Metro Performers is a volunteer arts crew operating monthly on the LA Metro B Line — free performances, visual art, and a variety of public programming from Union Station to North Hollywood.
Ridership: LA Metro, Q1 2026 · Fare: metro.net/fares · Daily cap: TAP fare capping · Operations count and cost figures are Metro Performers' own program data, not official Metro statistics.
What we do
Quote
"Buskers are a means of triangulation — people who change how we perceive the space." — Project for Public Spaces, on urban theorist William H. Whyte
Testimonial — NYC Subway (not MPAD)
"I get so excited when I hear Jesse singing in the morning. He has a voice that brightens the day." — Meredith, commuter, on subway musician Jesse (MTA Away)
Metro Performers (MPAD) deploys once a month or more on the B Line corridor — music, dance, spoken word, visual art, and programming that treats the platform as an experience and the riders as an audience that didn't know they'd shown up.
The performance creates an interactive experience for everyone — at the station exit, on the plaza, at the platform entrance — wherever they already are. It's immersive, sometimes unexpected, but always amusing. They're simply there, and something happens.
Performers and artists can join on the spot. No audition, no advance registration. If you want to play or show your work, find someone in Metro Performers gear and you're in the queue.
A rider survey runs at every deployment. What you tell us shapes the next month's programming.
Music, dance, spoken word, visual art — at station exits, plazas, and public spaces along the corridor. Some performances will be quiet and relaxing. Some will be surprising. The range is the point.
Our ongoing survey is how riders shape what happens on the corridor. Responses influence real programming decisions and are shared with Metro.
Every person who rides the B Line to see a performance is a rider Metro wouldn't otherwise have. We're making that case — and showing the data.
Events on the corridor
MPAD events happen on the corridor itself — at platform exits, plazas, and public spaces along the B Line. Metro Art Presents events happen at Union Station's historic spaces. Both are free. Both are worth riding for.
Why it matters
The ridership case
A scheduled arts event gives riders a reason to ride who otherwise wouldn't. Off-peak programming fills capacity that runs empty. The B Line becomes a corridor where you genuinely don't know what you might encounter — and that unpredictability is itself a reason to ride.
The community case
From Union Station through Downtown, Koreatown, MacArthur Park, Hollywood, and into the Valley — the B Line runs through one of the most culturally rich corridors in the city. Arts programming that reflects that richness makes the system feel like it belongs to the people riding it.
The safety case
Active, visible human presence is the consistent finding in perceived safety research. A performer at a station exit signals that this is a place where people belong — a place where creatives gather, connect, and move through — rather than a space to clear as fast as possible.
The 2026–2028 case
The 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games bring millions of international visitors to a corridor running from Hollywood to Union Station. A station with live performance reads as a city that takes its transit — and its creative life — seriously.
The rider survey is how Metro Performers' programming gets built. Two minutes, anonymous by default. Aggregate results are shared publicly and with Metro as part of our advocacy for a formal community arts partnership.
Take the survey →Get involved
01 — Perform
At any MPAD deployment, tell the crew member in Metro Performers gear that you want to perform or show your work. No audition, no advance notice. 7-minute slots for performers, 15 minutes for visual art. If you go ahead and perform, MPAD will find you.
Find us on the corridor02 — Ride
Operations are tied to real civic events or planned throughout the year. All you need is a Metro fare or just show up to key location on the event list. Come join the performance or just watch.
Take the survey03 — Advocate
The strongest thing you can do is complete the rider survey and let Metro know this kind of programming belongs on the B Line. Our data is shared with Metro and to the public as part of an ongoing case for partnership in open community arts.
Take the survey