Most installations, whether a pop-up or semi-permanent, that describe themselves as “immersive” toss around the phrase as a marketing gimmick. But Meow Wolf—known for its fully-enveloped environments replete with secret passages, touchable decor and tons of neon—is one of the few experiences that actually lives up to that promise.
Soon, Angelenos will get to see for themselves without venturing outside of the state as Meow Wolf announced today that it’ll be opening a permanent exhibition in Los Angeles in 2026, its sixth such space.
The company describes the L.A. location as a “maximalist fantasy” that takes design cues from the city’s history of filmmaking, including “cinematic mythos, mysterious eggs, absurd glitz [and] the fantastical spells cast by Hollywood.” (You might not be shocked to find out that they also describe their experiences as “hard to explain but easy to enjoy.”)
Meow Wolf started in Sante Fe in 2008, and since then its artist collective has built transportive walk-throughs in that city as well as Las Vegas, Denver and Dallas, with a Houston location on the way. Collectively, their locations have earned the top spot in Time Out’s list of the country’s best immersive experiences.
An official release from the company only hints that it’ll reside in a movie theater, but a report in the L.A. Times narrows things down to a vacant complex in West Los Angeles—though it’s unclear if that means the 405-adjacent neighborhood or just somewhere vaguely on the Westside. (The Landmark’s former Pico location is the only spot we can think of in West L.A. proper, but UCLA is turning the entire former Westside Pavilion into a research center. Broadening the area, Santa Monica Place’s shuttered ArcLight space is still empty but it’s already slated to become an Arte Museum location. So, readers, any other guesses?)
UPDATE (5/13): Meow Wolf has announced that its L.A. location will move into the Cinemark complex at HHLA (formerly dubbed the Howard Hughes Center). It’ll be located at 6081 Center Drive, right along the 405 and just south of the 90.
“For years we’ve made trips to Los Angeles, dreaming of creating something in its layered and ever-changing network of creativity,” said Sean Di Ianni, Meow Wolf’s cofounder and the senior creative director of the L.A. location, in a statement. “L.A. is more than a physical place; it extends deep into the global landscape of human imagination, constantly pushing its own bounds. Meow Wolf Los Angeles will stretch these cinematic horizons by weaving together an unpredictable tapestry of art, story and interactivity.”