For an in-depth experience, tour Hollywood Forever Cemetery with a film-historian guide, or join a city walking, cycling, or coach tour that passes through the cemetery and takes in other LA sights such as Paramount Studio and Hollywood Boulevard. On many summer Saturday nights, the Cinespia movie series screens classic films such as Sunset Boulevard on the Fairbanks Lawn for large crowds, and throughout the year, various musical acts perform at the on-site Masonic Lodge.
The cemetery’s original owners, San Fernando Valley developers Isaac Lankershim and son-in-law Isaac Van Nuys (a major boulevard in north Hollywood and a town in the northwest valley bear their names), sold much of it in 1920 to Paramount Pictures, RKO Studios, and the Beth Olam Synagogue. As a result, many Hollywood figures such as Cecil B. DeMille and Peter Lorre, as well as prominent residents of Jewish descent including gangster Bugsy Siegel, are buried here.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a must-visit for those interested in Tinseltown history.
The cemetery is free to enter unless there is a special event.
You can bring blankets, pillows, low-profile chairs, and alcohol to summer movie screenings.
The Fairbanks Lawn has a designated wheelchair area with easy access to restrooms.
Hollywood Forever is a fully functioning cemetery, so tour routes are subject to change if a funeral is taking place.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located right off US 101 (the Hollywood Freeway) on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, near Paramount Pictures studios. On-site parking is available. The surrounding neighborhood is a preferential parking district, which prohibits parking by nonresidents. Ride-hailing services are a good option.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is open daily from morning until late afternoon. Tickets are required for the popular Cinespia series, which takes place on summer Saturday nights at 8pm; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The cemetery’s annual daylong Dia de los Muertos festival occurs around the end of October.
Located on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, this iteration of the world-famous Madame Tussauds attraction features lifelike wax figures of movie stars and television actors, movie characters such as E.T. and the X Men, pop stars, athletes, and more. Madame Tussauds also includes a team-based virtual reality experience.
