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In 2026, Los Angeles isn’t just a destination to visit – it’s an experience to be lived. Rarely has a city brought together so many global events, cultural innovations, and new lifestyle experiences in a single year.
L.A. Calling : More than ever, Los Angeles stands out as one of the world’s premier travel capitals for 2026. Between global sporting events, major cultural openings, a gastronomic renaissance, and ultra-modern infrastructure, the City of Angels is enjoying a true banner year. From the stands of SoFi Stadium to futuristic museum galleries, from Silver Lake rooftops to the reinvented piers of San Pedro, here is why 2026 is the perfect time to (re)discover L.A.
CTA-Aerial
L.A., the Global Sports Capital
It is impossible to ignore the global phenomenon of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Los Angeles will host eight major matches at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, including the U.S. National Team’s opening match on June 12, several group stages, knockout rounds, and a quarter-final. This sporting fever will electrify the entire region.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: The interior of SoFi Stadium is seen following a ribbon-cutting event on September 08, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Hollywood Park Management Company)
Future Site of the 2028 Olympic Games
Another highlight is the NBA All-Star Weekend, returning to Inglewood for the first time in over forty years. The brand-new Intuit Dome will host the world’s basketball stars in February 2026 in an electric atmosphere. For golf enthusiasts, the prestigious U.S. Women’s Open will take place at the legendary Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, coinciding with the centennial of this historic course and future 2028 Olympic site.
Inglewood Arena – photo credit to LA28
An Expanding Arts and Culture Scene
Los Angeles confirms its status as a cultural powerhouse with a series of spectacular openings. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, co-founded by George Lucas, will open its doors in Exposition Park in the fall of 2026, celebrating all forms of visual storytelling, from cinema to illustration. In the heart of the Miracle Mile, LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries will inaugurate an iconic new building in April 2026. Boasting organic lines and spanning Wilshire Boulevard, it is set to become a new architectural symbol for the city.
Walt Disney Concert Hall at The Music Center Courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Artificial Intelligence and the Arts
Downtown will also welcome Dataland, the world’s first museum entirely dedicated to AI arts, envisioned by artist Refik Anadol: a living, immersive, and visionary museum. In Glendale, the Armenian-American Museum and Cultural Center will enrich the landscape with a strong educational and commemorative focus, while the Holocaust Museum LA will double its size with its new Jona Goldrich Campus. Finally, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will pay tribute to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth with an exceptional exhibition featuring hundreds of original artifacts.
Hollywood – Hollywood Forever Cemetry ©DR
Gastronomy as an Event
In Los Angeles, dining is a cultural experience in its own right. In 2026, the city celebrates this diversity with Dine LA Restaurant Week, featuring over 400 restaurants offering fixed-price menus. A major culinary milestone: pop-ups by Chef René Redzepi, the iconic figure behind Noma, who will set up shop in L.A. for several months. Insiders are comparing his arrival to hosting a “gastronomic Olympics.”
Hotel Lucile Rendering ©DR
The food scene continues to grow with new must-visit addresses, ranging from international markets and iconic Asian grocery stores to innovative wood-fired cooking concepts, reflecting the city’s permanent dynamism.
Iconic Hotels and Californian Lifestyle
Los Angeles is renewing its hospitality with highly anticipated openings. In Silver Lake, the Lucile Hotel, housed in a repurposed 1931 church, will blend heritage, design, and a lifestyle spirit. In Inglewood, the Kali Hotel & Rooftop will cater to concert-goers and sports fans alike. The legendary Fairmont Century Plaza will celebrate its 60th anniversary with new prestige restaurants and an ultra-modern 1,300 m2 spa, while the Pan Am Hotel, inspired by the golden age of aviation, will pay homage to 20th-century jet-set glamour.
Kali Hotel & Rooftop ©DR
A More Accessible and Fluid City
2026 also marks a turning point for mobility. The opening of the LAX Automated People Mover will finally streamline travel within the airport and its integration into the urban transport network. The extension of the Metro D Line will provide faster access to the major cultural hubs of the Miracle Mile. On the coast, the West Harbor project in San Pedro will transform the waterfront into a new destination featuring restaurants, shops, and an oceanfront amphitheater.
Guideway-Century_wht_mm_bh ©DR
Festivals, Celebrations, and Cultural Diversity
From L.A. Pride to Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown, and from the Juneteenth Freedom Festival to the spectacular Día de los Muertos, Los Angeles in 2026 will celebrate the full richness of its communities. It is a vibrant, festive diversity deeply rooted in the city’s identity
Olvera Street
L.A. Calling: Twenty-Six Irresistible Reasons to Visit Los Angeles in 2026 in pictures
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- First LAX People Mover car is introduced by Mayor Eric Garcetti
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