Ever since targeted raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement swept downtown L.A. in June — which were followed by protests and subsequent arrests — foot traffic in the area has greatly reduced, and local businesses have struggled to keep up the same momentum as before.
As a result, downtown L.A. event coordinators banded together to revive the area’s nightlife with the Friday Night Latin District: a coalition of Latino-owned bars dedicated to hosting weekly cultural celebrations.
Comprising bars like Las Perlas, La Cita, the Association and A Toda Madre, the Friday Night Latin District is a corridor that offers a “safe, reliable and culture-rich” experience for locals to kick off their weekend.
“Our goal is not to just bring all the big bars together,” said Kenny Castro-Andrade, founder of the nightlife collective Calle Ocho.
“We wanna work on a cycle of introducing a big venue that’s already at capacity and then a smaller venue to redirect those people so that they can learn about a new venue they didn’t know about,” he added.
When Castro-Andrade moved to L.A. from Miami in 2020, he noticed the nightlife in downtown L.A. did not reflect the 48% Hispanic population that makes up the county (according to the 2023 Census). Inspired by the Wynwood district in Miami, he created Calle Ocho with friends Vlademir Onofre and George Trevino in November 2024 as a way of integrating young Latinos into the downtown L.A. scene.
In June, Calle Ocho held one of its first events at the Association on 6th Street. Patrons were evacuated from the building because of smoke filtering in through the shared ventilation from the building next door — but instead of sending everyone home, they encouraged them to take the party to Las Perlas.
With this rapid act of problem-solving, and in the face of a bad situation, the Friday Night Latin District was born.
Castro-Andrade aspires to bring the rhythm back by growing the Latin District and involving more venues. Without the people who make up the heart of L.A., from patrons to bartenders and other service industry workers, the nightlife of the city could cease to exist.
“Friday Night Latin District gives Angelenos a chance to rediscover downtown in a new light, while also giving local and small businesses the support they need during a time of need,” Castro-Andrade said.
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