Los Angeles’ Night of Ideas returns to the Wende Museum on Saturday, April 4, 2026, for an expanded, all-day celebration of ideas, creativity, and collective imagination. New this year, the program begins in the afternoon with a dedicated family and youth offering, then unfolds into an evening of lively conversations, performances, and immersive experiences.
The 2026 theme, Opening the Way, takes on special resonance as the event coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and draws on Enlightenment ideals shared by France and the United States. Bringing together voices from both sides of the Atlantic, Night of Ideas Los Angeles explores the values, imagination, and critical thinking that continue to shape transatlantic exchange—and how they might help us meet the challenges of our time.
Topics span journalism, quantum physics, black holes, contemporary literature, artificial intelligence, gaming, and climate change, alongside conversations on sport, diplomacy, creativity, and imagination. Throughout the evening, audiences will also encounter immersive VR experiences, a participatory theater workshop, and dance and musical performances.
The afternoon family program will feature hands-on workshops in animation filmmaking, climate change, and astronomy; a silent film presentation paired with a cinema and media-literacy initiative developed with local schools; a forum for parents and children on video games, a performance by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater; and music by the HOLA Intergenerational Ensemble.
Free and open to the public!