8 pm: Pop Music

Jimmy Buffett figures to make Parrotheads’ Memorial Day memorable with his return to Southern California--what better time than a holiday weekend for a cruise with the Mayor of Margaritaville into that party state of mind?

* Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. 8 p.m. Sold out. Also Monday 7 p.m. $29.75 to $67.75. (949) 855-2863.

All day: Festival

Central Park near Old Town Pasadena will be teeming with activities this holiday weekend as the 12th annual Old Pasadena Summer Fest unfolds. Jazz music will fill the air as musicians such as Ronnie Laws, Tolu, 2AZZ1 and David Arnay take center stage. A slew of rides, games, storytellers, puppeteers, magicians and other family oriented amusements will be in other areas of the park. A summer arts festival showcasing the work of more than 100 fine artists and craftspeople and a sports zone featuring professional athletes, team cheerleaders, BMX racing and various extreme sports shows will also help make this an event with a broad appeal.

* Old Pasadena Summer Fest, Central Park, Fair Oaks Avenue two blocks south of Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. Saturday-Monday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Free admission. Rides, interactive games and amusements range from $1.25 to $5. (626) 797-6803.

All Day: Design

From streamlined locomotives and “skyscraper” furniture to cocktail shakers and kitchen appliances, the shape and character of American aesthetics was dramatically altered from 1925 to 1940 by a group of trailblazing designers. “American Modern, 1925-1940: Design for a New Age,” a collection of uniquely American objects organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Federation of Arts, looks at the designs of this period created by about 50 of its creative pioneers, including Norman Bel Geddes, Donald Deskey, Paul Frankl, Raymond Loewy, Isamu Noguchi, Walter von Nessen and Russel Wright.

* “American Modern, 1925-1940: Design for a New Age,” Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Ends Aug. 19. Adults, $5; students/seniors, $4 children under 16 free. (949) 759-1122.

8 pm: Jazz

“A Tribute to Miles Davis and Billy Higgins” celebrates the lives of two vitally influential jazz artists. Davis would have turned 75 on Friday; Higgins passed away earlier this month. Each continues to be heard, not only in recordings, but also in the sound of every trumpeter who picks up a Harmon mute to play a Davis-like ballad, and in the drumming of every player who follows in the path of Higgins’ incomparable capacity to swing. The program includes performances by Harold Land, Benny Maupin, Kenny Burrell, Billy Childs, Airto Moreira, Garnett Brown and numerous others.

* “A Tribute to Miles Davis and Billy Higgins,” Royce Hall, UCLA campus. 8 p.m. $35, $20 and $10 (UCLA students with valid ID). (310) 825-2101.

8 pm: Jazz

The 2001 Ford Amphitheatre season opens with the U.S. premiere of “A Kurt Weill Celebration.” Weill’s musical catalog, which includes songs such as “Mack the Knife” (from “The Threepenny Opera”), “Speak Low,” “My Ship” and “September Song,” has long been favored by artists ranging from the jazz world to the concert stage. This special presentation features performances by cabaret singer Anne Kerry Ford, blues guitarist Robben Ford and a 27-piece big band led by jazz pianist-composer Roger Kellaway.

* “A Kurt Weill Celebration” at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. 8 p.m. Free, but reservations through the Ford box office are necessary. (323) 461-3673.

All Day: Museums

A new exhibition of more than 170 objects, including masks, figures, combs, hairpins, beads, headrests and a mock-up of a Ghanaian barbershop will explore the cultural impact of hair in African culture. “Hair in African Art and Culture,” opening Saturday at the California African-American Museum, looks at hair as an indicator of social status and religious roles, a symbol of authority, a traditional aesthetic and a fashion statement.

* “Hair in African Art and Culture,” the California African-American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m-5 p.m. Ends Aug. 19. Free. (213) 744-2060.

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FREEBIES

Greek dancing, music, food and children’s activities will be some of the elements of the Valley Greek Festival 2001, St. Nicholas Greek Church, Balboa Boulevard at Plummer Street, Northridge. Saturday-Monday, 1-9 p.m. (818) 886-4040.

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Music director Leon Guide and guest conductor Dennis Prager lead the La Mirada Symphony in a program of Romantic staples by Wagner, Liszt and Goldmark. Soloist is violinist David Stenske. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, at 8 p.m. (310) 472-1846.