First thing to know: the Ahmanson Theatre sits inside the Music Center complex on Bunker Hill, sharing a campus with the Mark Taper Forum, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (LA Opera), and Walt Disney Concert Hall next door. That sounds convenient, and it mostly is, except for one thing: when a Broadway tour at the Ahmanson lets out at the same time as an LA Phil show across the plaza, the Music Center garage exit becomes a 45-minute crawl. Here is how to park near the Ahmanson without overpaying, and more importantly, how to get out fast.
The short version
If you only remember one thing: the $10 event-rate flat at either the Music Center Garage or the Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage is hard to beat, and prepaying through Center Theatre Group locks you a guaranteed spot for $1 more. Or skip the car and take Metro to Civic Center/Grand Park station, a five-minute walk to the Music Center plaza.
Which option fits your night?
Tell it what matters most and how many of you are going, and it’ll point you to the move:
A starting point from our parking guides, not a guarantee. Prices and rules shift on big show nights, so confirm before you go.
The closest garages and lots
These all sit on or right next to the Music Center campus. Event rates apply on weekdays from 4:30pm and on weekends all day.
| Garage / lot | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Music Center Garage | Between 1st and Temple, enter from Hope St or Grand Ave | $10 event flat; on-campus, fills first, slowest post-show exit |
| Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage | 2nd St between Hope and Grand, enter on 2nd or Lower Grand Ave | $10 event flat; often the smarter pick on Ahmanson nights, exits onto 2nd St faster |
| Valet (Hope St entrances) | Music Center plaza or Disney Hall on Hope | $23, starts two hours before curtain |
| Surrounding surface lots | 1st St, Hill St, Spring St | Cheaper on quiet weeknights, longer walk, evening rates vary |
| Metered street parking | Bunker Hill side streets | Hit-and-miss, read every sign twice |
Outside event hours, both Music Center and Disney Hall garages run on the non-event rate of $3.50 per 15 minutes with a $20 daily max.
Prepay through Center Theatre Group
CTG sells prepaid parking vouchers through their site for Ahmanson and Mark Taper shows. The voucher gets you into the Music Center Garage at the event rate, costs the rate plus a $1 handling fee, and the spot is guaranteed even on a sold-out night. Treat the voucher like cash, since CTG cannot replace it if you lose it.
One CTG subscribers get free parking. If you subscribe to the 2026/27 One CTG season package (eight productions across the Ahmanson and Taper), parking at the Music Center is included with the subscription. For anyone seeing more than a couple of CTG shows a year, that perk alone often pays for the upgrade.
SpotHero and ParkWhiz also list spots in nearby private lots; on quieter weeknights one of those can come in cheaper than the $10 event flat.
The smartest option: skip the car
Metro’s B Line (Red) and D Line (Purple) both stop at Civic Center / Grand Park station, about a five-minute walk to the Music Center plaza. Exit toward Temple Street and you’re across the park from the Ahmanson and Mark Taper entrances.
From most of the Eastside, Koreatown, and the corridor up through North Hollywood, the train beats both the parking fee and the post-show exit by a wide margin.
How to beat the post-show crawl
This is the part nobody warns you about until they have lived it. On a sold-out night, especially when a Disney Hall event lets out at the same time, the Music Center Garage exit can take 30 to 45 minutes to clear. Here is how to lose less of it:
- Pick the Disney Hall Garage over the Music Center Garage when both are open. The Disney Hall exit onto 2nd Street drains faster than the Music Center exit onto Hope, especially toward the 110 freeway.
- Park on the lowest level you can find a spot on, and back into the space so you are not reversing into a packed lane after curtain.
- Leave during the curtain call if you have heard the score before. The first ten minutes after the lights come up are the worst of it.
- Or, the opposite move: grab a drink at one of the Music Center plaza bars or walk down to Grand Central Market for a late bite and let the first wave clear. Twenty minutes of patience saves you thirty minutes in the garage.
- Avoid Sunday matinee weekends when LA Phil is also playing. The 2pm Ahmanson and 2pm Disney Hall double-let-out is the worst possible exit window.
The garages stay open until around midnight (Disney Hall confirms 12am), so a long show is not going to strand your car, but very late post-show drinks could. Confirm your garage’s closing time before settling in for a third round at the bar.
Make it a full night
Park once and walk. The Music Center is steps from Grand Central Market for pre-show food, Otium if you want to splurge, and the Broad and MOCA if you build in a 4pm arrival to make an afternoon of it. After the show, the Bunker Hill steps drop you back down to 5th Street for a nightcap.
For the wider picture, see the best live music venues in LA pillar and our cheap LA theatre tickets guide. Center Theatre Group’s FreePlay program gets 25-and-unders into Ahmanson and Taper shows for free, which pairs perfectly with the Metro option above.
Music Center and Disney Hall rates and closing times change. The figures here are accurate as of June 2026; confirm the current price and hours with the venue or your parking app before you rely on them.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Ahmanson Theatre have its own parking? The Ahmanson does not have a separate lot. It shares the Music Center Garage with the Mark Taper Forum and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage is the next-closest option.
How much is parking at the Music Center? The event rate is $10 flat at both the Music Center Garage and the Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage, applying on weekdays from 4:30pm and on weekends all day. Outside event hours you pay $3.50 per 15 minutes with a $20 daily maximum. Valet is $23 at the Hope Street entrances.
What is the cheapest way to park for an Ahmanson show? The $10 event flat at the Music Center or Disney Hall Garage is hard to beat for paid parking. Cheaper still is Metro to Civic Center/Grand Park station, five minutes from the plaza. One CTG subscribers get free Music Center parking included with the subscription.
How do I avoid traffic leaving the Music Center Garage? Park at the Disney Hall Garage instead when both are open, since the 2nd Street exit drains faster than the Hope Street exit. Back into your space, head out during the curtain call or wait twenty minutes for the first wave to clear, and avoid Sunday matinee weekends when LA Phil is also playing.
