Back to the Future Mania Takes over Los Angeles
Photo courtesy Fathom Events
Maybe it’s because the original trilogy dropped on Netflix this summer (and is going away September 30) or perhaps because that huge Broadway musical is coming to town, or maybe the impending demise of the movie’s Twin Pines Mall has brought out the fans, but somehow Back to the Future mania is taking over Los Angeles. The classic movie, which one critic called the “Ultimate American Blockbuster,” is being celebrated with meetups, screenings, an exhibit, and even a full-on recreation of the movie’s pivotal Enchantment Under the Sea dance at the original location in Hollywood. BTTF fans are on the move, so slip into those self-lacing Nikes, fire up the Flux Capacitor, and party with Doc and Marty.
Back to the Future trilogy exhibition
Now on view
In the very spot where Max Factor once did makeup for movie stars, the Hollywood Museum displays artifacts from all eras of cinema history. Temporary themed exhibits, including current ones dedicated to Transformers and Batman, cycle through the space. Much of their 2023 BTTF exhibit has gone back to movie studios and lenders, but Marty’s red jacket, his 1955 fedora, and a Mattel Hoverboard are among the artifacts still on display.
Movie Night at the Gamble House
September 28
The Gamble House is a Pasadena institution, a National Historic Landmark, and a worldwide icon of Craftsman design. It’s also where Doctor Emmett Brown spent 30 years and his entire family fortune designing his time machine! Watch the original film in the location where it was filmed when the house museum hosts a movie night at Doc Brown’s mansion.
Los Angeles Comic Con
October 4-6
Step aside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Morticia Addams, Doc, Marty, Lorraine, and Biff are in town. Oscar winner Anjelica Huston and Emmy-winning Ewan McGregor are among the headliners at the L.A. Comic Con at the L.A. Convention Center next month but it’s a meet and greet with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson that’s sure to have BTTF fans lining up early. Photos with the whole cast are priced north of $500
Photo courtesy Fathom Events
Back to the Future II 35th Anniversary Screenings
October 19 – 21
Fathom Events is bringing the second installment of the trilogy back to movie theaters. Revisit the flying cars, Biff’s casino, and Jaws 19, all on the big screen. Local venues include the Puente Hills AMC at the same mall where the first movie was filmed and AMC Citywalk, located mere yards from Universal’s Courthouse Square and the real Hill Valley.
Twin Pines Mall Back to the Future Meetup
October 25
Historical fact: On this date in 1955, Doc Brown’s Delorean first went back in time. The car departed from the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall, AKA the Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry. Fans gather every year at that date and time, hoping to run into Doc and Marty, but they mostly meet up with other Delorean fans counting down to the big moment. The event’s days may be numbered as the mall recently sold for redevelopment.
Photo by Chris Nichols
Back to the Future: The Musical
November 5 – December 1
Hollywood’s glorious art deco Pantages Theatre hosts this Broadway extravaganza that tells the tale of the time-traveling scientist and his teenage buddy, but this time with a car that flies out over the audience and a gaggle of new-wave future girl dancers. The show moves to the Segerstrom Center in Orange County on December 26.
Enchantment Under the Sea dance
November 9
The historic Hollywood United Methodist Church has been a popular filming location for decades, hosting productions from The Godfather to Big Momma’s House. Its most famous movie appearance might have been as the Hill Valley High School gym in Back to the Future, where George and Lorraine McFly kiss for the first time at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Take pictures with a Delorean parked in front, and groove out to Shrine Inch Nails, a band benefiting Shriners Hospital.
Universal Fan Fest Nights
Spring 2025
Following the success of Disneyland’s After Dark events tied to fan favorites like Star Wars, Universal Studios is getting into the act with Universal Fanfest Nights. Next spring, look for a series of ticketed after-hours celebrations of Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and Back to the Future, complete with special food and merchandise items and plenty of photo ops.
