Considering that the route of the Los Angeles Marathon traditionally runs through Hollywood Boulevard, along which the Oscars red carpet is annually laid out in front of the Dolby Theater, it was a pretty big problem that the L.A. Marathon and the Oscars were both scheduled to take place in 2026 on the same day, Sunday, March 15.
Fortunately for all parties concerned, an agreement has been reached between the organizers of the L.A. Marathon, the McCourt Foundation and the organizers of the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, that will avert such a collision.
LA Mayor Karen Bass announced the agreement on Friday, although sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that it was largely resolved in direct talks between the two parties. The end result: the Oscars will remain on Sunday, March 15, while the L.A. Marathon will move to another date in March 2026 that will be announced in the near future.
All parties have also agreed that, moving forward, the L.A. Marathon will take place on the third Sunday in March (on which it has often but not always been held in recent years), and the Oscars will take place on a different date.
The backers of the L.A. Marathon and the Oscars have also agreed to establish a partnership to promote each other’s events, although details were not immediately available.