Advertisement

Countdown to Oscars: Expect numerous street closures, increased LAPD presence at this year’s show

Pedestrians move past crews working on the Oscars' red carpet in front of the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Pedestrians move past crews working on the Oscars’ red carpet in front of the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Share

Days before the 88th Academy Awards show kicks off and celebrities start lining the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre, authorities are clamping down on road access to the Hollywood and Highland Center and preparing for anticipated protests.

After months of preparation for Hollywood’s most glamorous evening, the show will finally begin at 4 p.m. Sunday. But before movie stars flock to Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, numerous streets will be closed.

Starting Friday, Hawthorn Avenue from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive will be closed from midnight to 6 a.m. through Monday, according to the awards show.

Advertisement

The number of street closures will increase on Saturday and Sunday to include much of the area surrounding the Dolby Theatre.

Metro subway trains will not stop at the Hollywood and Highland station on Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. Regular service will resume after that.

Los Angeles police plan to be more visible at this year’s show and red carpet event, in effort to “change it up” and thwart any attempts at disruption, said Capt. Andrew Neiman of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“This year, compared to last year, will be even more robust,” he said of the security presence.

Police have been monitoring social media for mention of planned protests, he said.

“We have a contingency plan to deal with it,” Neiman said.

A designated protest zone at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue has been set aside for demonstrators. Police, he said, will separate any opposing protesting groups and keep them on opposite streets.

Advertisement

The Rev. Al Sharpton will lead a demonstration near the event before the show begins to bring attention to the lack of black Academy Awards nominees and diversity, Variety reported.

See more of our top stories on Facebook >>

Organized by the National Action Network, Sharpton is calling on the public to boycott the Oscars

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has said she was “both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion.”

“This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes,” she said in a statement.

A new Los Angeles Times study showed that Oscar voters are 91% white and 76% male. Blacks make up about 3% of the academy, Asians and Latinos are each just over 2%.

Advertisement

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA

The following are street closures near the Dolby Theatre for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday

Orchid Street from 60 feet south of Franklin Boulevard to Orchid Alley from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

Orange Drive from Orchid Alley to Hollywood Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

North and south sidewalk of Hawthorn Avenue from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

North sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

West sidewalk of Highland Avenue from Johnny Grant Way south to Hollywood Boulevard from 10 p.m to 6 a.m. Monday.

Advertisement

Johnny Grant Way from Highland Avenue to Orchid Street from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

Sunday

Hawthorn Alley from Orange Drive to Highland Avenue from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

Orange Drive from Hawthorn Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

North sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to 300 feet east of Highland Avenue from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

South sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to 300 feet east of Highland Avenue from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

South sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard directly in front of the north-south running Hawthorn Alley from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

East sidewalk of Highland Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard to Hawthorn Avenue from midnight and 6 a.m. Monday.

West sidewalk of Highland Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard south to Hawthorn Avenue from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

Advertisement

East sidewalk of Highland Avenue from Yucca Street south to the alley from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday.

North and south crosswalks on Hollywood Boulevard at the Highland Avenue intersection from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday.

Highland Avenue from Sunset Boulevard to Franklin Avenue from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Hollywood Boulevard from La Brea Boulevard to Orange Drive from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Close Hollywood Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Cahuenga Boulevard from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Hawthorn Avenue between Orange Drive and La Brea Boulevard from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Hawthorn Avenue between Highland Avenue and McCadden Place from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

McCadden Place between Yucca Street and Hollywood Boulevard from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Yucca Street between Highland Avenue and Wilcox Avenue from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

Wilcox Avenue between Sunset Blvd and Cahuenga Boulevard from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday.

ALSO

Female inmate firefighter dies following injury in Malibu blaze

The Ku Klux Klan is planning to have a public rally in Anaheim on Saturday

Advertisement

In-N-Out Burger family ‘grieves’ after worker found fatally shot in restaurant parking lot

Advertisement