restored. Taking place over the last weekend in May, the festival kicks off with Friday screenings of Black film and television specials from the 1950s and ’60s and barrels on through Sunday, with a variety of screenings from the early and mid-20th century. Check out the full schedule. All seating is first-come, first-served at the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater.
MAY 2 | NOON
The anticipation is high — and building — for the UCLA football team this season, and there is one reason for that: its new coach. Now’s your chance to get a glimpse of your gridiron Bruins, more than three months before kickoff. Join Angelo M. Mazzone III UCLA Head Football Coach Bob Chesney (in his unofficial Rose Bowl debut!) at the Rose Bowl for an early look at your 2026 Bruins as they prepare for the upcoming season. Bonus: a rare opportunity to tailgate in Pasadena’s gorgeous spring weather. Tickets are completely free — just make sure to request them here. We’ll see you at the Rose Bowl!
MAY 2–3
Track and Field is sending you the bat signal — well, let’s call it the Bruin signal. The team needs your help! This year’s dual meet against one particular crosstown team takes place at the University of Southern California’s Felix Field and Loker Stadium. After winning 13 events at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invite at home in April, the Bruins are going into this dual meet strong, fast and prepared. They just might need a little support — and a little blue-and-gold — in the stands to secure the win. Get your $10 tickets here.
MAY 8–10
UCLA baseball is still No. 1 in the country. Your Bruins have had a sensational run this season, earning a perfect, no-loss conference record and securing a 27-game winning streak, which was halted in April by UC Santa Barbara. But while all good things must come to an end, the loss is an opportunity to build a new formidable streak. This month’s series versus the University of Oregon Ducks is the Bruins’ last home matchup before they head to Omaha for the Big Ten Tournament and, fingers crossed, the College World Series in Omaha. Don’t miss your chance to see a legendary lineup hit home run after home run. Tickets start at $9.
MAY 2 | 11 A.M.
EmPower Hour: Disability Inclusion in the Workplace
Whether you’re navigating your own experience around inclusion in the workplace or simply want to help build a better environment for others, this conversation is for you. Join the UCLA Disability Alumni Network, UCLA Alumni Career Engagement and UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs and Initiatives for a panel discussion for Bruin employers and employees. Speakers will give their firsthand accounts of their own experiences with disability accommodation and facilitate dialogues on what disability inclusion looks like in action.
Stick around after the panel for tabletop discussions over small bites and leave empowered with disability advocacy strategies for your workplace and beyond. RSVP for this event at the UCLA Labor Center.
MAY 12 | 5:30 P.M.
The Classroom: What Is Leadership?
UCLA Alumni Affairs presents The Classroom, an opportunity, via a workshop series, for recent Bruin graduates to take career-advancing courses tailored exclusively for them. Instructor Amy Rueda, a 25-year veteran of executive search, will share trade secrets and answer any and all questions. May’s course topic: Millennial Leadership, a workshop providing attendees with the practical skills that give anyone the confidence to become a more effective leader, from delegating techniques to former peer management to conflict resolution. RSVP for this free Zoom workshop and email arueda@support.ucla.edu with any advance questions.
MAY 28 | 4 P.M.
UCLA Social Enterprise Academy Venture Showcase
UCLA represents one of the world’s largest proverbial think tanks, constantly creating, innovating and dreaming up new ways to change the world. UCLA Alumni Affairs, the UCLA Department of Economics and the Academies for Social Entrepreneurship invite you to celebrate the results of the cross-campus, cumulative think tank in the UCLA Social Enterprise Academy Venture Showcase. Three student teams representing local community organizations will pitch business ventures to a panel of industry experts, angel investors and prominent members of the UCLA community. The showcase will highlight recent Bruin innovations, bring Bruin entrepreneurs together and display just how inventive UCLA gets. Look out for RSVP and event details here.
