Both of West Hollywood's biggest October events center on the same block of N. San Vicente Boulevard. On Sunday, October 18, the 42nd annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles returns to West Hollywood Park at 647 N. San Vicente and starts at 10:30 a.m. Halloween Carnaval follows on Saturday, October 31, with its main stage, DJ and food trucks at the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente. Each event closes the same mile of Santa Monica Boulevard, from N. Doheny Drive to N. La Cienega Boulevard, and each closes the park's dog parks.
Nine days before the first event, the city opened a new dog park on the Eastside at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. For the rest of October, the closure hours below decide where the dog walk happens, where the car gets parked and which coffee runs still work.
One block, two shutdowns
AIDS Walk takes a Sunday morning and early afternoon. Carnaval takes a full Saturday plus the night that follows.
| AIDS Walk Los Angeles | Halloween Carnaval | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, October 18 | Saturday, October 31 |
| Santa Monica Blvd, Doheny to La Cienega | 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Closed from 10 a.m., fully closed by noon, reopens 6 a.m. Sunday, Nov 1 |
| N. San Vicente, Santa Monica to Melrose | 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Midnight Oct 31 to 7 a.m. Nov 1 |
| West Hollywood Park dog parks | Closed 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., then reopen via alternate gates | Closed midnight Oct 31 to 7 a.m. Nov 1 |
| Five-Story Parking Structure | Open for paid parking, entry via Robertson/El Tovar | Closed all day, reopens 7 a.m. Nov 1 |
| The PickUp | Runs 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. | Regular route suspended; free WeHo Halloween Ride runs instead |
Look at the dog park row. On the day before the walk, Saturday, October 17, the West Hollywood Park dog parks stay open through alternate gates, but the basketball courts close that day and the next. On Halloween the whole park closes at midnight, including both dog parks and the basketball courts, and stays closed until 7 a.m. on November 1.
AIDS Walk also closes lanes on Doheny Drive in both directions where it meets Santa Monica, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Northbound Doheny traffic gets sent east on Melrose, and southbound traffic gets sent west on Sunset. If you drive Doheny on Sunday mornings, expect that detour on the 18th.
Plummer Park opens in time to fill the gap
The new dog park at Plummer Park began its soft opening on Friday, October 9. It's open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. It has separate sections for small and large dogs. Because it sits at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, east of La Cienega, it's outside the mile that closes for both events.
So on AIDS Walk Sunday, Plummer opens two hours after the West Hollywood Park dog parks close at 6 a.m. On Halloween, the West Hollywood Park dog parks are closed from midnight to 7 a.m. the next morning, and Plummer is open its regular hours, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., for the whole daytime stretch of that closure. The city's announcements for both events don't mention any changes at Plummer.
The official welcome comes on Saturday, October 17. Members of the City Council hold a ribbon-cutting at the new dog park from 1:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. Right after, the city's Recreation Services Division runs a free "Fang-tastic" Pet Zone on Plummer Park's Vista Lawn from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. It includes paw-print keepsakes, pet tarot card readings and a Pet Costume Showcase for leashed pets in Halloween costumes. The free Youth Halloween Carnival runs alongside it from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., with games, a trackless train, face painting, crafts and treats. The city calendar warns that parking is limited.
The setup that weekend is worth spelling out. Plummer Park holds the family Halloween events on Saturday afternoon. West Hollywood Park gets ready for the walk that night and hosts it Sunday morning. Two weeks later, the adult Halloween crowd heads back to San Vicente.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year
In 2025, Carnaval was on a Friday night. This year October 31 is a Saturday, and the 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. event now takes up a weekend day that's normally used for errands, brunch and visits from friends.
The closures start well before the costumes come out:
- Midnight Oct 31: N. San Vicente between Santa Monica and Melrose closes, alleys included, and West Hollywood Park closes.
- 5 a.m.: The Library Garage closes until 7 a.m. Sunday.
- 7 a.m.: N. San Vicente closes between Santa Monica and Cynthia Street, and Robertson Boulevard closes between Santa Monica and Melrose. La Peer Drive and Almont Drive close at Santa Monica, though local traffic can still reach both from Melrose.
- 10 a.m.: Santa Monica Boulevard begins closing between Doheny and La Cienega, and La Cienega closes between Holloway and Melrose. The Sunset Boulevard turn lanes onto southbound La Cienega also close.
- 11 a.m.: Residential permit parking restrictions are lifted citywide until noon on Sunday.
- Noon: Santa Monica Boulevard must be fully closed to vehicles between La Cienega and Doheny.
- 6 a.m. Nov 1: The boulevard reopens.
The city also warns that barricades go up on side streets next to Santa Monica before 10 a.m. One closure starts days earlier. The Crescent Heights Lot closes Monday, October 26, and stays closed through Wednesday, November 4.
The lifted permit parking has a practical side. From late Saturday morning to Sunday noon, permit-only spaces across the city are open to anyone, including the many thousands of visitors the city expects. If your car sits on a permit street near the corridor, you'll be competing with them for those spaces. Moving the car on Friday is easier than circling for a space Saturday night.
Without a car, the PickUp and Cityline drop their regular schedules for the free WeHo Halloween Ride. It runs along Santa Monica Boulevard from N. La Brea Avenue to N. Kings Road from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., and some vehicles go to the Hollywood/Highland Metro B Line station until midnight. Route details are posted at wehopickup.com. The Metro bus lines that serve the city, 4, 10, 30/330, 105, 212/312, 217 and 218, may be rerouted around the closures.
Halloween also lasts more than one night this year. The city approved a process to review and waive certain special event permit, encroachment permit and fire site plan review fees for bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and other venues hosting small Halloween events from Friday, October 23, through Sunday, November 1. That leaves a ten-day window for venue parties around a one-night street event.
A new coffee stop inside the closure zone
The Front Porch, a coffee shop run by the Men's Health Foundation, has a ribbon-cutting this week. It took over the former Coffee Bean at 8735 Santa Monica Boulevard, at Hancock. It soft-opened September 30, holds its grand opening on October 14 and keeps hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to WEHO Times.
That address is inside the Doheny to La Cienega mile. Within its first five weeks, the shop's block will be closed to cars on two weekend days: from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 18 and from late morning on October 31. On both days the shop is still reachable on foot.
The city is also promoting the strip online. On October 1 it launched RainbowDistrictWeHo.com, a directory of the district's restaurants, bars, shops, wellness studios, community organizations and events.
West Hollywood Park after the walk
The day after AIDS Walk, West Hollywood Park becomes the site of a one-year pilot program. Starting Monday, October 19, a Community Health Hub at 647 N. San Vicente offers free, private access around the clock to naloxone, fentanyl test kits, HIV and syphilis tests, safer-sex supplies and other health and safety items.
A few steps away at the West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente, A. Laura Brody's sculpture "Banned Books: The Handmaid's Tale" is on free view in the front window through late June 2027. A reception on Friday, October 16, also honors Vojislav Radovanović's "Bird Circuit 90069." The library's garage is one of the closures to plan around on Halloween.
The rest of October, by date
- Wed, Oct 14: The Front Porch grand opening, 8735 Santa Monica Blvd.
- Fri, Oct 16: Library window reception. Separately, the Black Design Collective holds the Los Angeles premiere of "Love, Patrick: Nothing Is Impossible" at the Pacific Design Center Silver Screen Theater, 8687 Melrose Ave. The reception starts at 6 p.m., the screening is at 7:30 p.m., and RSVP is required.
- Sat, Oct 17: Plummer Park dog park ribbon-cutting at 1:45 p.m., then the Pet Zone and Youth Halloween Carnival from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sun, Oct 18: AIDS Walk. Santa Monica Blvd is closed 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the West Hollywood Park dog parks are closed 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Mon, Oct 19: Community Health Hub opens at West Hollywood Park.
- Sun, Oct 25: Floating Pumpkin Patch at the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center, 8750 El Tovar Place, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Families pick pumpkins out of the pool.
- Mon, Oct 26: Crescent Heights Lot closes through Nov 4.
- Sat, Oct 31: Halloween Carnaval, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Closures run from midnight until 7 a.m. Sunday.
The city's Halloween in West Hollywood page and its AIDS Walk notice have the full lists of lane closures and paid parking lots for both days.
If you're thinking about how a home on a corridor block handles weekends like these, from guest parking to which side street gets you in and out, we're happy to talk it through. LA Realty Concierge knows these blocks one address at a time. Schedule Your Concierge Consultation.
