On Saturday evening, Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles underwent a striking transformation for the city’s inaugural Art Parade, a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and prominent gallerist Jeffrey Deitch. The event replaced the usual evening traffic with large-scale balloons, mobile sculptures, and costumed participants, turning the stretch of Museum Row into a vibrant, human-powered showcase of Los Angeles’ diverse art community.
The parade featured approximately 146 groups and over 1,400 participants, presenting an array of projects that included oversized marionettes, children in handmade costumes, and moving reinterpretations of LACMA’s most recognizable artworks. The procession followed an all-day block party on the museum’s campus, celebrating the grand reopening of the David Geffen Galleries and the completion of LACMA’s extensive $724 million campus renovation, a project spanning two decades.
Together, the parade and block party attracted an estimated 60,000 attendees. Visitors streamed through galleries, danced to live DJ performances, and lined the streets to witness the eclectic performances. Among those performing was electronic low-fi hip-hop artist Flying Lotus, whose set preceded remarks from LACMA Director and Chief Executive Michael Govan. Govan noted the event represented a new chapter in the use of the museum’s campus, which he had previously dubbed the city’s “living room,” though he cautioned it was unlikely Wilshire Boulevard would be closed regularly for such activities.
L.A. County District 2 Supervisor Holly Mitchell, also a member of the Metro board, praised the event, highlighting the ease of access provided by the newly opened D Line subway extension. “Just seeing you all at this amazing public facility does my heart good,” she said, describing the event as a successful collaboration between public institutions and the community.
Preparations for the parade were visible across adjacent streets and parking lots, where groups assembled giant inflatables, applied body paint, and rehearsed choreography. Among the participants was a troupe channeling the work of artist Gary Baseman by dressing as black cats, while others embraced political themes, including anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement messaging, trans pride displays, and performance art symbolizing constitutional unraveling.
The parade’s scope extended to local advocacy as well, with groups such as the “Boo Boo Bandage Brigade for Safe Streets” promoting sidewalk repairs and accessibility improvements, and the Pali-Altadena Collective honoring landmarks lost in recent 2025 wildfires with miniature replicas.
The event also highlighted the city’s rich queer cultural history through “Brown Disco,” a project presented by Chicana artist Nao Bustamante and Track 16 Gallery, featuring a large gold disco ball accompanied by figures representing decades of Los Angeles queer nightlife. Steve Galindo, assistant director of Track 16, described the parade as fostering an important intergenerational dialogue within the community.
For participants from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, the parade offered a platform to affirm the role of puppetry in Los Angeles' artistic landscape. Joie Mitchell, the theater’s volunteer coordinator, emphasized the significance of contributing to the city’s art history, while production manager Daisy Hernandez highlighted puppetry’s role as a unique means of personal and artistic expression.
Originally initiated by Deitch in New York City between 2005 and 2008, the Art Parade’s Los Angeles iteration aimed for greater inclusivity. Unlike its predecessor, which targeted the art world’s inner circles, this event called on participants of all backgrounds and skill levels, fostering broad community participation without requiring formal artistic credentials.
The success of the parade and block party signals LACMA’s evolving approach to public engagement, as it continues to explore ways to utilize its expanded campus and cement its place as a cultural hub in Los Angeles.