Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles – MacArthur Park

Levitt has an amazing mission statement and goals. Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park is absolutely worth coming to, just don’t be afraid of exiting your comfort zone a bit. Yes, the Westlake area isn’t your cushy Santa Monica setting or even your DTLA South Park artificially-​created safeness, but there’s great programming that’s free and fun. Just check out the schedule when the summer season starts!

Great music great sponsors great event staff
No police presence
Rowdy crowds in dark areas. I saw two separate huge brawls erupt into 50 person melees
Great music but a bit scary place.

Totally enjoyed the concerts I’ve seen at the Levitt bandshell. One of the awesome perks of Los Angeles are the free summertime shows, and the Mac Arthur lineup does not disappoint. This year, the schedule included many Latin artists, including Ozomatli.
If you arrive early, then you may find convenient parking on Wilshire or the surrounding streets. Alternatively, take the metro (red line) and the MacArthur Park station lets you out on the other side of the park from the Levitt bandshell and you can walk over in 5 – 10 minutes. (The side of the park north of Wilshire, not the side with the lake.)
What to bring: blanket, food (or money to buy food, of which is a selection of Mexican), drinks (if alcohol, bring an opaque cup or something), maybe a sweater.
Over the past 5– 10 years, MacArthur Park has undergone many improvements (including the new AstroTurf, the bandshell, lake has been dredged). The surrounding area is just as busy and population-​dense as before. I’ve enjoyed my trips there. For those who have not been, and may be accustomed to settings like Beverly Hills, Old Town Pasadena, fancy Hollywood, I let them know we’re going into the heart of LA, so things will look and feel different.

This is one of the illest things about L.A. in the summer: the concerts. I always enjoy the free shows that this place brings every summer.
All summer long they have a roster of different musical acts from all sorts of styles but I always look forward to the ska line up. The area is pretty sketchy all right but the people that go there to check out the show are there for just that. Either up front, in the big ass pit or sitting on a blanket in the back. Everyone’s having a good time. A couple of vendors, liquor store down the block & yes, there is a line to get in that liquor store. 5 at a time please in an orderly conduct. The sound is ok and since it’s at a park, it doesn’t go pass 10pm. Viernes 13, Red Store Bums & La Resistencia have all graced the stage. With a phenomenal turn out I might add.
Go on their website sometime, hopefully you guys see an artist or band worth checking out. Summers on its way out now so maybe next summer! Don’t forget.
Your homegirl,
Violy

It took me a while to decide if I should attend the beatles string quartet concert held in Macarthur Park last Saturday night. It was not until I found some people who said they would take the Metro back to SFV I then felt comfortable in going. I also read all the reviews about the park. There were two police cars stopping right outside of the Metro Station, I couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad sign. The area was filled with vendors and pedestrians. The park too was filled with people, including many families with small children so it looked like a normal park. I especially enjoyed watching the ducks. It is really a shame that the park has such a bad reputation and keep many people away from it. I saw a few homeless people in the park near the lake and some people were fishing there, so it still looked normal after dark. However, I still have to say a single woman should not walk thru the park alone after dark. There were some people taking the Metro but not a big crowd, one may end up to be the only person at the station.

This is a really great place to see live music. Always free, close to the metro, lots of room on the lawn, and decent sound. The programming is diverse and they bring in pretty good food trucks. Totally family friendly without being lame.

Levitt Pavilion is essentially a performance venue on the corner of Park View and 6^th inside MacArthur Park
Performed here last Saturday and had a great time. They do a great job of advertising events, as well as inviting local vendors to sell food and refreshments. Backstage area is decent with a huge clean bathroom.
Stage is enormous. I love playing on big stages because you don’t have to run into your fellow bandmates.
The only issue (since I play in a ska band) was all the dust that gets kicked up in front of the stage. Other than that it was fine. The staff are great and I really enjoyed my experience there.

The summer concert series at the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park is one of the great joys of living in this city.
There are 50 concerts throughout the summer, Wednesdays — Sundays. They are always free, and the ones I’ve been to have been phenomenal. The music is eclectic and interesting, and it’s never been very crowded. There’s a red line stop right there, or ample metered parking around and in the park — the street opens for parking after 7:00 PM, and the meters are not running.
There aren’t many seats, only a few benches, so I recommend you bring a blanket or lawn chairs.
There are a couple of cheap food vendors at the Pavilion itself, and about a million vendors on the streets surrounding the park, especially en route from the red line station. You can find pupusas, tacos, fresh squeezed orange juice, platanos, danger dogs, churros, etc.
Don’t let the fact that it’s in MacArthur Park scare you. Sure, the park has its share of homeless people. And I learned from a recent article in LA Magazine that no fewer than 4 separate gangs control corners of the park. But the area around the Pavilion is safe and well lit, with lots of people enjoying music, kids playing soccer, couples enjoying the evening, people walking dogs, etc. There’s nothing to worry about!
If you can spare it, bring money for a donation, and support accessible arts in our great city!

Great place! I saw No Age and the Allah-​Las here. And it’s cheaper than Coachella! (i.e. free/​donation)

Saw Don Carlos perform here this summer (reggae musician) for the free summer concert series. It was Great venue, good vibe, very chill… good times! Will definitely come back next summer for other performances.

In terms of cleanliness, not the best but spacious with plenty of lawn area to kick back while enjoying the show on stage. Bring blankets so you can lay down.
Currently showcasing the 50 Summer Concert Series… open to the public with free admission, it is such a wonderful event.
I had the chance to catch Geographer, a SF based indie band and they were amazing. Was able to watch them perform up close too, since you can literally stand at dead front of the stage.
Parking is meter street parking. If you drive around the area, you will find a spot eventually and walk to the park isn’t that far.
Come enjoy the show before it ends on ⁹⁄₉!

Who would’ve thought that there were free summer concerts at the MacArthur Park? I know for sure I never thought of taking the 10E and heading to the ‘heart of LA’ to dance the night away. Well believe it folks because they have free cultural events that have attracted a very diverse crowd that makes the area seem safe.
I have attended a few events and the usual crow consists of kids that just finished their soccer practice which is held right behind the pavilion and their respective families.
It really depends on who is performing but there seems to be a pretty chill crowd that just likes to discover new artists. Some of the bands I have seen get the crowd going and everybody is dancing but the ground is grass and well not exactly suitable for dancing. At least, I had a hard time last time I went straight after work and tried dancing in my heels.
Still the people behind this project has done a spectacular job promoting their events and bringing new and upcoming artists to LA so we can enjoy a free summer show. Check out their calendar at
Parking wise, it can be hard to find a spot because the park is usually crowded with families so it might take some driving around to find a spot. Word of caution: be careful when driving back to your car since by the time the show is over it’s dark and well this can be a dangerous area. I haven’t had any issues so I keep coming back.