Lucas Museum of Narrative Art洛杉矶开幕，开幕之夜展示其作为活动场地的空间与运营细节

The museum's sculptural form was designed without a single straight line, creating fluid transitions between indoor and outdoor areas—and plenty of visual drama from the exterior alone.Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

LOS ANGELES—After years of anticipation, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opened its doors in Los Angeles on Sept. 22. A few days earlier, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson offered a spectacular preview of what the striking new Exposition Park landmark can do as an event venue.

On Sept. 19, the museum’s co-founders hosted an opening-night celebration that brought together a lengthy list of Hollywood stars, artists, filmmakers, philanthropists, and civic leaders. Tom Cruise, Guillermo del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Steven Spielberg, and Pharrell Williams were all among the co-chairs.

But for event pros, the party also served as a real-world demonstration of what the massive new property can do. Guests moved from cocktails and live music in the plaza to the museum’s more than 30 galleries, then up to the fifth-floor rooftop for a drone show before returning indoors for a surprise performance by the Black Eyed Peas.

Here’s a look inside the celebration—and what event professionals should know about one of LA’s most significant new venues.

Photo: Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

The celebration began in Lucas Plaza, where guests arrived for cocktails accompanied by a 27-piece orchestra.

The entertainment quickly scaled up from there. Voices of Fire, the Virginia Beach-based vocal collective co-founded by Bishop Ezekiel Williams and Pharrell Williams, performed alongside Jon Batiste on piano and an additional 75 singers. The set, appropriately, included “Yoda’s Theme” from Star Wars, along with Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”

Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Queen Latifah hosted the evening’s program, which featured remarks from Lucas, Hobson, architect Ma Yansong, and Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates.

Guests were then invited to explore the museum’s more than 30 galleries before heading to the fifth-floor rooftop for a showstopping production moment.

Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

There, Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson introduced and narrated a drone show by Nova Sky Stories that turned works from the museum’s collection into images in the night sky. The show referenced works and imagery including the Cave of Altamira, N.C. Wyeth’s "The Storybook," Julie Bell’s "The Huntress," Banksy’s "Girl with Balloon," the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, and Maxfield Parrish’s "Ecstasy."

Photo: Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

The party then moved back inside, where the Black Eyed Peas surprised guests with a performance. Additional entertainment throughout the evening included performances by L.A. Dance Project, Jake Shimabukuro, Xavier de Maistre, Damien Escobar, Kaki King, DJ Kiss, and DJ M.O.S.

Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Even without the A-list entertainment, the building itself provides plenty of spectacle.

Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec, the five-story Lucas Museum spans 300,000 square feet, including more than 100,000 square feet of gallery space. Its sculptural form was designed without a single straight line, creating fluid transitions between indoor and outdoor areas—and plenty of visual drama from the exterior alone.

Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

One of its most eye-popping architectural features also doubles as a natural gathering point: The building rises above a central public plaza beneath a 185-foot arch. An elliptical oculus four stories overhead opens the plaza to the sky.

Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Beyond its galleries, the museum includes two cinematic theaters, a dedicated events space, classrooms and studios, a research library, café, and restaurant.

The 10 flexible studios and classrooms accommodate 20 to 60 seated guests and are designed for workshops, creative sessions, and team retreats. The 1,600-square-foot research library seats 40 and can host presentations, performances, and live readings.

For large-scale arrivals and outdoor gatherings, Lucas Plaza can accommodate up to 1,000 standing guests, with a drop-off area for rideshare and valet. Inside, the 10,000-square-foot North Lobby accommodates 600 standing and connects directly to the café, theaters, and first-floor galleries; its central welcome desk can also be converted into a serving station or cocktail bar.

The more intimate 2,000-square-foot South Lobby accommodates 60 standing beneath a suspended Naboo Starfighter, with two sweeping staircases leading to the museum’s second-floor studios, meeting rooms, classrooms, and research library.

Together, the spaces make the kind of progressive experience showcased on opening night possible for private events, too, allowing planners to move guests between indoor and outdoor spaces—and, depending on the rental, incorporate gallery access into the experience. Plaza, North Lobby, and South Lobby rentals, for example, include up to one hour of self-guided access to the museum’s The History of Narrative Art exhibition.

Photo: Paul Salveson, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Paul Salveson, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Photo: Hufton+Crow, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

The museum’s two state-of-the-art cinematic theaters—the Robert Flaherty Theater and Slavko Vorkapich Theater—each seat 299 guests and are available for screenings, panels, and presentations.

Both feature 4K digital projection, immersive 3D spatial sound, and customizable lighting, while Theater A also accommodates 35mm film. Two green rooms with ensuite bathrooms are available, and the theaters sit adjacent to elevators providing quick access to the fifth-floor event space.

The museum’s dedicated fifth-floor event space spans 10,000 square feet and accommodates 350 guests seated with a stage setup or 600 standing. Designed for galas, dinners, and large-scale receptions, the room features panoramic Los Angeles views, an acoustically treated ceiling, customizable ceiling lighting, built-in speakers, and a high-resolution screen for presentations and screenings.

Photo: Courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Bookings also include access to the adjacent Sky Garden, a circular observation deck and green roof that accommodates 60 to 80 standing guests. With 360-degree views stretching from the Hollywood Hills and downtown to the Pacific Ocean, the museum positions the space for sunset cocktails and twilight receptions.

Photo: Paul Salveson, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Outside, the museum’s park and gardens, designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, provide additional settings for everything from large-scale festivals and open-air performances to intimate garden parties.

The grounds include expansive meadows and an amphitheater integrated into the park’s natural contours, with direct access from street level and the underground parking structure for guest arrivals and production load-in. The Rain Fountain, a dramatic waterfall installation that also serves as part of the building’s cooling system, accommodates 200 seated or 400 standing and is positioned for press moments, executive meetings, luncheons, and intimate dinners.

Photo: Tom McGovern, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

At the top of the museum, Skywalker Grill adds another hospitality option. Designed by Rockwell Group and operated by Rhubarb Hospitality Collection, part of Oak View Group, the full-service restaurant serves modern American cuisine rooted in California ingredients and takes inspiration from the hospitality of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch.

The modern-meets-midcentury space features curved walls clad in individually crafted cherry wood panels, intimate banquette seating and gathering areas, illuminated Corian surfaces, and a sculptural central bar. Outside, a landscaped terrace offers banquette and loose seating with panoramic views across Los Angeles.

Photo: Tom McGovern, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Notably, Skywalker Grill operates independently of a museum visit: Restaurant guests check in at a dedicated host stand in the museum lobby and are escorted to an elevator with direct access to the fifth-floor restaurant. The restaurant also remains open beyond museum hours.

For private events, Skywalker Grill accommodates 220 seated guests, including 40 in a dedicated private dining room, with seating for 160 indoors and 60 outdoors. The restaurant is available for private dining, business lunches, and full restaurant buyouts.

Of course, a huge draw of the property will be the museum itself. Its more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space spans more than 30 galleries and some 1,300 works in its inaugural exhibitions, encompassing everything from fine art and illustration to comics, murals, and cinema. And for certain private rentals, gallery access is built directly into the event experience.

Photo: Iwan Baan, courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

That includes works by artists ranging from Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh to Norman Rockwell, Charles Schulz, Takashi Murakami, and Banksy, as well as materials from the Lucas Archives. The inaugural "Star Wars in Motion" exhibition features concept designs, props, and costumes from the first six Star Wars films.

Opening night offered a high-wattage example of how all of those elements—the art, architecture, outdoor spaces, entertainment, and unmistakable sense of place—can become part of the event experience rather than simply serving as its backdrop.

About the Author

Contributing Writer

Alesandra (Alice) Dubin began her journalism career at BizBash in 2003 as one of the publication’s first editors in New York City and launched its Los Angeles bureau in 2005. She is a veteran meetings and events journalist, industry expert, and enthusiast.