Westwood LIVE debuts tonight
Westwood LIVE, which debuts today at 5 p.m., will feature live music, street art and happy hour specials at local bars and eateries.
By Kendall Rogers
April 21, 2011 1:14 a.m.
Imagine it: live music resonating from the streets, people moseying about the town, enjoying the food, the friends, the ambiance. In the middle of it all, street performers randomly make their presence known with a song and dance.
Or at least that’s the picture participants in Westwood LIVE have in mind for Westwood’s new event debuting today.
Westwood LIVE will come to the Village every third Thursday of the month and bring art and culture together in a central location, said Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council.
The council brought the idea for the event series to the business owners of Westwood Village as a way to revitalize the neighborhood and bring in new faces or encourage the regulars to hang out and walk about the town for a few extra minutes, Sann said.
Similar activities in the area, such as the Venice Art Crawl or First Fridays and the Downtown Art Walk in Los Angeles inspired the event, Sann said.
Though Westwood was once a bright light, many in the city don’t see it as such anymore, said Joseph Yoshitomi, the marketing director of Geffen Playhouse.
People once flocked to its streets to watch outdoor movies and enjoy the people-watching opportunities, he said.
Today, there are little islands in Westwood, pockets where patrons park across the street from their destination, go in and leave right after the check has been paid or the final curtain closes, Yoshitomi said.
“This is our way of encouraging people to walk across town … and realize Palomino is only a block away from the Hammer (Museum), the Geffen (Playhouse) is right there, too, and it’s only a short jaunt up to UCLA Live events,” Yoshitomi said.
The Westwood LIVE event hopes to draw local homeowners, UCLA students and businesspeople from the Wilshire area to the event, as well, Sann said.
About 15 businesses in Westwood Village have joined together to provide an evening that will include free live music, food and drink specials, merchandise sales and ticket discounts, said Ren Hirose, general manager of the W Hotel and co-chair of the committee for Westwood LIVE.
The Westwood LIVE committee expects the event to grow each month, which will encourage other businesses to participate, Sann said.
The event begins at 5 p.m. and several businesses, including the W Hotel and the Glendon Bar and Kitchen, won’t close until 2 a.m., though most close around 10 p.m. during normal business hours, Sann said.
The W Hotel will also host a night swim called “Swim and Escape” in its pool starting at 5 p.m., which is open to both hotel guests and outsiders. The hotel’s different restaurants and bars will also offer food and drink specials until 2 a.m. The Whiskey Blue, one of the hotel bars, with dance permit in hand, will also hold an after-party for the event until 2 a.m.
J. Wolf, the restaurant managing partner for the Glendon Bar and Kitchen, said he sees the event as a way to create a sense of community and encourage people to step outside their normal haunts and experience something new.
“People don’t experience everything Westwood has to offer. They go from place they know to place they know,” he said. “This is a chance for (patrons) to get to know other businesses in Westwood that they may otherwise have never visited.”
Students said the event could entice students to come down from the Hill.
“Most college kids like free food and cheap anything, so I definitely think they would go check out the event if they have a chance,” said third-year math/economics student Elida Gonzalez. “I would like to see what the atmosphere would be like.”
