The Night on Broadway saga continues: After a six-year hiatus, the beloved Downtown L.A. festival has finally announced its official comeback—albeit under a new name and city council member. Now dubbed Broadway Night Lights, the celebration will take place on October 12 between 3rd and 8th Streets.
So far, the event touts two stages of live music plus circus performances, wrestling matches, a classic car show, a Ferris wheel, kids activities, art installations and food vendors. The Los Angeles Theatre, Palace Theatre and Million Dollar Theatre will open their doors for free (3pm–midnight) to host performances and offer tours.
The revived event will now be spearheaded by council member Kevin de León, who represents DTLA and parts of the Eastside and Northeast L.A. “I am thrilled to bring back Broadway Night Lights, a festival that truly captures the heart and soul of Downtown Los Angeles,” the politician said in an official statement. “This event celebrates our community’s rich cultural diversity and unites us through dynamic arts and entertainment.”
The return has been a long time coming: Part of a larger Bringing Back Broadway initiative to revitalize the city’s old theater district, the original Night on Broadway debuted in 2014 and ran annually through 2018. But the 2019 edition was canceled when the council member who was then behind the effort, José Huizar, was raided by the FBI; he was soon after charged with racketeering conspiracy and tax evasion and sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. So the 2019 edition was postponed to 2020—but then basically the whole world was postponed in 2020—and the event never really materialized again, until now.
There’s no word yet on the festival’s exact timing or a few other organizational details, but we’ll share them as soon as they’re made public. Can you sense how excited we are about this all?