Los Angeles is preparing a comprehensive Cultural Olympiad for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, led by LA28 senior vice president Dwayne Jones and executive director Nora Halpern. The program will feature free sports movie screenings, live music, food experiences, art installations, community events, and special exhibitions at local museums. Sixteen local artists have been commissioned to create posters honoring the games, with a dedicated gallery exhibition planned for July 2027. A new digital calendar and mapping tool will help residents and visitors navigate the cultural offerings, and institutions like LACMA, the LA Philharmonic, and the Museum of Latin American Art have already expressed support.
This matters because the 2028 Cultural Olympiad represents a shift from the 1984 games, which focused on importing international art, to a model that highlights Los Angeles's existing creative economy—where one in six jobs is in the creative sector and over 3,000 arts nonprofits operate. The program aims to make culture accessible to all Angelenos and visitors, regardless of whether they have Olympic tickets, and its digital platform is designed to remain as a lasting civic resource. The poster project and community partnerships underscore the city's commitment to elevating local artists and ensuring the arts are woven into the fabric of the games.