… And no one seems to know why. (By “no one”, my research includes emailing my friend Jack, checking for posts on LAist, Curbed LA, searching Craigslist, and quizzing everyone at the Beachwood Market.)  When I took these pictures, there weren’t any helicopters shooting the sign, no camera crews on the ground, or even any park rangers shooing people away.

Jack said he saw the light coming from the Observatory, so I’m guessing there must have been two beams directed at the sign, because from the park you can see the light looks like it is coming from around Franklin and Highland.

(I wish we would have had the nicer camera with us, because the reflection on Lake Hollywood was stunning and this shot does not do it justice. )

So I ask, why was the Hollywood sign lit up last night? Los Angeles Film Festival?  If that was the case then there would have been a press release.  Mariachi night at the Bowl? Can you even see the sign from the Bowl? (I think it is too deep down in the dell.)  Still searching for the person who called in a bomb scare in Beachwood Canyon earlier in the day?

Or did someone think they could slip it by without the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association noticing?

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14 Responses to Um, so the Hollywood sign was lit last night…

  1. r-corp says:

    i’ve also been trying to figure out what was going on last night. i live on ledgewood and got some cool shots of the sign. since it is probably only the 3rd or 4th time since the 1930’s that it has been aglow at night. i laughed at your HHA reference as they are such a-holes that it wouldnt suprise me that someone just went for it and lit up the sign without their “consent”…but i wont get started on that (anyone want to start a anti-HHA committee?) . anyway…the sign looked cool.

  2. Zach – Good call. I had completely forgotten about the Wall*E event, and since I only saw light coming from H&H, I didn’t think about it. (Which is a lapse on my part, because someone had even said, “Maybe it’s a premiere.” My response of course being, “Don’t be silly. No one has premieres on a Saturday.”)

    And of COURSE Disney would have the pull to light the sign. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are the ones looking to buy the hillside west of the sign for development. (Kidding, of course. We all know Celebration could only happen in Florida.)

  3. One Wag says:

    Oh, I went to the Wall*E event at the Greek but left right after (it ran pretty late). Only when I got home and looked up at the Hill did I see the lighted sign! I thought it was being lit from the Observatory, because i also saw a lot of lights up there. Man now I am pissed I passed on the party!

  4. milquetoast says:

    That sign was not lighted properly, at least not the way I remember it when I was a kid. It had its own lights and was lit just about every night. Why it isn’t lit properly for special events now is beyond me. It was beautiful. Damn nimbies!

  5. bous says:

    Does anybody have a photo of the sign lit up with its original light bulbs? I cannot seem to find a picture like this

  6. kevin says:

    So i’ve been looking this up on the internet, because i know im not crazy. Ive seen the Hollywood sign lit up before back in 2005. There was an amazing view of it from the 2nd floor of the Hollywood/Highland complex. And thats when i thought to myself that it was the only time ive seen it lit at night. When i went back a few months later, it wasn’t lit. Anyone know why they light it when they do?

  7. Chester says:

    That is so cool! I’m pissed that I missed it. I was driving home from Vegas that evening, so I completely missed the lighting of it! The Sign has rarely been lit since the 1920s! Only a few occasions have called for it, including the 1984 LA Olympics and January 1, 2000. I don’t know of any others, but there must be more. The reason why it isn’t lit up is because the jerks who live in that area say “We don’t want tourists up here at night.” You know what? It’s THEIR fault for choosing to live in such a famous place! DEAL WITH IT!!!

    Sorry, but being an Angeleno myself, I think it’s ridiculous that we can’t light it up. It’s a world-famous landmark!

  8. Mike says:

    My wife and I moved here a year ago and she claims there’s a spot on Barham Blvd where you can see the sign. We drove the street and I swear I saw it lit up (from my rear view mirror).

  9. Egg says:

    This looks like an old post, but Im guessing this was being filmed around the time you took this picture. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-cronenberg-reveals-how-he-620841 I came across your picture after reading the story looking for photos of the event.

    • sarah sprague says:

      This was actually from the WALL*E premiere a few years ago. They held the after-party at the Observatory and lit it from there. I did see the sign lit the other week though, and took a picture. I live in the neighborhood and went up to check out the shoot: http://instagram.com/p/dTqRhZrv_O/

      • egg says:

        Lol wow I’m definitely late then. Looks great though, thanks! Always wanted to see it lit (I’m in sfv) . Ill keep an eye on ig for the next one. Thanks again! :)

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