PHOTOS! Thousands flock to West Hollywood for CicLAvia: Meet the Hollywoods 2024

Cyclists took over the city of West Hollywood last Sunday, August 18, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the return of CicLAvia: Meet the Hollywoodspresented by Metro. The event attracted thousands of cyclists, skaters, rollerbladers, joggers and walkers who enjoyed 6.5 miles of open streets starting at the Rainbow Crosswalks at Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard and ending at Hollywood Boulevard and Vermont Avenue (or vice versa, depending on the starting point).

West Hollywood, as well as the Hollywood and East Hollywood neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles, were transformed into a car-free zone for a day of pop-ups, activations, free giveaways, outreach and promotions from local businesses along the route.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department had a presence along the entire route, directing traffic and providing aid. According to a source at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, there were several incidents that required medical attention, from bad falls to exhaustion. Some vehicles made wrong turns or drove around orange cones and became stuck on Santa Monica Boulevard, surrounded by bicycles.

CicLAvia also has a policy that prohibits campaigning, so two candidates for West Hollywood City Council were asked to dismantle their campaign booths and not use the event as a promotional opportunity.

Minor incidents aside, the event was a celebratory affair and a chance to see parts of West Hollywood, Hollywood and Los Angeles that you might not normally see when driving or walking on the sidewalk. Cyclists played loud music, wore crazy costumes, brought their children and many pets enjoyed the breeze on what was a pretty hot day.

It was also an opportunity for local businesses to attract pedestrians (or in this case, wheeled customers) into their stores and generate some revenue. Local businesses like My 12 Step Store, Sweat Yoga and Ready Fit Go offered special promotions for CicLAvia.

The City of West Hollywood hosted its first CicLAvia street event in August 2019. It was a huge success, with an estimated 35,000 people participating. Most were cyclists or other participants on wheels, but there were also over 10,000 pedestrians. The community was engaged and brought thousands of people together along one of the city’s main corridors.

CicLAvia is a nonprofit organization that promotes vibrant public spaces, active transportation, and good health through car-free streets. CicLAvia works with people to transform the way we relate to our communities and each other. Inspired by Bogotá’s weekly Ciclovía, CicLAvia temporarily closes streets to car traffic and opens them for Los Angeles residents to use as public parks. Free for all, CicLAvia connects communities across a sprawling city, creating a safe place to bike, walk, skate, roll, and dance through Los Angeles County. 1.6 million people have experienced CicLAvia; it is the largest open streets event in the United States.

(Photos below by Paulo Murillo for WeHo Times)

For more information about CicLAvia – Meet the Hollywoods, visit www.ciclavia.org/ciclavia_meet_the_hollywoods_24. For general information about CicLAvia, visit www.ciclavia.org.