What to Know
- Sunday, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Free to join
- Enter and exit at any point along the 6.6-mile route; there are four Metro stations on the map, if needed
There are plenty of bikes that figure prominently in the cinema and on the small screen — "E.T. The Extraterrestrial" flies to mind, as does "Stranger Things," and a whole bicycle basket's worth of cycle-centered flicks, from "Breaking Away" to "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" — but pedaling down the middle of Hollywood Boulevard?
That's a storyline that sounds like it sprung from a dreamer's outlandish imagination, for the world-famous thoroughfare is typically packed with vehicles of all sorts, motorized vroomers passing through the starry city.
But like a page out of a slightly surreal screenplay, a sizable swath of Hollywood will close to cars over several hours on Sunday, Aug. 21, giving bicyclists, rollerskaters, and kids on trikes the chance to roam down the middle of the major boulevard.
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In short, people-powered movement is the headliner of this Hollywood tale, one that's being helmed by CicLAvia, the open-streets spectacular.
It's a free multi-hour event that will roll into West Hollywood, along Santa Monica Boulevard, and all the way to the East Hollywood Hub, at Virgil Avenue.
Four Metro stations dot the route, if that's an easy way for you to arrive, and going either way, from west to east or east to west? A Hollywood screenplay starts at "Fade In" and concludes at "The End," moving in one distinct direction, but you are free to change it up and visit as much or as little of the route as you like, heading either way.
And while "Meet the Hollywoods" is mostly an east-west affair, there is a north-south portion, along a small section of Highland Avenue.
"CicLAvia is not a race!" is the organization's comforting reminder to slow your roll and enjoy the day.
There will be plenty of community booths to check out at the event's hubs, as well as all of the local businesses, restaurants, and shops you'll pedal by, perhaps giving you the opportunity to truly notice a hidden gem for the first time.
The event has popped up all over Southern California for the last dozen years, or nearly, making it one of the cycling stalwarts of our region.
But more than that? CicLAvia has heart, emotion, good feeling, and spirit, too, which are many of the essential elements you might find in a memorable movie.
It's a perfect fit for a place that is synonymous with storytelling, in short.
So what's your story going to be on Aug. 21? How you cruised atop your unicycle over several cinematic blocks, right in the middle of a street where the cars usually are?
Talk about a perfect plot twist. Grab some popcorn, turn the page, and find out more about biking through car-free parts of Hollywoood and West Hollywood now.
