Lowriders on parade in L.A. this weekend to celebrate Mexican holiday

As part of the ambitious, ongoing exhibit on lowrider vehicles and lowrider culture at the Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles, a lowrider parade is scheduled for the city’s Miracle Mile this Sunday, September 15, in celebration of the Mexican Independence Day weekend.

A fleet of cars and motorcycles in the low rider style, curated by the museum, are expected for the parade, which will conclude with a car show at the museum featuring Folklorico dancers and carnival-style activities.

The two-hour parade will step off from the museum at 10 a.m. Watching it is free; a $25 ticket includes a reception, refreshments and general admission to the museum. Those 17 or under can enter the museum free.

Following the parade there will be an awards ceremony for best in show, sponsored by one of the host companies, PPG.

The event will also feature an all-female panel discussion, with Dr. Denise Sandoval, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at California State University Northridge, Tina L. Blankenship-Early, the first woman elected to Lowrider Magazine’s hall of fame, and Sandy Avila, President of Lady Lowrider Car Club.

The in-place exhibit at the Petersen, “Best in Low,” turns a lens on the creation of the car itself, as well as on the street. It includes iconic lowrider vehicles and those newer to the scene, all featuring outstanding customization in various aspects of the lowrider build, from paint and metal finishing to interiors and hydraulics. The development of these techniques and practices over time is explored, and award-winning vehicles are featured.

The show runs through next April.