The Oscars are leaving Hollywood in 2029, ending long run at Dolby Theatre

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The Oscars are leaving Hollywood — or at least Hollywood Boulevard.

Starting in 2029, the Academy Awards will have a new home. After almost 25 years at the Dolby Theatre, the ceremony will move to L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and AEG announced the change on Thursday, noting the event will be held in what is currently the Peacock Theater, which will likely be renamed before the Oscars arrive.

The deal is set to last until 2039. Sources involved in the planning, who weren’t allowed to discuss it openly, say talks have been happening for about two years.

The Oscars are changing locations at the same time they’re shifting away from traditional TV broadcasting. The Academy recently revealed that the ceremony will start streaming live on YouTube worldwide in 2029, which will conclude its 50-year partnership with ABC.

Awards

After eight months of planning and three weeks of setup, crews are working hard to finish preparing the Dolby Theatre for the Oscars, with only 72 hours left before the big event.

The show has been a fixture on Hollywood Boulevard since 2002. The red carpet is laid out along the Walk of Fame, and for one night, the area truly feels like the heart of the film industry. The Dolby Theatre, located at Hollywood and Highland within a shopping and entertainment complex near the TCL Chinese Theatre and the El Capitan, was originally built as the Kodak Theatre with the intention of hosting the Oscars for years to come.

L.A. Live is a central entertainment complex with venues and event spaces located close together. It’s right next to Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center, and is part of a larger sports and entertainment area managed by AEG. This area frequently hosts major events like concerts, sporting competitions, and awards shows such as the Emmys and Grammys. AEG is planning to expand L.A. Live with a new hotel, housing, and more entertainment options as part of a future development plan.

Interestingly, leaving the Dolby Theatre feels less like a complete change and more like a return to the past. The Oscars were previously held for many years in downtown Los Angeles at both the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Shrine Auditorium before moving to the Dolby.

The Oscars are moving to a new location that will make the event more streamlined. Everything from the red carpet to the after-party can now happen in one central area, including the nearby JW Marriott hotel and its ballroom. The theater itself will be updated with improved stage, sound, and lighting to better suit the show’s needs. This move will also allow for more attendees, which is important because the Academy has grown to over 11,000 members.

Awards

Our reporters captured genuine, behind-the-scenes moments from the Academy Awards, offering a glimpse into how the awards season concluded.

Space around the Dolby Theatre has always been limited, requiring several blocks of Hollywood Boulevard to be closed for days each year, causing traffic detours and a high level of security. This year, security was even tighter due to the conflict in Iran, with police establishing a one-mile perimeter around the theater. Built in 2001 as the Kodak Theatre, the venue was specifically intended to be the permanent home of the Academy Awards.

The academy wanted a location where they had more say in how the show looked and felt, specifically how the audience was seated and how the space was used for both the television broadcast and the live event itself. The new venue will offer more space for press, performer lounges, and behind-the-scenes work, as well as better technology for putting on the ceremony.

Initial designs for this year’s Oscars show that the broadcast for at-home viewers will likely be quite similar to previous years. The iconic curved stage at the Dolby Theatre will remain, but with a bigger feel, larger screens, and a more visually engaging overhead design.

What I really appreciate about keeping the Oscars at this complex is how convenient it is. Everything – from when the stars arrive to the Governors Ball and all the afterparties – happens in one place, which is so much better than running around to different venues. Plus, it opens up a lot of cool possibilities for things like hospitality and sponsorships all around the campus, which is great to see.

Todd Goldstein, a leader at AEG, explained that L.A. Live was designed for iconic cultural events, and the Oscars represent the biggest stage in the world. He stated that they will work together to create a celebratory atmosphere that recognizes outstanding achievement in film and provides a memorable experience for movie lovers globally.

The Oscars are undergoing a major overhaul. Viewership has dropped considerably, from over 40 million in the late 1990s to just 17.9 million this year – a 9% decrease from last year. Switching to YouTube is a way to connect with a larger, worldwide audience as more people move away from traditional TV.

The Academy Awards will continue to be held at the Dolby Theatre through its 100th anniversary celebration in 2028, and will move to a new location in 2029.

As a huge cinema fan, I was really pleased to hear the Academy and AEG are teaming up! They’ve announced they’ll be working closely together to make L.A. Live the ideal location for the Oscars, starting with the 101st ceremony and beyond. It sounds like they’re aiming to create a truly spectacular celebration of film right in the heart of L.A., and I, for one, can’t wait!

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2026-03-26 21:31