Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsGamesClassifiedsPrint issues

IN THE NEWS:

Black History Month 2025

‘Westwood Wander’-themed First Thursdays kicks off October season

People wearing blue “UCLA FIRST THURSDAYS” shirts pose for a photo. The first First Thursdays event of the academic year was held at the now-pedestrian-only Broxton Plaza on Oct. 3. (Courtesy of UCLA)

By Jonah Danesh

Oct. 13, 2024 11:29 p.m.

Thousands of students gathered in Westwood Village on Oct. 3 for “Westwood Wander,” the latest installment of UCLA First Thursdays.

The evening opened at Broxton Plaza: a newly pedestrianized area that was turned into an interactive center with games, picture opportunities and the distribution of limited-edition First Thursdays T-shirts.

Participants explored neighborhood establishments including Bella Pita, Sender One, Le Phant Milk Tea Co., the Poke Co. & Wings, Just Boba Tea House, Diddy Riese Cookies and Sweetfin, which provided deals and giveaways in celebration of the night.

UCLA First Thursdays was launched in the 2021-2022 academic year by UCLA’s Strategic Communications team with the goal of fostering community engagement and revitalizing businesses in Westwood Village.

Mary Osako, creator of the event and vice chancellor for Strategic Communications at UCLA, said the event is designed to unite the campus and wider community.

“First Thursdays has become such an established event where the community knows they can come here, celebrate Westwood and celebrate UCLA,” she said. “More than 35,000 people have come to Westwood as part of this event, and every time it just feels a little bit more special.”

Osako, a UCLA alumnus, said the event is growing in popularity and brings positive energy to the community, with people lining up around the block for some of the event’s attractions.

[RELATED: New pedestrian-only plaza aims to revitalize Westwood]

Many local businesses felt the positive impact of the event, including Saul Lopez, co-owner of Le Phant Milk Tea Co., who said how much he loves the liveliness that the event brings to the Westwood community. As part of the night, Lopez offered students a 10% discount – one of the many opportunities offered by the participating business that night.

“It’s packed – there’s a lot of people, and that’s really, really cool,” he said.

Lopez added that he appreciated the pedestrianization of Broxton Avenue and how events like First Thursdays helped show its potential.

Medy Sanadidi – an alumnus, computer science professor at UCLA and a founder of Bella Pita – said he was excited about how the event drew people to the Westwood Village.

“The Westwood Village Improvement Association is onto something really big to change the Village a lot,” he said. “For a very long time, it has been slow, and the idea now is to have these – almost like festivals – at the beginning of the month. And then the walking street, I’m very optimistic about the future of Westwood.”

Students attending the event also expressed enthusiasm for the community atmosphere. Francis Jin, a graduate student in engineering, said he appreciated the effort taken to bring the community together.

“I think it’s great,” Jin said. “There are so many people here, and they are holding very great events here. We can play games, or we can walk around the village and see a lot of new things.”

Chris Zhong, a fifth-year computer science student, said he was experiencing First Thursdays for the first time, adding that the event is a great way to introduce students to the Westwood Village. He added that the event helps draw more people to explore the Westwood area, making it an excellent opportunity for newcomers to familiarize themselves with the neighborhood.

Looking ahead, Osako said plans for future First Thursdays events could include a possible winter-themed celebration in the upcoming season. The organizers consistently try to ensure the event’s themes reflect student and community wants, she said.

“We’re obviously thinking about a cool winter theme,” Osako said. “Winter in LA is a very different winter than some of our students have experienced in other parts of the state and in other parts of the country and the globe.”

Osako also said that she was pleased with the transformation of Broxton Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly space, an approval which occurred this past summer.

“It has been a masterpiece in the making, and after several years of love, it’s coming to fruition,” she said. “The community loves having a place where it’s like a piazza, and you can just stroll around and be a community with others on campus and just take it out to Westwood.”

Osako added that the event aims to help in the vision of revitalizing Westwood Village.

“First Thursdays is this big, audacious dream of UCLA to help revitalize a city of Westwood that we love,” she said. “And I do believe it’s working.”

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Jonah Danesh
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts