Happening Saturday

POP MUSIC

Joshua Tree Music Festival When it comes to desert music festivals, Coachella isn’t the only game in town. The eighth annual Joshua Tree Music Festival offers three days of eclectic live music under the expansive sky of the Mojave. Scheduled performers include the Afrobeat artist Wunmi and the Bulgarian-born singer-songwriter Geri X. Joshua Tree Lake Campground, 2601 Sunfair Road, Joshua Tree. 11 a.m.-midnight Sat.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun. $50-$80 per day. (877) 327-6265. https://www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com

EVENTS

California Strawberry Festival The annual celebration on California’s “Strawberry Coast” will offer music, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and, of course, those wonderfully sweet and colorful berries. More than 8,000 pounds of berries will be covered in whipped cream and pound cake for the “Build Your Own Strawberry Shortcake” event or you can meet the Berryfest Princess of Strawberryland. All proceeds go to charity. Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. $12. (888) 288-9242. https://www.strawberry-fest.org

Bug Fair Insect displays, “pet” insects, educational booths, and kid-friendly music make this celebration of arachnids a creepy-crawly delight. Highlights include Cajun bug chef Zack Lemann, live insect encounters and instruction on the art of insect collecting. Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Adults $9, children $6.50. (213) 763-3466. https://www.nhm.org

BOOKS

Jane Smiley The California-based author of a dozen wildly different books tackles half a century of events in the life of Margaret Early, a plain girl who gets married off to an eccentric scientist, in “Private Life.” The pair move to San Francisco, where they suffer a series of internal and external disasters, but the knowledge that Margaret has married a madman is what keeps the pages turning. The Washington Post has called “Private Life” a “quantum leap” for this already accomplished writer, who will sign her latest work. Diesel, Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 33. 3 p.m. (310) 576-9960. https://www.dieselbookstore.com