LOS ANGELES (March 9, 2023) – Grand Park, powered by The Music Center, today announced its lineup of spring and summer events taking place in Downtown L.A.—catapulting the park for everyone to the top of the list of outdoor destinations for exciting and free events for the entire family. For more than 10 years, Grand Park has presented and supported programs and partnerships that exemplify Angelenos’ sense of connection with one another and all communities within Los Angeles County. Grand Park’s spring and summer programs will embody Angelenos’ resilience and their continued desire to be seen and engage with local artists, audiences, collaborators and community partners.
“Grand Park is a vibrant outdoor space located in the heart of Downtown L.A.’s cultural and civic center where Angelenos come to be themselves and connect with each other,” said Rachel S. Moore, CEO and president of The Music Center. “Since its beginning more than a decade ago, Grand Park has successfully woven arts and culture into its beautiful green oasis, and this spring and summer are wonderful examples. I encourage everyone to rediscover Grand Park and the energy and fun you can experience only in Downtown L.A.!”
From Grand Park’s Easy Mornings to the global house music rhythms of Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions, Angelenos and visitors of all ages and identities can experience the great outdoors with unforgettable events found only in Grand Park. Additionally, participants will find these family-friendly experiences easy on their pocketbooks because all of Grand Park’s events are free.
“Grand Park’s 2023 programs reflect our inner strength and collective power as Angelenos as we create unrivaled opportunities to connect with each other, unleash our creativities and feel uplifted,” said Julia Diamond, director of Grand Park. “From health and wellness activities to a fascinating introspective of L.A. County’s diverse yet forgotten stories, Grand Park is committed to creating a dynamic, joyful and inclusive environment through its free year-long programming. Get ready to spring forward and experience the great outdoors at Grand Park!”
To view Grand Park’s complete list of spring and summer events, visit grandparkla.org
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Grand Park’s Lunch à la Park
Give your kitchen appliances a break and bring your appetite to Grand Park’s Olive Court where L.A.’s most popular food trucks will serve up a wide variety of delicious dishes to satisfy all taste buds! Be on the lookout for the food trucks parked between Grand Avenue and Hill Street with easy access for jurors, local employees and all park goers.
- Saturday, April 15, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 22, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Grand Park’s Easy Mornings
Begin the weekend with relaxing, family-friendly activities focused on deepening relationships with self, community and the park at Grand Park’s Easy Mornings. This summer’s Easy Mornings programs include an exciting exploration of L.A.’s creative landscape with performances, activities and workshops highlighting the art of dance and music, nature, health and wellness, digital arts and more. The event also showcases Los Angeles-based small businesses and nonprofits with activities to inspire everyone. Grand Park’s Easy Mornings is co-curated in partnership with Streetlet, an opportunity-matching and growth engine for small business owners and makers.
- Thursday, June 1
Launch of the Uncovering LA Initiative
Inspired by advocacy and visioning led by the First Peoples communities of Los Angeles whose land Grand Park sits on, Uncovering LA is a multi-year project focused on the development of a new interpretive pathway through the park to enhance the common everyday usage of the park by visitors. The pathway will be comprised of more than 60 physical wayfinding markers and will eventually incorporate public art installations in years to come. The launch event marks the first phase of the project comprised of community listening sessions, input gathering and collective learning about the historical and contemporary connections to this land, and attendees will be able to preview examples of the wayfinding signage.
- Wednesday, June 14 – Friday, June 30
The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative
The national tour of The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative’s To Sit A While art exhibit will be on display in Grand Park for nearly three weeks. Hansberry was a playwright, journalist and activist whose play A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. The iconic production was revived on Broadway in 2004 and 2014. To Sit A While, by sculpture artist Alison Saar, features the figure of Hansberry surrounded by five bronze chairs, each representing a different aspect of her life and work. The life-size chairs are an invitation to the public to do just that: to sit with her and think. The sculpture will be permanently installed on the South Side of Chicago, Hansberry’s childhood home, in 2024. The Hansberry Initiative also encompasses a $2.5 million endowed fund for women and non-binary writers of color enrolled in graduate dramatic writing programs. The writers receive $25,000 a year to help alleviate their burden of living expenses and ensure that they have protected time to actually write and can take full advantage of their education.
- Tuesday, July 4, 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Grand Park’s 4th of July Block Party
Downtown L.A.’s largest free Fourth of July celebration returns with a holiday spectacular packed with fun for the whole family. With delectable food, live music, dancing and an unforgettable light show, this legendary block party is not-to-be-missed. This year’s celebration also will feature immersive art installations and DJs spinning the thumping beats of Hip-Hop, Cumbia, Jazz, House, Funk and Latin Soul.
- Sunday, July 16, Noon – 8:00 p.m.
Bboy | BGirl Summit
Established in 1994, B-Boy | B-Girl Summit is the longest-running annual Hip-Hop event in the nation that brings classic and current Hip-Hop fashion, skills and knowledge to the forefront featuring Poppin Battles, B-Boy & B-Girl Battles, Kids Battles, Breakin’ Workshops, Graffiti Artists and panel discussions. Previous performances have included: DJ Battlecat, Far Side, The Souls of Mischief, Grand Wizard Theodore, Skeme Richards, Rokafella & DJ KS360. The year’s summit will feature a special tribute to the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop including revisiting the Pros to Protégés Battle and special Outlaw Rock Dance Showcase.
- Sunday, July 23, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 20, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 17, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions
A celebration of L.A.’s contributions to the global art form of dance music—specially-curated with DJs, themes and experiences unique to the house music genre and cultural community—Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions is simply the best way to enjoy the park, sip cocktails, picnic and dance your heart out. Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions will celebrate the 20th anniversary of longtime collaborator Fusicology, a platform credited with introducing an eclectic mix of local and global DJs who have made significant contributions to the Club House scene over the past two decades.
- Wednesdays and Fridays, Beginning September 1, Noon – 12:45 p.m.
Grand Park’s Health & Wellness Programs
An expansion of Grand Park’s popular yoga series, Grand Park’s Health & Wellness programs invite Angelenos to experience outdoor movement, restoration and reinvigoration—in less than an hour. With Restorative Yoga, Tai-Chi, Meditation, Yoga Therapy, Sound Baths, Chair Yoga, Yoga en Español, Chinese Dance and more, the programs are intended to be a balm for the body and the spirit. The wellness programs also will invite local community partners and organizations to offer programs online and in-person.
*Programs and artists subject to change.
About Grand Park
A vibrant outdoor gathering place, Grand Park is a beautiful public park for the entire community in Los Angeles County. With expansive green space for gatherings large and small, Grand Park celebrates the county’s cultural vitality and is host to community events, cultural experiences, holiday celebrations and many other activities that engage and attract visitors from all communities. The 12-acre Grand Park, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, stretches from The Music Center on the west to City Hall on the east and is easily accessible by Metro via the B/D (formerly Red/Purple) line to the Civic Center/Grand Park station. The park was named one of American Planning Association’s 10 “Great Public Spaces” in the U.S. for 2013. Working closely with the county, The Music Center is responsible for all operations and programming for the park. For more information, visit grandparkla.org. Follow Grand Park on Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, TikTok, Spotify and Mixcloud (@grandpark_la) as well as YouTube and Facebook (@grandparkLosAngeles).
About The Music Center
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The $70 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County and on a digital platform called The Music Center Offstage. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Grand Park, which comprise $2 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @MusicCenterLA.
# # #