Royce Hall

Royce Hall is the red brick building with the two towers, the one UCLA uses as its symbol. It stands on the north side of the Westwood campus, facing the quad, and it went up in 1929 as one of the first buildings the university put there. The architect modeled it on the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio in Milan, which explains the arches. Inside there are 1,825 seats split between the orchestra and a balcony.

The sound is the reason people love it. Gershwin played here in 1936, Duke Ellington's orchestra came the next year, and later names on the list run from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Zappa. Today CAP UCLA, the campus presenter, books a lot of the dates, with dance companies, chamber groups and touring musicians. Outside promoters rent the hall for concerts, award shows and community choirs too, so a Taiwanese dance company and a holiday choir can share the same month.

Parking is the main puzzle. Structure 5 sits right behind the hall off Royce Drive and costs $18 for the day. You can pay at the kiosk on level 4 or buy ahead online through Bruin ePermit. Structure 4 works as a backup, but it leaves you climbing all 87 of the Janss Steps. For a rideshare, use 10745 Dickson Court, which puts you at the flagpole in front. The street address can drop you behind the building.

The lobby opens an hour before curtain, and the on-site box office keeps the same hour. Food, drinks other than water in a closeable bottle, umbrellas and selfie sticks are all on the prohibited list. Weekend freeway closures on the 405 are scheduled through the winter of 2028, so check before you drive in from the Valley.