The Los Angeles Times is giving away two free weekend passes to its annual Food Bowl, a two-day event where Los Angeles restaurants and bars serve unlimited food and drinks. Entry is free. No purchase is necessary.
The event includes the 101 Best Restaurants Reveal Party presented by OpenTable and Square. It runs Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. As of Oct. 16, 2026, it’s still ahead, and the entry window is short.
What the Prize Covers
One grand prize winner will receive two general admission weekend tickets to the 2026 Los Angeles Times Food Bowl. The package also includes general admission parking each night and two L.A. Times Food Classic canvas totes. The contest terms put the approximate retail value at $626, and prize restrictions apply.
The tote bags carry a local connection. Big Bud Press makes them locally in collaboration with the L.A. Times, so part of the prize keeps work in the regional economy.
Who Can Enter
The contest is open to legal residents who are 21 or older and live in Los Angeles, Orange or San Diego County. Entrants must be at least 21. The contest is void where prohibited.
That’s a deliberately narrow pool, limited to three Southern California counties. Readers outside that area can’t enter.
How to Enter and the Deadlines
Entry opened Oct. 15, 2026, at 2:00:01 p.m. PT. It closes Oct. 20, 2026, at 11:59:59 p.m. PT, four calendar days after Oct. 16, 2026. Entrants submit a form at latimes.com/giveaway.
The rules cap participation at one entry per person and per email address. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries, so the terms don’t promise any particular chance of success. One grand prize is available. That’s it.
Who’s Behind It
The sponsor is Los Angeles Times Communications LLC, 2300 E. Imperial Hwy., El Segundo, CA 90245. Readers can find the full terms, including prize restrictions, through the entry page.
Why This Matters:
Food events like this one put a price tag on access. A $626 weekend package is out of reach for plenty of Angelenos, and a free giveaway opens the door a crack, but only for one winner and only for residents over 21 in three counties. Open entry with a one-per-person, one-per-email limit is a basic fairness rule. The terms spell out eligibility, deadlines and odds in plain language, and readers deserve that kind of transparency from any contest run by a major local institution. The event also centers Los Angeles restaurants and bars, a sector that depends on community turnout. The locally made totes, produced with Big Bud Press, tie the prize to neighborhood businesses. Whether events like this broaden access beyond those who can afford a ticket is a question the contest terms alone don’t answer.
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