Here's where it all began, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2006. That's when I decided to walk the length of Wilshire Boulevard to celebrate my 10th year living in Los Angeles. Inspired by the book "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles" (by Kevin Roderick and J. Eric Lynxwiler), I asked the readers of my blog Franklin Avenue to come join me for a day-long stroll across the city.
A few dozen showed up, and we had a thrilling day exploring Los Angeles on foot (and even sneaking into a few buildings!) For that first year, I called it "The Great Wilshire Walk." But it soon became apparent that this wouldn't be a one-year deal, as attendees quickly asked me where we'd be walking the following year.
And so The Great Los Angeles Walk was born. In 2007, for the encore, I chose another downtown-to-the-ocean route: Pico Boulevard. The 2008 Walk took on Santa Monica Blvd. In 2009, the event kicked off in the historic West Adams district and walked to Venice Beach via Adams and Washington. In 2010, for its fifth edition, the Great Los Angeles Walk reprised its original Wilshire journey. In 2011, participants marched to the ocean via Hollywood Boulevard. In 2012, the Walk traveled across Melrose Avenue; in 2013, Sunset Boulevard; in 2014, the Walk traveled across the San Fernando Valley via Ventura Boulevard; in 2015, the Walk took on Olympic Boulevard.
In 2016, the Walk returned to Pico; in 2017, it tackled Beverly Boulevard; in 2018, in honor of Jonathan Gold, we walked on 6th Street, including through Koreatown; in 2019, we walked down Colorado Blvd. from Arcadia and Pasadena, and then through Highland Park to downtown via Figueroa; in 2020, the socially distanced edition returned to Wilshire; in 2021, the event retraced the steps of L.A.’s first settlers (Los Pobladores) from San Gabriel Mission to downtown; in 2022, it once again explored West Adams on the way to Venice; in 2023, the Walk went in a square, beginning and ending in Griffith Park; and in 2024, we walked from USC to UCLA.
This year, we're going back to where it all started: Wilshire Boulevard. As always, the Walk will take place the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which this year is Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Details to come on where we will gather, our food options during the day and more.
If you're not familiar with the Walk, please go read this wonderful feature in the Los Angeles Times, which perfectly encapsulated what we're all about:
L.A. isn’t a walking city? The man behind Great Los Angeles Walk would like a word
Below, here are the pioneers, the original Walkers at the end of the very first event in 2006. And below that, a view of 2024's attendees at the start of last year's Great Los Angeles Walk. Yes, we've grown a bit, but our goal is still the same: To serve as a grassroots, completely free way for Angelenos to get together and explore their community and share it with others. Stay tuned and make sure to email us at greatlawalk@mail.com to get on our email list!
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