Hollywood Forever

Hollywood Forever is a working cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard, and it is also one of the strangest places in Los Angeles to see a show. The grounds opened in 1899 and hold mausoleums, lawns and palm trees, with Paramount's water tower and the Hollywood sign in view from the back rows. On summer nights thousands of people carry blankets and picnic baskets onto Fairbanks Lawn, where Cinespia projects a classic film onto the side of a mausoleum after sunset. Headstones stay visible in the dark the whole time.

Concerts split between the lawn and the Masonic Lodge, a building that first opened in 1927 inside the grounds. The lodge takes smaller shows, author evenings, podcast tapings and screenings through the year, while the outdoor program runs a handful of concerts each summer. The biggest date on the calendar is Día de los Muertos, a daylong festival with altars, Aztec dancers and five stages of music, listed for October 24 in 2026. Fall film nights run through Halloween, with gates around 5:30 PM and the feature closer to 7:15 PM.

Go early. The lawn fills from the front, the ground is uneven, and a low chair or a thick blanket beats anything tall. Food and drink are part of the ritual for most people, so check the listing for that night's rules before you pack. The cemetery does not publish its own parking policy; Cinespia posts directions and lot details for the screenings, and the streets around Santa Monica and Gower are residential with permit restrictions. This is a cemetery first, so stay on the paths and off the graves.