The Big Parade is a two-day walk through Los Angeles that will start in downtown, at the famous Angel's Flight Stairway, and finish at the Hollywood Sign above Beachwood Canyon. Day One ends - and Day Two begins - at the famous music Music Box Stairs - site of the Oscar-winning Laurel & Hardy film of the same name - in Silverlake. It will take place May 21 and 22, 2011.
There’s also going to be a prologue on Friday, May 20, led by Bob Inman, covering the stairways between Eagle Rock and downtown.
Most important: This is a community walk. That means we stay together as a group, and it means that YOU CAN DO IT! Why? Because we break the walk into segments so that walkers of all ages and levels of fitness can join us at specific times (of course, anyone is welcome to meet us at any point along the way - and all are invited to join us at the end to celebrate the walk).
A core group of will be doing the entire event. But - as the name "Big Parade" implies - the true nature of the journey is community-based. In addition to passing dozens of landmarks, we will be joined by community members, both individuals and in groups, as we pass through the city's most diverse neighborhoods. The walk is broken into specific segments.

Among the other features of the walk will be:
- A "backcountry" bushwhack along a secret dirt road between Silverlake and Echo Park.
- A cross-country segment that runs through Griffith Park.
- Landmarks that are famous, not-so-famous, infamous, and just-plain-weird (over thirty of them, mapped and ready for viewing)
- Music.
- Visits with community groups and local organizations.
- AND A MOVIE/PARTY Saturday night at the Music Box steps.

Now that you know, JOIN US!

Yes, you can - because the Big Parade route is designed so that anyone can join: for a mile, an hour, a day, or more. We walk slowly and together, and we’ve got special mini-walks - including a kid’s segment - that really are for everyone.

The Big Parade is about visiting folks. We stop at community centers, historic spots, landmarks, and see stuff you probably never knew existed (like the spot depicted to the right, from a 1920s woodcut, that sits between two freeways - and remains unchanged today). We celebrate a genuine truth: that Los Angeles is a walkable city, right now.

• The 2011 routes and timetables are here.

Not a penny. No sponsors. No prizes. Just a walk with (a lot of) your neighbors.

• Read our Frequently Asked Questions page.
• Join the Facebook group.
• Follow us via Twitter
• Send an email with questions or to get onto the event's mailing list.

• Alissa Walker leads practice walks, knows Los Angeles inside and out, and is the world's biggest Gelato fan.
• Bob Inman is the stairway king of Los Angeles; he also leads practice walks, and is designing the Friday prologue. His book is the ultimate pocket stairway reference.
• Use the LA Metro to get to and from our walks.
• Learn about the Los Angeles Parks Department - we'll be passing through over a dozen local facilities.
• GreenLAGirl writes about environmentally conscious living in Los Angeles.
• Streetsblog LA provides news and advocacy for self-powered and mass transit.
• LAIst, for breaking local news and information.
• The Great Los Angeles Walk is another group on-foot event.
• The Echo Park Historical Society has a local stairway map and comprehensive information on the historic neighborhood that contains nearly 1/3rd of the route's public stairways.
• The Eastsider is Echo Park's blog lifeline to the rest of the known universe...
• The "Welcome to Silverlake" website has info on the "other" neighborhood that has the walk's high stairway concentration.
• Hope Anderson writes about Beachwood Canyon, the Hollywood Sign, and LA culture.
• Steven Box keeps the local transit powers-that-be honest.
• The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is holding its annual River Ride the week before the Big Parade. You should try it!
• Silverlake's In & Up Pilates will help build you core strength - and prevent injury - before the Parade.
• Diane Edwardson is dedicated to preserving the amazing Corralitas Red Car site at Silverlake's north end.
• Fallen Fruit is all about the edible streets of Los Angeles - and beyond.
• The Los Angeles Eco-Village is a cooperative, sustainable, urban community.
• Lisa Anne Auerbach is a great artist and helped to organize the Big Parade.
• Puzzles is my kitten.