Los Angeles is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own personality, culture and history. Within just a few miles, you can go from Echo Park to Chinatown, Little Tokyo to Boyle Heights, passing murals, historic landmarks, restaurants and some of the city’s most recognizable streets.
Usually, you need a car to experience them all. For one Sunday next month, 6.5 miles of Los Angeles streets will instead be turned over to pedestrians, cyclists and skaters for one of the city’s biggest car-free events.
đźš´ Six neighborhoods, 6.5 miles and no cars
CicLAvia—Heart of LA returns on Sunday, October 11, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free open-streets event will connect Echo Park, Chinatown, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, the Arts District and Boyle Heights, creating one continuous route where people can walk, bike, skate and explore without vehicle traffic.
There is no official starting point or finish line, so visitors can join anywhere along the route and spend as much time as they want exploring. The route also passes dozens of local businesses, restaurants, shops and cultural landmarks. Four hubs will serve as major gathering points:
- Echo Park Hub: 1632 Bellevue Ave
- Chinatown Hub: 942 N Broadway
- Little Tokyo Hub: 121 S Central Ave
- Mariachi Plaza Hub: 1801 E 1st St
The hubs will offer free water refill stations, bike parking, bike repair, first aid and restrooms, while free pedicab rides will connect the hubs on a first-come, first-served basis.
🚧 Expect major street closures
The transformation begins well before the event itself. Most street closures start around 7 a.m., with some roads closing as early as 4–6 a.m. Streets are expected to reopen around 6 p.m.
Affected roads include portions of Broadway, Glendale Boulevard, 1st Street, Whittier Boulevard, Boyle Avenue, Bellevue Avenue and S Central Avenue. Drivers will be able to cross the route at designated intersections, but significant traffic delays and detours are expected.
There’s also a freeway impact: the southbound US 101 Broadway ramp will close, while the northbound US 101 Echo Park Avenue ramp will have restrictions.
🚇 How to get there
With so many streets closed, Metro is one of the easiest ways to reach the event. Nearby stations include Chinatown, Little Tokyo/Arts District, Mariachi Plaza, Historic Broadway and Civic Center/Grand Park. And you don’t have to cover all 6.5 miles! Pick a neighborhood, explore on foot or wheels, stop for food along the way and continue as far as you’d like.
