Los Angeles is in full creative bloom, and spring 2025 offers more ways than ever to gallery‑hop under perfect skies. Updated with the latest schedules and exhibitions, this guide spotlights five neighborhood art walks that double as street‑level festivals and seven museum‑caliber shows worth building an itinerary around. Map a single Friday stroll or design a month‑long culture crawl—the city’s art scene is ready when you are.
Neighborhood Art Walks to Bookmark
DTLA ArtNight – First Thursdays
Replacing the older second‑Thursday format, Downtown’s DTLA ArtNight now happens on the first Thursday of every month, uniting 25+ galleries along Spring and Main Streets with open studios, DJs, and food trucks until 10 p.m.
Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction – May 15
The coast’s signature walk returns May 15 with live auctions, pop‑up studios, and a panel on art as community healing, all benefiting Venice Family Clinic’s health programs.
Leimert Park Art Walk – Fourth Sundays
South L.A.’s cultural heart beats loudest on fourth Sundays, when Degnan Boulevard turns into an open‑air stage for jazz, Afrocentric fashion vendors, and gallery hops celebrating Black art and heritage.
Culver City Art Walk & Roll Festival – June 7
Kicking off summer but planned during the spring art‑walk season, Culver City’s festival closes Washington and La Cienega Boulevards for mural painting, children’s workshops, and a craft‑beer garden beside blue‑chip spaces.
DTLB Art + Design Walk – April 5
Long Beach’s quarterly downtown crawl returns April 5 with pop‑up galleries, design showrooms, and live maker demos, all within walking distance from the Metro A‑Line.
Must‑See Spring & Early‑Summer Exhibitions
Venue |
Exhibition & Dates |
Why Go |
| Wilding Cran Gallery | Alex Becerra: Paintings from Yucatán (through May 31) | Thick impasto canvases channel humid jungle light and family folklore. |
| Skirball Cultural Center | Marisa J. Futernick: Spring Valley (through Aug 3) | Photographs revisit Jewish resort culture in New York’s Catskills. |
| Getty Center | In the Company of Women: Photobooks by Female Artists (May 20 – Aug 10) | Rare volumes chart a century of photographic storytelling. |
| MOCA Grand Avenue | Olafur Eliasson: OPEN (Apr 12 – Sept 14) | Immersive light‑and‑fog rooms transform perception and space. |
| Hammer Museum | Selections from the Grunwald Center (Feb 9 – Aug 24) | Works on paper—from Dürer to Kerry James Marshall—trace 500 years. |
| Gagosian Beverly Hills | Paul McCartney, Eyes of the Storm (through June 22) | Rediscovered Beatles‑era photographs capture 1963’s whirlwind tours. |
| L.A. Louver, Venice | 50 Years / 50 Artists (through July 26) | Anniversary survey pairs L.A. legends with global contemporaries. |
Planning Tips for Los Angeles Spring Art Walks
Layer Your Day
Start with a daylight museum visit (Getty’s hilltop views or MOCA’s skylit atrium) and segue to an evening art walk like DTLA ArtNight. Metro rides between venues keep parking painless.
RSVP or Buy Ahead
Panel talks at Venice Family Clinic’s walk require free RSVP; Olafur Eliasson’s MOCA show is timed‑ticketed on weekends—book early to avoid standby lines.
Support Street Vendors
Culver City and Leimert Park walks spotlight local food stalls and craft artisans. Purchasing a snack or zine directly fuels community art programs.
Mind the Weather
Even May evenings can slip into the low 60s. Bring a light jacket and wear walkable shoes; several districts span multiple blocks of historic sidewalks.
Final Brushstroke
From the high‑gloss galleries of Beverly Hills to the Afro‑futurist rhythms of Leimert Park, Los Angeles spring art walks offer a panorama of creativity no single museum ticket can match. Plot your route, reserve those hot‑ticket exhibitions, and step into a season where every street corner may unveil the city’s next big talent—or simply a perfect sunset framing a pop‑up mural. Either way, your spring culture calendar just filled up.