How many stars are on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame today — and where to find them

If you are standing at Hollywood and Highland and trying to put a number to the pink terrazzo under your shoes, here is the current answer. As of September 8, 2026, there are 2,855 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The latest number ticked up on September 4, 2026, when Lea Salonga received the 2,855th star. The next ceremony on the calendar is set to install the 2,856th.

That count changes whenever a new dedication happens, which is often. The Chamber typically schedules multiple unveilings each month and announces them roughly ten days out. If you really want to track the total, don’t rely on an old guidebook; check the Chamber’s ceremony announcements the week you visit and you can do the math yourself on the sidewalk.

What the total really means (and why it keeps moving)

“How many stars are there” sounds like it should be a fixed statistic. It isn’t. A Walk of Fame star is a public monument paid for by an approved sponsor and installed after a formal dedication. The Chamber’s selection committee votes in new honorees once a year and then schedules individual ceremonies throughout the following months. The sponsorship fee that pays for creation, installation, the sidewalk work, and ongoing maintenance is $85,000 as of the 2026 nomination cycle, a figure the Chamber labels “subject to change” in its own materials. That is why the pace of additions stays steady and the total never sits still for long.

Star ceremonies are public, free to attend, and require no tickets. The time is generally late morning — many begin at 11:30 a.m. — though you will occasionally see a 10 a.m. start. If you are aiming to watch one, you can plan around that timing with a coffee beforehand and lunch after. The Chamber usually posts each ceremony’s exact address on Hollywood Boulevard or Vine Street so you can position yourself on the correct block without guessing.

There is also a small but important distinction many people miss: honorees are selected in six categories. Those are Motion Pictures, Television, Recording, Radio, Live Theatre/Live Performance, and Sports Entertainment. The five classic emblems stamped into the brass — a film camera, a television set, a phonograph record, a radio microphone, and the comedy/tragedy masks — tell you what the person was honored for at a glance. Sports Entertainment is a newer addition to the roster, and you will see it called out in ceremony announcements even if the emblem you spot most often on the sidewalk belongs to the original five.

Where the stars actually are (and how long the walk takes)

The Walk of Fame is not sprinkled around Los Angeles. It runs in two straight stretches in Hollywood, and it has a beginning and an end. East to west, it covers Hollywood Boulevard from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue, about 1.3 miles. North to south, it continues on Vine Street from Yucca Street to Sunset Boulevard, about 0.4 miles. That is the whole footprint.

Most visitors do a compact loop centered on the blocks around the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, since many familiar names are concentrated there and you can pair the sidewalk with an indoor stop. From the forecourt of the Chinese west to La Brea and back is an easy hour with photo pauses. If you want to cover nearly all of Hollywood Boulevard’s stars in one sweep, budget about 90–120 minutes of unhurried walking time for both sides of the street from La Brea to Gower, then add another 20–30 minutes if you plan to include Vine Street down to Sunset.

One last geographic quirk to watch for: at the historic intersection of Hollywood and Vine, you will find a cluster of circular plaques honoring the Apollo 11 crew where you may expect stars. That is an intentional nod placed at the time to the way the world witnessed that moon landing on television. If you are counting “stars,” you will skip the moons and keep going.

Free sidewalk, paid add‑ons: what to combine with the count

Walking the Walk is free. The sidewalk never closes, and there is no admission to step on a star. What many people do — what I quietly recommend when asked at the curb — is to add one paid, under‑an‑hour stop that gives context or takes you inside a landmark. The two easiest are the Dolby Theatre tour and the Hollywood Museum. TCL Chinese Theatre also offers a 30‑minute guided tour most days, and the famous hand‑ and footprints in its forecourt are free to see without a ticket when the theater is not closed for a premiere.

Getting there, parking, and the small money‑savers locals actually use

If you are coming by rail, the Metro B Line drops you directly onto the Walk. Use Hollywood/Highland for the Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese Theatre, and Ovation Hollywood. Use Hollywood/Vine for Pantages Theatre, Capitol Records, and the eastern segment. The base fare is $1.75 and includes two hours of free transfers in one direction when you use TAP. Metro also caps fares when you tap to ride repeatedly: you do not pay more than $5 in a day or $18 in a seven‑day window on Metro buses and rail. If you already carry a student, senior, or other reduced‑fare TAP, your daily and weekly caps are lower.

Driving is perfectly workable if you are aiming for a quick loop. The city‑operated garage directly under Ovation Hollywood at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard posts simple, published rates: $2 every 20 minutes, $6 per hour, with a typical daily maximum of $20. There is also a widely used validation deal here. If you see a film at TCL Chinese Theatre or TCL Chinese 6, or buy something with participating tenants like JAPAN HOUSE LA or Dave & Buster’s, you can validate your ticket for up to four hours for $3. Enter off Highland Avenue or Orange Court, note your level and pillar, and you are back on the sidewalk within a couple minutes.

Ceremony watchers should plan for closures on the exact block where a star is going in. Barricades go up early and security directs foot traffic around the site. If your goal is simply to walk the names without navigating that logistics knot, pick a non‑ceremony day or start a few blocks away and work toward the crowd. If you do want the pageantry, budget arrival by 10:30 a.m. for a typical 11:30 a.m. start and accept that you will be standing. It remains free, with no ticketing line to worry about.

Reading the sidewalk: what the symbols say and a few exceptions

The brass emblem in the center of each star is not decorative filler. It tells you why that person or group is on the Walk. You will see the movie camera for Motion Pictures, the TV set for Television, the phonograph record for Recording, the radio microphone for Radio, and the comedy/tragedy masks for Live Theatre/Live Performance. Cross‑check the emblem with the name, and the placement will make more sense. It is routine for crossover performers to hold stars in more than one category, which is why you might see the same surname twice on different blocks with different emblems.

There are a handful of one‑offs. The most visible is at Hollywood and Vine, where the Apollo 11 astronauts are honored with moons rather than stars, reflecting the way the world watched those first steps live. You will also sometimes notice a star set slightly higher or lower than its neighbors, or a fresh patch of darker terrazzo where recent repairs have set. That is normal sidewalk maintenance. When a honoree’s name becomes current in the news, the Chamber’s crews will often freshen the polish around that location so you are not photographing a scuffed panel.

How many can you realistically see in a single visit

If you only have an hour, base yourself at the Ovation Hollywood plaza. You can walk the densest section of Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Highland, sweep through the free hand‑ and footprints in the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt, and add a 30‑minute Dolby Theatre tour if the schedule lines up. That loop fits comfortably in the four‑hour $3 validation window if you buy a snack or ticket with a participating tenant, and you will not spend most of your visit just crossing intersections.

With a half day, add Vine Street. From Highland, take the B Line two stops to Hollywood/Vine and walk down toward Sunset, or just keep walking east from Highland if you prefer to stay above ground. If it is a Wednesday–Sunday and you want a compact indoor stop, the Hollywood Museum at 1660 N. Highland is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and charges $15 for adult admission. Because it sits one block north of the Boulevard, you can visit without detouring far off the stars and still be back at your car or the train in minutes.

If you are arriving by rail and want to keep a clean budget line, here is the cost reality for two riders: tap in twice at $1.75 each and ride both ways, and your total is still $7 if you do not hit the daily cap. That is cheaper than a single unvalidated hour in the garage. If you know you will combine the walk with a film or a meal in the center, the $3 validation deal is the closer call and usually wins on convenience.

Quick takeaways for the Hollywood sidewalk

• The Walk of Fame holds 2,855 stars as of September 8, 2026, and adds new ones regularly.
• The footprint is fixed: Hollywood Blvd, Gower–La Brea (1.3 miles) and Vine St, Yucca–Sunset (0.4 miles).
• Star ceremonies are free, generally announced about 10 days in advance, and often start late morning.
• Garage under Ovation Hollywood: $2/20 min, $6/hr, typical $20 max; many tenants validate to $3 for up to 4 hours.
• Metro B Line stops right on the Walk at Hollywood/Highland and Hollywood/Vine; fares $1.75 with $5 daily cap when you use TAP.
• Easy paid add‑ons: Dolby Theatre tour $25 adult, Hollywood Museum open Wed–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at $15 adult.

Reader Q&A

Is the Walk of Fame open at night, or do I have to come during the day?

It is a public sidewalk, so you can see the stars at any hour for free. If you want to pair the walk with indoor stops, the Hollywood Museum runs 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed–Sun and Dolby Theatre tours follow a posted schedule, so plan daytime if those are on your list.

What is the simplest place to park for a quick visit without overpaying?

The city‑operated garage under Ovation Hollywood posts clear rates — $2/20 minutes, $6/hour, usual $20 max — and you can reduce your cost to $3 for up to 4 hours with validation from TCL Chinese Theatre, TCL Chinese 6, and select tenants. Entrances are on Highland Avenue and Orange Court.

How do I find a specific star without wandering every block?

The Chamber publishes the exact block address for each honoree and posts the address for upcoming ceremonies about ten days in advance. Once you know the cross street, remember the Walk runs Gower–La Brea on Hollywood Boulevard and Yucca–Sunset on Vine, which makes narrowing your search fast on foot.

What is the actual cost to get a star and who pays it?

There is no admission to see the stars. For honorees, the published sponsorship that funds the creation, installation, and ongoing maintenance is $85,000 in the current cycle. That is paid by a sponsor after the selection committee approves the nomination, which is why the total number keeps inching upward through the year.

Here is the bottom line. If your goal is to “see the Walk,” combine one compact segment of Hollywood Boulevard with either the $25 Dolby Theatre tour or the $15 Hollywood Museum, and use the $3 parking validation or the $1.75 TAP fare to keep logistics easy. The stars are the same at midnight as they are at noon; the small choices around them are what make the visit smooth.

Published: September 8, 2026