LA’s La Brea Tar Pits Museum to Host Disco Blowout Before Massive Renovation Shutdown

Los Angeles is about to lose one of its most iconic museums for years, but not before it throws a disco bash to send it off in style.

The George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits is hosting a 1970s-themed “Last Dance at La Brea Tar Pits” party featuring music, dancing, food, drinks, and a costume contest before shutting down next month.

The museum will close on July 7, kicking off what officials are calling the most extensive renovation in its nearly 50-year history.

This ambitious $240 million project will overhaul the museum with new exhibition galleries, visible research laboratories, expanded collections storage, a theater, and a rooftop terrace overlooking the famous tar pits and surrounding park.

The renovation will maintain the historic atrium and iconic exterior while enhancing accessibility throughout the building.

A significant addition will be the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, where visitors will eventually witness fossil preparation and scientific research in real-time.

While the museum building closes, the surrounding park, including active excavation sites and the lake pit, will remain open during the two-year construction project.

Paleontologists and researchers will continue excavating fossils and caring for the museum’s collection of 3.5 million Ice Age fossils while conducting scientific research throughout the renovation.

Educational programming will persist during the closure with behind-the-scenes tours, presentations, and visits from the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum to schools and community events across Los Angeles County.

This renovation is supported by public and private funding, including a $40 million gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, with Los Angeles County partnering to finance improvements to this county-owned landmark.

Officials anticipate that the revamped campus, including the new Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, will reopen in 2028, just in time for the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.