Over a two-decade period, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (Levitt LA) has established itself as a committed member of the Westlake/MacArthur Park community by offering 50 free concerts every summer, bringing in resources, and incorporating the values of our stakeholders. Levitt LA is located west of downtown in MacArthur Park (est. 1886), and is one of the city’s most historically significant parks. Early on, it was considered an urban oasis for wealthy residents. During the 1980’s, the area began to experience a decline due to disinvestment and a lack of infrastructure for the influx of Central American refugees.
Expanding the notions of public safety to include a vibrant arts and cultural space, Levitt LA entered a partnership with the City of Los Angeles Recreation & Parks Department to reactivate the park’s dormant bandshell built in 1959. Amidst the challenges and in close collaboration with other community partners, Levitt LA works to uplift the cultural resilience of MacArthur Park that exists past and present.
Levitt LA’s audience includes music lovers from across the city and those who use MacArthur Park as their backyard. This dense neighborhood largely consists of Mexican, Central American and Indigenous Latin American communities, as well as being situated between the areas of Downtown LA, Historic Filipinotown, Pico-Union, and Koreatown, Levitt LA’s stakeholders are extremely diverse. As the only fully bilingual outdoor music venue in the city, Levitt LA includes Spanish-speaking audiences and is committed to bringing all Los Angelenos free high quality music concerts who would otherwise not have access.
Today, Levitt LA curates 50 free summer concerts which reflect the many cultures of our city and beyond that have been a point of pride and celebration for this area. Programming includes over 20 different genres, 150+ artists annually, emerging and established artists, and often co-curates with cultural groups. Acclaimed artists who have performed on the Levitt L.A. stage include Tank & the Bangas, Sonora Dinamita, Bomba Estereo, Celso Piña, Fishbone, Ras Michael, Amara La Negra, dumbfoundead, Nortec Collective, and GRAMMY-winning artists like Los Lobos, Flor de Toloache, Karla Bonoff, La Santa Cecilia, Jimmy Webb and Quetzal.
