The Downtown Art Walk is a free, self-guided tour of the many art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles – commercial art galleries, museums, and non-profit arts venues. It takes place on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Public information and a printable pdf map of the Downtown Art Walk is available here.
The Downtown Art Walk began in September 2004 and has grown enormously since, with many thousands of people attending every month. Participants in the Downtown Art Walk are the more than 40 galleries and museums located throughout the central downtown area, within the walkable districts between the Grand Avenue / Disney Hall / MOCA, Little Tokyo, the Financial District, and centered around Gallery Row on Main and Spring Streets in the Historic Core. Most venues are open at least 12-9PM, but some may open later than 12PM or close earlier than 9PM; info for specific galleries are best obtained by contacting the gallery.
The Downtown Art Walk has received numerous citations and awards from the Downtown News, The City of Los Angeles, the American Planning Association, and has been covered widely in the media, including PBS, KABC, KNBC, The Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly, and others. The Downtown Art Walk was featured in the National Main Street Conference held in Chicago in March of 2009.
The Downtown Art Walk is generously sponsored by the Los Angeles Downtown News, the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and the Historic Business Improvement District. Local sponsoring restaurants, bars, stores, and services are also listed on the Art Walk map. Media sponsors include The Los Angeles Downtown News, Metromix, and The Onion.
Visitors are encouraged to arrive by the abundant public transit network in Los Angeles, as the Art Walk is easily accessible by the Metro Red, Gold and Blue line trains, local buses, and many Rapid buses, many of which run until at least midnight. The closest Metro stop is Pershing Square, Paid parking is plentiful in the area. Parking meters are available until 4PM, and free after 6 or 7 PM on many streets. Please read all posted signs before leaving your vehicle. Once here, local LA City DASH buses are an easy way to get around for only 25¢ until 6PM.
