Visit West Hollywood is honored to join the City of West Hollywood, the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM), and our entire community in celebrating the grand opening of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, unveiled on November 16, 2025. Located in West Hollywood Park at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. This deeply meaningful installation stands as a powerful testament to lives lost, survivors, caregivers, and activists — and underscores West Hollywood's enduring legacy as a place of courage, inclusion, and resilience.

As a landmark unlike any other, the monument offers travelers a compelling new cultural experience around which they can thoughtfully build their journeys to West Hollywood. Designed by Australian artist Daniel Tobin, STORIES: The AIDS Monument features 147 bronze “Traces,” each 13 feet tall, rising organically from the ground. Thirty of these Traces bear engraved words capturing emotions and experiences, themes drawn from over 125 personal oral histories collected in the Monument's Hear Our STORIES archive. At night, the Traces are illuminated, evoking the gentle glow of candlelight vigils held during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis. The design metaphorically reflects a journey: from the chaos and confusion of the early epidemic toward greater clarity, organization, and community healing. More than a static memorial, the Monument is a living space, a place for reflection, storytelling, and education. Audio guides allow visitors to hear first-person stories of pain, loss, activism, and survival.

The AIDS Monument stands proudly adjacent to the Rainbow District, West Hollywood's iconic mile-long stretch along Santa Monica Boulevard known for LGBTQ+ heritage, celebration, and community. The presence of the West Hollywood AIDS Monument reinforces the district's role not just as a cultural destination, but as a historic and emotional home, a reminder of how far we've come and the work that continues. You can follow the West Hollywood Rainbow District on their new social media platforms.

More than 40 years after the city was founded, West Hollywood remains rooted in the values that shaped it: inclusion, courage, activism, and community. STORIES: The AIDS Monument embodies that history. For over four decades, the city has served as a beacon for progressive change and LGBTQ+ advocacy, and the Monument carries that light forward. As the West Hollywood AIDS Monument officially opens, Visit West Hollywood reaffirms our commitment to fostering a community where every person is seen, heard, and valued.

The stories of the AIDS epidemic remain vital, and through this monument, we ensure they will continue to teach, inspire, and challenge future generations.

For more information about STORIES: The AIDS Monument, including visiting details and the ongoing Hear Our STORIES oral history project and event schedule, please visit the Monument's official website aidsmonument.org/monument. To find ways to plan your trip around the West Hollywood AIDS Monument, LGBTQ+ heritage, history, events, and travel experiences, go to: VisitWestHollywood.com. Photos courtesy of: City of West Hollywood.