Westwood Village already has a lot to brag about. It’s home to the country’s No. 1 rated public university, UCLA, as well as the widely respected Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Geffen Playhouse, art destination the Hammer Museum and beloved local mainstays like Diddy Riese. And now it has a new feather in its cap: It will also be home to the largest pedestrian plaza in the City of L.A. (If your mind skeptically jumped to Third Street Promenade when you read that, note that the new plaza is the largest in the city of L.A., and Santa Monica is its own city.)
Broxton Avenue, between Weyburn and Kinross Avenues, will be permanently closed to car traffic beginning this Saturday, February 22, thanks to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s People St program, which transforms city streets into accessible spaces for people. The alfresco plaza—sure to soon be swarming with college students—will stretch from the historic, currently shuttered Fox Westwood Village and Bruin theaters at Weyburn to the two-story Broxton Brewery & Public House at Kinross. Also situated along that section of Broxton are a Barney’s Beanery, Chipotle, Cava and the still-operational Landmark Westwood movie theater.
In all, that’s 14,000 square feet of space, which will now be home to outdoor dining, music, events and activities. You’ll find tables and chairs where you can sit with food from the surrounding restaurants (or your own outside food and drink—just not alcohol), as well as games like foosball and giant chess and checkers, plus “weekly activations” that have yet to be announced.
Saturday’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place from noon to 5pm. The UCLA Marching Band and Spirit Squad will make an appearance, and local officials will also be on hand. Attendees can take advantage of plenty of perks: The first 100 people will receive free boba from ShareTea; the Skate Hunnies are offering free roller skating and rentals; and Mighty Pilates will host free mat pilates classes. There will also be two beer gardens open on the plaza, and driverless taxi company Waymo will be offering demos and 50% off two rides. Meanwhile, kids can enjoy free activities from Splatterz Studio and Let’s Be Creative.
Parking is free for the first two hours at the public lot at Broxton and Weyburn. You can reserve your spot for the opening festivities here.