Downtown LA Art Walk

Last Thursday was my second time coming here, but my first time buying food.
The artists had nice little trinkets for sale and had some neat displays to look at!
I liked the fact that I was able to have my dog with me and that it was free! I got some nice pics since the infamous angel wings were nearby. The murals nearby were actually more of an interest for me, but I still love the art hand crafted by people. I do not know how often I would go unless there was something specific I wanted to see.
Parking is so not cool though.

The Art Walk is one of my favorite activities in Downtown LA. It compares favorably with the Laguna Beach Art Walk as well as the Long Beach version, each of which has its own character and charm as well, so that’s not to be construed as disparaging similar events. That said, DTLA offers so many different galleries and venues, as well as live performances, food truck choices and restaurants, that I need to give the DTLA Art Walk a big thumbs up for their efforts. The variety is very refreshing. It seems like every walk is substantively different because the galleries come out with new stuff every month, and the food trucks are also vastly different every time. Keep up the good work,
!

A very fun night filled with art and drinks. The art galleries are amazing. So much talent and creativity. Great for a date night followed by a dinner. Parking can be a problem but there are parking lots all around. I recommend taking an Über.

3.5 stars — So I’ve been to the Art Walk before. This was a couple of years ago and I was mainly near the LA Times bldg area. This time we were near Spring and 6^th or 7^th where the food trucks were supposed to be. We get there and it’s pretty deserted and there is ONLY ONE FOOD TRUCK. WHY? What the hell? Also, it seemed more of an art bazaar vs live art like I had seen for other art events in LA. A lot of artists/​craftsman selling their art, clothes, and knick knacks. The best part of our evening had nothing to do with the Art Walk — we went to the Last Bookstore and ate dinner. While we did see others there for the artwalk, it was not as crowded or happening as I thought it would be. Could be because the areas were so spread out? When I went a couple of years ago, it was definitely more packed/​more centralized and more museum-​y with a lot of art galleries/​shops you could look at.

This review is for the DTLA Artwalk tour. I am fairly new to Los Angeles and after reviewing the list of galleries on the website, I felt overwhelmed as to where to go. I definitely recommend the DTLA Artwalk tour which is $ 20. Having a guide who also loves art streamlined the art gallery tour and we got to meet the curators at the art galleries to learn about why they chose the art they chose for the exhibit, and also got to meet some of the artists at the Last Bookstore art galleries. This gave me an inside peek into downtown LA, the artists, the galleries and their work. I appreciate DTLA’s initiatives more so as a result. I only wish that more time was dedicated to the art galleries in The Last Bookstore. The bookstore itself is uniquely phenomenal and there is art everywhere on each floor, not just in the DTLA exhibits. We seemed to rush through this part of the tour, which to me, was the most unique stop. I wish there was more time allocated to The Last Bookstore stop on the tour. We also got to speak directly with the artists at this location and it was really inspiring.

The DTLA Art Walk is a nonprofit organization that has been hosting this event in LA every month for years. The experience of the event itself changes in accordance with the galleries, restaurants, and pop ups that participate. Art Walk just acts as the stage for everyone to participate on, and as such deserves its fair share of credit for being a consistent, strong collective entity contributing to arts and culture in LA.
If you haven’t been before, it’s best to go online and see what’s happening, or stop by the Art Walk Lounge (during the Art Walk night) on 634 Spring St. first to get recommendations on where to go, since there are new exhibits and things happening every month.
The street vendors usually don’t impress much, but it should also be noted that they are technically illegal and not officially involved with or managed by Art Walk in any way. Again I would look to the official website to see what’s worth looking for. Art Walk is really a self-​guided tour so it’s up to you to seek out the best parts.

For years now my girlfriend and I have been visiting the DTLA Art Walk every second Thursday of the month.
It’s awesome, it’s free and it’s a great way to spend some time away from technology and our phones and spend some time looking at art!
Even if you’re not into art there is a little bit of everything for everyone. Plus it’s free so you don’t really have anything to lose if it’s not for you.
Within the area there are various cafes, restaurants and bars to hangout along with various art galleries and also the ever popular ‘Last Bookstore’ which is just amazing. I really hope this concept of this DTLA art walk stays around as I think it’s a great way for the community to get together.
Many of these artists are super cool and will spend time talking to you about their pieces whether you’re interested in buying or not.
Parking is free on the sidewalk after a certain time, parking in the lots can range from $ 5-​$ 20 depending where you go. Not terribly hard to find parking on the sidewalk if you’re patient.

Love the artwalk. I buy all my cool art stuff when the artwalk happens in downtown Los Angeles. They Have everything you can think off…

I absolutely love coming to the art walk. I buy all my art from this event. There is so much to look at and buy. I come every month. If you enjoy different forms of art and or have a passion for artistic items I highly suggest it.

It’s not bad. It’s very busy and you have a stroller, I recommend leaving it at home and just bringing a carrier. I didn’t get a chance to go into all of the art shops but those I have seen, they were pretty rad. Bring money for the food trucks, but just enjoy the art for what it’s worth. Lots of cool people there.

I love love love the dtla art walk! It’s a nice get away once a month to the city. They have the food trucks, the art on the street, the galleries, the bars, cafes, the Edison, the last bookstore! I’ve gone many times and never seen the same thing twice. The food trucks change a lot and so does the art. There is plant of parking all over spring street and Main Street. I recommend having an adventure. It’s the 2^nd Thursday every month. There’s also exchange of you like edm. Just have fun, bring some comfy shoes, look cute and have fun in La!

After 3 years hearing about this place I FINALLY had the chance to check it out. Here’s how it went.
Ambiance:
Quite lively but scattered. Almost every block will be a store or street vendor doing their business. The parking gets packed so try booking online for one ahead of time. The streets are packed as well. The police should provide a sense of safety as they’re around patrolling the area. Generally the sites are within a two mile distance. Definitely walkable, just be sure not to get hit by cars!
Food:
Plenty, there’s a plaza where they accept $ 1 – 2 donation entry fee. They all range from appetizers, drinks, or meals. Grand Market is not too far away too.
Vendors
Too many vendors to count really. Most art displays in comparison to other works I’ve been to (Laguna, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Long Beach, Santa Ana). Some of them are on the streets doing their thing while others are inside buildings. They all very to meticulous street art, bougie art, post-​modern, and «post-​modern crap.
Overall:
3.5−4 stars. Plenty of action but what’s unfortunate is the fact that it’s scattered. I wish there was a park or general location that centralizes the art, the music, and the food, closing down a grid would be neat to see. To put things in a positive spin, I thought of the place of more as a scavenger hunt. Any who I’m glad there was plenty of action to see, even if it was non DTLA Artwalk related. Though I’m not the biggest fan, I wouldn’t mind coming back to enjoy the LA action.
Advice:
* Park online to avoid the parking hustle stress
* There are other great site seeing places a mile or two away if you get board.
* FREE99

This was my first time going to LA walk and I gotta say it’s pretty cool. They don’t have anything like this where I’m from (DMV area) so this was all new to me. I like how they have artists actually creating the paintings while you’re walking by. They have food and and a lot of artistic visuals that artist have created throughout. I’d recommend anyone to go visit for the experience. Also check out the last book store

Every second Thursday of the month, Downtown LA transforms into a big giant art festival. All the art galleries open their doors to the public, the food trucks line up to fill hungry bellies, and talented people display their art work on the sidewalks. You truly get the feel of Los Angeles by being there. The creativity infests the air and you can’t help but to feel motivated and have butterflies while witness amazing art.
I highly recommend everyone to attend these events. What better place to spend a fantastic Thursday evening than the Art Walk?

Not as many vendor as previous years but anyways, walk around gaze at the art, eat and drink why not??! Second thursday of the month

Third time coming out to this event.
Really enjoy it. Love the food trucks! Deep fried ice cream Mexican style is so good! Wish they gave out maps at all participating galleries instead of just one, the main one which was super hot and stuffy. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes! The galleries aren’t that close to each other…

EVERY FIRST THURSDAY OF A MONTH!
I love the vibe. People playing music on the streets, displaying and selling their art which they worked on for months and just seeing a crowd full of same minded people sharing the interested for art.
IT’S FREE unless you want to purchase something, which is great, because you support the artist and the community.
All in all a very cheap and educative way to spend your night at the same time really fun and unique if you like art. Any kind of art.

I’m not exactly sure what I expected from this event, but the entire thing was pretty «meh,» to be honest. A friend and I attended because I was visiting LA and she hadn’t been to the Art Walk in a long time and wanted to show me around.
Yeah, there’s art… and sure, there are street performers. We met up with some other friends and wandered around the various galleries and all. Not very much to be excited about though, honestly, and I couldn’t find any art that I would seriously consider buying. There were also TONS of people, and constantly being bumped into by people was less than enjoyable.
After a bit, we decided to ditch most of the art galleries and find something delicious from a food truck, so we opted to wait for something from the grilled cheese truck. The lines were crazy long though, and the service was slow. I’m sure it was over an hour before we even got to place our order. And our food when we ultimately got it? I mean… it was fine… but nothing I’d wait THAT LONG in line for again. I could’ve made something much more enjoyable at home.
All in all, not something I would visit again. Too many people, art wasn’t anything special, hipster-​wannabe vibe… just not overly enjoyable.

Last night was my first time attending Downtown LA Art Walk. I truly enjoyed it. I think I will enjoy it more in the Spring time tho ;-) it was a little too chilly for me but the inside galleries served me well.
I visited Thierry Noir gallery among others. While I was looking through art work of a student unknown to me he was doing a quick sketch of my boyfriend and I. Thought that was pretty dope.
Some other students were selling «push up cupcakes pops». Very good invention for a fatty like me.
There was a live DJ and an eclectic crowd. I loved it but again I’m spoiled by Los Angeles weather so the cold front wasn’t for me but I will revisit when it warms up again :-)

Art Walk is a great time to visit DTLA at night. I wouldn’t really recommend you bring your small children, but I’m not the boss of you. I just don’t think kids would enjoy it as much as adults.
Meet up with friends, chow down on food truck goodness, walk around, visit a few galleries, and have a good time!

Review is in Haiku form:
So many people
Wear comfortable shoes here
Mostly shitty art

If you love viewing free, original and independent art and don’t mind small spaces and shoulder touching people among a poorly air conditioned environment, then the downtown la artwalk is where you need to be. We collected a map of the area and after assessing the crowded sidewalks we decided to just pick a direction on main street and walk. We started on 6^th and decided to head to a gallery called the hive on 8^th. You can recognize the gallery by the bee stickers on the windows, least that’s what I noticed over the ocean of heads surrounding the entrance. We took our first couple of steps into the gallery and I warned myself about the 5 layers of sweat I would accumulate while perusing the artwork here. We saw some pretty impressive pieces varying from a single sculpted characature of Jack Nicholson to some dark humanistic paintings to some comical abstract interpretations of starwars, wizard of oz and various classic videogames. Here is where we stumbled upon my favorite collection of art by an artist named Michael who does comical canvas art via acrylic paint. He has a studio in Laguna we may check out in the near future.
The hive was my favorite stop of our hour spent at the artwalk. Overall I’m glad I experienced this once a month event but I doubt I’ll ever return to it again. I started getting dizzy when we stopped at the last book store due to poor air ventilation, a surplus of bodies and an overall cluster of noises and smells.
The artwalk is a cool spot to visit, but once is enough for me.

Loved the Artwalk! Nothing really compares to it. There are a lot of free art galleries from great artists, and a lot of bars to drink at, and street venders selling their work. Take some friends and head out there, the 2^nd thursday of each month I believe. I took the Subway here from North Hollywood, so no drinking and driving.
Walking a bit down Spring, and you’ll find food trucks too! All these people leaving reviews, saying it’s not about the art, I disagree. Without the art, the food and drinks would not be important.

Maybe a couple of years ago, Downtown Art walk was REALLY an actually Art Walk. Now a days… everyone just gets drunk. Yes, drunk! DT art walk is an excuse for everyone to hang out and get drunk. A group of us got to DT around 8pm, we experienced hipster and weird people on the street of the Art Walk.
You will probably experience street fights if its a bad night. Just know that cops are out hot in case they need to break up fights. Try to be safe if you are planning to go with friends and if you never been.

Good times & Good vibesS :))