Ed. note: The 2025 Grammy Awards will include a theme of recovery and rebuilding after the recent Los Angeles County– area wildfires. The evening will include opportunities for viewers to make donations to recovery efforts; for ideas on how you can help, check out these organizations that are making a difference.
Whether you bang your head to rock and roll, groove out to classic jazz, or crank up the hip-hop in your car, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science’s Grammy Awards is your night to tune in to the music industry’s premier celebration.
Downtown Los Angeles is the center of it all, drawing the biggest names in the biz, from Beyoncé and Metallica to such bright newer talents as Charli XCX and Chappell Roan, not to mention all the nominees from behind the scenes: the engineers, the producers, the composers, and so many others. Music fans lucky enough to get a seat are treated to a black-tie concert event featuring around a dozen performances during the televised portion of the ceremony.
How to See the Grammy Festivities in Person
If you’re determined to witness what you can, a large area adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena is cordoned off as top entertainers and celebrities arrive for the evening event. You’re welcome to navigate your way around the closed streets to the venue and wait outside roped-off areas to view the goings-on from a distance. You may even have a chance to wish luck to your favorite nominees. But be aware that it is a tightly closed event, and unless you are a BFF of Beyoncé’s it will be virtually impossible to make it inside. Invitations are limited to nominees, special guests of the academy, and voting members (along with a limited number of their guests). Don’t get taken in by scammers selling tickets secondhand; it is almost certain that they are fakes.
If you plan ahead and are very lucky, it’s possible to win a spot as a seat filler through a casting agency such as seatfillersandmore. To enter, you may be required to submit a resume and photo, and social media account URLs.
Things to Do in Downtown Los Angeles
The rest of the year, the Crypto.com Arena hosts concerts and is home to several teams: the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.
The arena is located just south of the heart of downtown, which offers a variety of lodging options, from mainstream chains to historic hotels such as the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles. Nearby, browse the food hall scene at Grand Central Market and check out museums including The Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), along with fascinating landmarks such as the Angels Flight Railway. South of the Crytpo.com Arena lies another can’t-miss stop—the California Science Center in Exposition Park, which houses the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Plan Your Trip
You can experience A-list creative energy all over Los Angeles County. Plan your trip around famous music venues in L.A., 11 can’t-miss museums, and more ways to play around Los Angeles.