The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) welcomed more than 60,000 visitors at its free, campus-wide Block Party on Saturday, June 20, as part of the Grand Opening Weekend for the David Geffen Galleries, the museum’s transformative new building. The Block Party and The Art Parade are presented by East West Bank Foundation, which is committed to expanding access to arts, education, and cultural engagement.

From June 18 through June 22, the museum hosted an array of programming as part of its Grand Opening Weekend celebration, including an edition of The Genesis Talks with Thelma Golden in conversation with Michael Govan, the SPIRITS Summer Solstice Dance with Richie Hawtin and john gerrard, a talk with celebrated photographer Annie Liebovitz, a special site-specific performance by L.A. Dance Project’s City of Dance, soccer watch parties, mindfulness programs, and more. In total, nearly 80,000 visitors came to LACMA over a five-day period, many arriving via the new art-filled Metro station.

“Nothing could be better than bringing tens of thousands of people together through art, music, food, and community, in the heart of L.A. County,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “It’s wonderful that our opening season of events is receiving such a positive response from the public, because this is just the beginning. There is so much more to come.”

During the Block Party on Saturday, June 20, visitors received free admission to all the galleries. The LACMA campus was activated with all-day programming, including family-friendly art activities in the NexGenLA Zone near the W.M. Keck Education Center and live music and DJ sets by Xica Soul, Mo0d, Heidi Lawden, Dahi, DJ Harvey, and Flying Lotus on the East West Bank Commons. Los Angeles’s own Roosevelt Cordova, known worldwide as “El Presidente de la Salsa,” performed as part of the ongoing Latin Sounds concert series.

Restaurants representing L.A.’s diverse food culture had pop-ups all day on the Zev Yaroslavsky Plaza and the W.M. Keck Plaza, including Heng Heng Chicken Rice, The Golden Skewer, Tacos Don Cuco de Tijuana, Fuegos LA, BoBaPOP Tea Bar LA, Bridgetown Roti, Malaya Coffee Shop, Bluey & Co., Banh Khot Lady, Riviera Seafood Club, MANEATINGPLANT, One Hot Minute, Pizza Fling, Churros El Bochito, and 626 Ice Cream.

In the afternoon, Govan shared opening remarks alongside Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky who spoke to the crowd about the David Geffen Galleries. She said the new galleries “...brings together a mixture of diverse cultures, traditions, and experiences side by side in ways that feel uniquely like Los Angeles itself. At a time when so many things divide us, it's places like this that remind us of the shared humanity of all of our different traditions.” Following Flying Lotus’s set, Govan returned to the stage with L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who said to the crowd, “We are L.A.” Mitchell continued, “I’m so proud to represent LACMA. I’m so proud to be a Metro board member. We are connecting communities across L.A. County for all of you.”

A highlight of the Block Party was the first Los Angeles edition of The Art Parade, a colorful and creative procession presented in collaboration with Jeffrey Deitch. Taking place along Wilshire Boulevard, its eclectic lineup featured 146 projects with more than 1,600 participants. These included a cotton candy–themed activation by Meow Wolf, giant inflatable characters by the collective FriendsWithYou, and other multi-sensory spectacles by notable artists and organizations from around the globe, such as Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Marcel Alcala, Michelle “Mr B Baby” Guerrero, Volta Collective, Gary Baseman, Madeline Hollander, Kenny Scharf, Shepard Fairey, HOLA, CalArts, OTIS, Wonzimer Gallery, Tierra del Sol, USC, and The Artist’s Gallery. A full list of participating artists is available on Bloomberg Connects.

LA Metro contributed to the event, including the presence of the Metro Art Bus, a mobile gallery featuring portraits of Metro riders by local artists. Free guided Metro Art tours of the new Wilshire/Fairfax station were offered throughout the day. In addition, free VERY LACMA popsicles were given out as part of the ad campaign promoting the opening of the David Geffen Galleries now running throughout Los Angeles.