Presenting World Class Global Music, Dance and Spoken Word since 1987
Grand Performances
presents free performing arts that reflect the best of global culture and inspire community among the diverse peoples of Los Angeles.
Over the last 25 years the Grand Performances has grown to become the foremost free concert series in Los Angeles. More than 40 noon and evening events each summer draw in an average annual audience of 60,000 to experience an eclectic mix of performing arts disciplines. Some performances attract as many as 7,000 people. All events are presented free-to-the-public, enabling entire families, seniors, schools, youth groups and others to enjoy the performing arts regardless of their financial ability. Audience members plan their workdays and weekends around Grand Performances’ concerts, inviting friends and out-of-town guests and bringing picnic dinners to share under the twilight before evening performances.
The stages at California Plaza have hosted a variety of world-class performers: Kinky, Sidestepper, Nortec Collective, Daara J, Kronos Quartet, Hugh Masekela, Pink Martini, Tito Puente, Jimmy Scott, Cheb Mami, ¡Cubanismo!, Terrence Blanchard, Transglobal Underground, Rennie Harris, the Mahotella Queens, Simon Shaheen, Beijing Modern Dance Company, Ballet Nacional de Mexico, Lalo Schifrin, Super Rail Band, Lizz Wright, and Rachid Taha. Some of the locally-based artists featured have included Ozomatli, The Watts Prophets, Nati Cano y Mariachi Los Camperos, daKah Hip Hop Orchestra, El Vez, American Repertory Dance Company, Culture Clash, Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, and Diavolo Dance Theatre. Grand Performances also has a commitment to local emerging artists by providing professional fees, access to new audiences, and the empowerment that comes from being presented in a technically sophisticated venue by a nationally recognized presenting organization.
California Plaza, the site of Grand Performances, is on Grand Avenue atop Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles, just down the block from Disney Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The award-winning programming of Grand Performances has created a place for all to share in the diverse arts of Los Angeles.
