The Sports Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg. Here’s What Else to Expect From the 2028 Olympics.

As the eyes of the world turn to the West Coast for the 2028 Olympic Games, Los Angeles will be putting its best foot forward, offering a robust roster of cultural events alongside the competition’s feats of unparalleled athleticism.

“This is for everybody. It’s for every Angeleno, every visitor, whether they have an Olympic or Paralympic ticket or not, to experience all the richness of LA’s culture,” says Dwayne Jones, the senior vice president of LA28’s Cultural Olympiad.

The city still bears traces of the 1984 games’ Cultural Olympiad, which created a series of historic murals on the freeways by artists including Judy Baca, who grew up in Watts. And the unofficial theme of the games, John Williams’s “Olympic Fanfare,” was actually composed for the ’84 opening ceremony. But where that edition focused more on bringing art from around the world to Los Angeles, 2028 will be all about highlighting the artists and creatives who are already there.

“I want people to realize that the arts are in everything that they’re doing every day across this city,” says Nora Halpern, the LA28 Cultural Olympiad executive director.

The International Olympic Committee actually requires host cities to have a cultural component to the games—and LA, where one in six jobs is in the creative economy, and there are over 3,000 arts and culture nonprofit organizations, is more than ready to step up to the plate.

A big focus, naturally, will be on the movies, and LA’s outsized role in the film industry, with a free sports movie screening series. The Cultural Olympiad will host live music, performances, food experiences, art installations, and other events in communities across the city. And then there will be community events, such as special exhibitions at local museums.

“It’s going to connect across disciplines and really be a campfire for people to enjoy if they can’t make it to the games,” Halpern said.

Keeping track of it all will be a snap thanks to a new dedicated digital calendar and mapping tool that will bring everything together in one easy-to-navigate place—a gift to the city that will live on beyond the games, as the Cultural Olympiad plans to partner with a community organization to keep the platform running for generations to come.

“For the first time, we’ll have a comprehensive way to discover the full breadth of the city’s offerings,” Jones said.

Institutions and organizations will be able to apply to officially participate in the program starting in early 2027, receiving the “Official LA28 Cultural Olympiad Mark.” Organizers will also work in tandem to offer free or reduced-cost admission to venues and activities during the 10-week event. LACMA, the LA Philharmonic, and the Museum of Latin American Art are among the institutions that have already expressed their support for the program.

The LA28 Cultural Olympiad is also commissioning 16 local artists to create posters honoring the Olympics and Paralympics, with the goal of highlighting both emerging and established voices from many different neighborhoods. The works will be unveiled with a dedicated gallery exhibition in July 2027. They will appear on merchandise as well as going on view across the city, including with giant billboards and other installations.

“We see the poster project as the core projection of our mission, which really is to uplift the diverse and beautiful tapestry that is Los Angeles,” Halpern said.

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