Bel Air's Fall Museum Season Runs on the 405's Schedule
Bel Air's two major cultural institutions sit on the same stretch of the Sepulveda Pass as the largest freeway project on the Westside. The Getty Center and the Skirball Cultural Center both opened new fall shows in September and October. During those same weeks, Caltrans has been closing lanes and ramps on the I-405 between Van Nuys and Westwood. For anyone in 90077, the fall cultural calendar and the construction calendar cover the same ground. Planning a good afternoon on the hill means reading both.
The project is expected to run past this season. Caltrans lists completion in winter 2027, with plant establishment running into 2028. So the timing advice below will hold well past the holidays.
The Caltrans I-405 Sepulveda Pass Pavement Rehabilitation Project covers 10.2 miles and costs about $143.7 million. It replaces sections of two lanes in each direction from Victory Boulevard to Mulholland Drive. It won't widen anything. Caltrans describes it as repairing what is already there.
The contractor yard is at the Skirball Yard off Mulholland Drive, near American Jewish University. That's the same museum name you'll see on the exit signs. On regular workdays, Caltrans says no major trucking is expected at the yard from 6 to 9 a.m. or from 5 to 7 p.m. Nighttime noise from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. has to stay within regulated limits, measured at 50 feet.
The roadway itself has also changed. Since May 26, 2026, parts of the Pass have had a temporary 55 mph limit, with "Uneven Pavement" signs between Wilshire Boulevard and Victory Boulevard. Caltrans expects those conditions to last through winter 2026 or early spring 2027. That means every museum trip this fall happens in an active work zone. The good news is that each institution has a weekly window that works well around it.
The Getty Center is open 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and on Sunday. On Saturday it stays open until 9 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Admission is free with a timed-entry reservation. Parking is $25 per car, drops to $15 after 3 p.m. and $10 after 6 p.m., and is free on Saturdays after 6 p.m. Parking is cashless.
So the cheapest visit of the week is also the longest one. Arrive Saturday at 6 p.m. and you get three hours in the galleries for nothing. Weekday traffic through the Pass is usually at its worst well before then.
What's on the walls this fall:
The Five Views show also has a Serigraphy and Collage Workshop series, with sessions from October 4 through December 13.
October 17 is busy on the hill during the day as well. The free Family Festival: LA and Mexico in Focus runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Saturday. You'll need a timed-entry reservation, and parking is charged separately. The lineup includes Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, an all-female mariachi ensemble founded in 1994, and the bolero quintet Los Licenciados, who play for visitors as they step off the tram. If you want the Redon show without the festival crowd, the evening after it ends is a good time to go.
The Skirball keeps different hours: noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. It is closed Mondays and also on November 11, November 26–27, and December 25. General admission is $20, or $15 for seniors, full-time students with ID, and ages 2 to 17. Admission is free for everyone on Thursdays. Parking is free during regular hours in the North and East garages.
This fall's biggest night falls on a free Thursday. Three exhibitions open on Thursday, October 22:
The free opening party runs 7 to 9 p.m. that evening, with a DJ set, artists and curators, and complimentary Spiced Pumpkin-filled Shortbread while it lasts. Reservations are taken online. Members get a preview the evening before, Wednesday, October 21, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Two longer shows give the Skirball something to see all season. Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution is in the Getty Gallery through February 28, 2027. Adam Silverman's Common Ground is in Ruby Commons through January 2, 2028. For lunch, Zeidler's Café and Judy's Counter are both open Tuesday through Sunday.
Later dates on the Skirball calendar include a Sigd holiday event on Sunday, November 8, at 4 p.m., the Hanukkah Festival on Sunday, December 6, from noon to 5 p.m., and This Friday: A Sabbath Reading Series on December 11 at 7 p.m.
Caltrans has scheduled one more extended weekend this month. It runs from 10 p.m. Friday, October 23, to 5 a.m. Monday, October 26. During that window, the October lane-reduction notice lists these changes:
Northbound lanes won't be reduced. The Getty's own exit will be closed, though. The Getty has Ever Present: NOVA '78 on its calendar for that Friday, October 23, so the closure starts the same night. If you plan to come up the 405 from the south that evening, expect to lose the Getty exit once the 10 p.m. closure begins. Over the weekend, the exit stays closed until Monday morning.
The first weekend went the same way. Westside Today reported a southbound three-lane reduction from October 2 to 5, with no reductions northbound. The Skirball also posted a separate overnight advisory warning of lane reductions, ramp closures and congestion on Sepulveda Boulevard from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., October 5 through 10. That window ended today. Caltrans notes that dates, times and the number of lanes closed can change because of weather or operations.
| Date | Museum calendar | Freeway calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Getty Family Festival, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; last Saturday evening for Redon and Stendahl | Weekend paving not scheduled in the October notice |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Redon and Stendahl's World close at the Getty | |
| Wed., Oct. 21 | Skirball member preview, 4–8 p.m. | |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Skirball fall opening, 7–9 p.m., free | |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Getty: Ever Present: NOVA '78 | Southbound reduction and Getty Center Dr. northbound off-ramp closure start at 10 p.m. |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | Closures end at 5 a.m. | |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Getty: A Painterly Pursuit with Reggie Burrows Hodges | |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Skirball Sigd event, 4 p.m. | |
| Nov. 26–27 | Skirball closed | |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Skirball Hanukkah Festival, noon–5 p.m. | |
| Jan. 3, 2027 | Five Views and Moments in Mexican Photography close | 55 mph and uneven pavement expected through winter 2026/early spring 2027 |
The right-hand column has nothing in it after October, and that's because nothing has been announced yet. Caltrans has not published a November closure schedule. The department sends weekly emails on overnight and weekend work to anyone who signs up for I-405 notifications. For same-day conditions, it points drivers to Caltrans QuickMap. Until the paving reaches Victory Boulevard, two times stay reliable every week. The Getty's free parking starts at 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and Skirball admission is free all day Thursday.
The pavement crews will be on the same hillside as Bel Air's museums until 2027. High-End Estates follows the Sepulveda corridor block by block, from the Getty Center Drive off-ramp to the Mulholland yard. For a confidential conversation about property along this stretch of the Pass, Request Private Access. Call or WhatsApp Rajaa for a confidential consultation.
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