Your roadmap to avoiding Oscar travel snarls this weekend
The stars are out and the streets are closed in anticipation of Sunday’s 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
The run-up to the ceremony has already led to several street closures, which will continue through the weekend and beyond. The event itself, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC, is scheduled to begin Sunday at 5 p.m.
So fill out your Oscars brackets (hint: always bet on “Everything Everywhere All At Once”) and steer clear of the most famed, glitzy stretches on Hollywood Boulevard over the next couple of days if possible.
Our BuzzMeter film experts predict the Oscar winners in 10 categories. Check out the consensus picks, close races and interesting narratives - and vote in the polls for every category.
Here’s a guide to all the traffic disruptions you can expect to see and hope to avoid in Hollywood:
Leading up to Sunday
- Since March 2, all lanes of Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive have been closed to vehicles.
- Orchid Alley, which is one street north of Hollywood Boulevard, has been closed from Orchid Street to Orange Drive since Feb. 19.
- A portion of Hawthorn Alley, which is directly behind the El Capitan Theatre, has been closed since March 5.
- Hawthorn Avenue will be closed from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive from Friday until Monday at 6 a.m.
- Orange Drive from Orchid Alley to Hollywood Boulevard will close from 6 a.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday.
- Johnny Grant Way will close from Highland Avenue to Orchid Street beginning 10 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday.
After two bruising years, Oscar producers hope to bring the shine back to the ceremony. Insiders say structural changes will have to come first.
On Sunday
The following stretches will be closed to traffic from 4 a.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday:
- Highland Avenue from Sunset Boulevard to Franklin Avenue
- Hollywood Boulevard from Cahuenga Boulevard to La Brea Avenue
- Wilcox Avenue from Sunset Avenue to Cahuenga Boulevard, except for local traffic and emergency vehicles
- Hawthorn Avenue from La Brea Boulevard to McCadden Place, except for local traffic and emergency vehicles in certain spots
- Yucca Street from Highland Avenue to Wilcox Avenue, except for local traffic and emergency vehicles
- McCadden Place from Yucca Street to Hollywood Boulevard, except for local traffic and emergency vehicles
- Orange Drive from Hollywood Boulevard to Lanewood Avenue (closing Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and reopening Monday at 6 a.m.)
For Metro users (we see you), the Hollywood/Highland station will be bypassed all day Sunday.
Kenny and Irene Majers are the real-life owners of the San Fernando laundromat featured in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.” This is their story.
Oscars road hangovers
All lanes on Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive will remain closed until 6 a.m. March 15.
Hawthorn Alley reopens at 6 a.m. March 15.
Orchid Alley from Orchid Street to Orange Drive will reopen March 18 at 8 a.m.
For a detailed look at all of the closures, here’s a map provided by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
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