Grand Park

Grand Park runs 12 acres downhill from the Music Center to City Hall, between First and Temple streets, and its mailing address is 200 N Grand Ave. The county renamed it Gloria Molina Grand Park, so you'll see both names on signs and ticket pages. On a normal weekday it's office workers eating lunch on the lawn and kids in the splash pad. The park is open from 5:30 AM to 10 PM every day.

The park plans its own free programming all year, and that's where most of its shows come from. NYELA is its New Year's Eve party. The Summer Block Party lands on July 4 with a drone light show, and Sunday Sessions is a free outdoor summer dance party with DJs playing house music. Promoters also rent the lawns for festivals and dance events, so the calendar below can jump from a community concert to a late DJ night in the same month. Don't expect a weekday matinee. The surrounding courts limit amplified sound on weekdays, so most stages fire up in the evening or on weekends.

Metro is the easy way in. The B (Red) and D (Purple) lines stop at Civic Center/Grand Park Station, a short walk up Hill Street, and Metrolink riders can transfer at Union Station. If you drive, the park points you to Lot 10 at 145 N. Broadway, which runs $10 a day on weekends, evenings and event days. Big nights close nearby streets, so plan your rideshare pickup a few blocks out.

Pack a blanket, since spreading one on the grass is allowed. Leave the folding chairs, tents and lawn umbrellas at home. Smoking and vaping are banned, and alcohol is only allowed inside a licensed bar area at events. Each event can add its own prohibited items, so read the ticket page before you go. Keep out of the upper fountain pools too, even on a hot July night.