The organization
Grand Per Shows is a non-profit organization that hosts a series of free, high-quality world music concerts each summer in downtown Los Angeles. The concerts are supported by grants and donations from the public. A concert schedule is published each spring. A paper copy is available if you sign up for their online mailing list or you can pick one up at a concert.
Official website: www.grandper performances.org.
Concert Line: (213) 687-2159
The artists
Each year Grand Per Shows brings an interesting mix of musicians, dancers, and storytellers, from Brazilian samba to Spanish rock, hip hop, Afro-Cuban sounds, and modern dance. Concerts are commonly scheduled on Friday noon, Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. Sometimes there are concerts on other nights as well. Some groups have multiple performances.
The place: California Plaza
Grand Performances concerts are held at California Plaza , an urban amphitheater backed by a waterfall and surrounded by reflective pools in a courtyard surrounded by skyscrapers. The stage is surrounded by several different rest areas. On the other side of the pool, directly in front of the stage, there are chairs installed. On the right (stage on the left), there is a semicircle of granite elevators, sometimes used only for smaller performances. The stage area in front of the risers is used for dancing during larger concerts.
To the left and one level higher are some permanent stone benches around the Plaza.
To claim seats, people show up several hours in advance and have a picnic (check website for limits on what you can bring). Official seating areas open 2 hours before each performance. Beyond the seats provided, people bring their own folding chairs and blankets to install in any free space. Popular concerts get very crowded, so it’s nice to be there early, even if you bring your own chair. California Plaza is located just north of West 4th Street, between South Grand Avenue and South Olive Ave., behind the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Omni Los Angeles Hotel.
Transportation and parking
There is paid parking under California Plaza with an entrance on Olive Avenue (351 S. Olive Ave). Street parking is metered until 6pm Monday through Saturday, but is free after 6pm and all day on Sundays. Street parking is especially difficult for Thursday or Friday concerts. The best option is to take the subway red line to Pershing Square. Exit onto 4th and Hill Street and walk uphill on 4th. There is an escalator to California Plaza from the corner of 4th and Olive.
Where to eat in California Plaza
Full service restaurants on the Plaza.
- Blue Cow Kitchen and Bar has seasonal local bar food with patio seating and a bar.
- Noe is an upscale restaurant within the Omni Hotel, across from the Plaza, offering “a fresh, frequently rotating Neo Bistro menu” with an Asian flair.
Counter restaurants in the Plaza
- Mendocino Farms serves gourmet sandwiches that include seasonal selections.
- Mixt Greens has good organic salads and some sandwiches.
- Panda Express is Chinese fast food.
- Starbucks has prepackaged sandwiches and coffee.
- Pressed Juicery has cold pressed juices.
More restaurants near California Plaza
- Ocho Mexican Grill is just across Grand Avenue from the Plaza on 3rd Street.
- The subway is also across the street, higher up, Grand in the same building.
- Vespaio is an upscale Italian-American restaurant across the street between Subway and the Broad museum.
- Grand Central Market, with more than a dozen trendy restaurants, is down the hill on Hill Street, which used to be accessible via the Angels Flight trolley, but is on permanent standby, so you have to walk a block up stairs or around the block.
For places open for a drink or lunch after the concert, see Where to go after the show.
In the neighborhood
- The Museum of Contemporary Art (adjacent Plaza)
- The Broad Museum (across the street)
- The Colburn School (with MOCA, public musical performances)
- The Disney Concert Hall (one block off the Broad)
- The Los Angeles Music Center (beyond Disney Concert Hall)
