Los Angeles Old Time Social returns

Los Angeles Old Time Social returned on Friday, May 15, for its 16th edition, with organizers staging a Friday night concert at the Serenito Social Club and a full day of workshops, jams and dancing on Saturday at the Velaslavasay Panorama. The festival’s website bills the event as a celebration of old-time music and dance in Los Angeles, centered on American fiddle and banjo traditions. We Like L.A. listed the festival among its picks for the May 15-17 weekend and described it as a lead-in to Sunday’s Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival. ### Where is the festival happening this year? Friday’s opening event is set at the Serenito Social Club, where organizers said featured guest Ben Townsend will play a night concert with an opening set by Tula B. Strong. The festival website identifies Townsend as a fiddler from Romney, West Virginia, and Strong as a Los Angeles banjoist. Saturday’s main program moves to the Velaslavasay Panorama at 1122 West 24th Street in Los Angeles. (losangelesoldtimesocial.com) UpcomingEvents.com lists the daylong program from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., with access split among all-day, workshop-only and evening tickets. ### Who are the named musicians and teachers on the bill? Ben Townsend is the most prominently billed guest on the festival’s own site, where organizers said he will also teach a fiddle workshop focused on West Virginia fiddlers Sloan Staggs and Israel Welch. (losangelesoldtimesocial.com) Tula B. Strong is listed as the Friday opener. Saturday’s broader lineup includes Happy Neighbor Club, Nick Bachman and Joe Wack, according to the event listing. (upcomingevents.com) The same listing says workshops are scheduled with Sammy Lamb, David Elsenbroich, Andrea Tzvetkov, Chris Berry, David Bragger, Susan Platz and Afton Steps, among others. ### What does a ticket cover? (losangelesoldtimesocial.com) UpcomingEvents.com lists an all-day ticket at $45 for access from noon to 10 p.m., including workshops, the square dance and the evening program. The listing also shows a $20 student all-day ticket, a $30 workshops-and-jams option for noon to 5 p.m., and a $20 evening ticket for the 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. square dance and performance block. (upcomingevents.com) The Saturday program also includes what organizers call “musical cakes,” a detail repeated in both the festival website and the event listing. We Like L.A. said the Saturday schedule also features a “musical cakes” walk as part of the day’s activities. ### How does the weekend connect to Sunday’s folk festival? We Like L.A. said the two-day Los Angeles Old Time Social serves as the lead-up to the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival on Sunday, May 17. (upcomingevents.com) The Topanga festival’s official event page says it will be held at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, with contests starting at 9 a.m. and featured performances beginning at noon. (losangelesoldtimesocial.com) Topanga Banjo Fiddle’s 2026 lineup includes Foghorn Stringband, Jake Blount, Jordan Tice, Sweet Megg and Water Tower on the main stage. Its schedule also lists dance programming including a square dance with Lindsey Ford and the Persimmon Pluckers and a flatfoot workshop. ### What should someone know before going? The Los Angeles Old Time Social website describes the event as the “16th Ever” edition and says more information is available through its organizers by email. (welikela.com) The festival page presents the event as a local gathering for old-time enthusiasts, with concerts, workshops, jamming and dance spread across two days. Sunday, May 17, is the next dated milestone after Saturday’s Panorama program. (topangabanjofiddle.org) Topanga Banjo Fiddle’s event page says King Gillette Ranch will host contests from 9 a.m., performances from noon and jamming throughout the day at 26800 Mulholland Highway in Calabasas. (topangabanjofiddle.org) (losangelesoldtimesocial.com)