October 2026 News Roundup: Austria, Belize, Botswana, Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland
As we get closer to the year-and-a-half-to-go milestone, exciting Hospitality House news at Los Angeles 2028 continues to be made public. Here's the latest news roundup...
Austria: Austria House
In December 2025, the City of Santa Monica announced that it was bringing a Nations Village to Crescent Bay Park on Santa Monica Beach.
Then, in July 2026 we learned that Brazil and India were in talks with the the Santa Monica real estate negotiator to set up Brazil House at "portions of Parking Lot 4 South, portions of Parking Lot 5 South, or portions of Tongva Park" and India House at "portions of Parking Lot 4 South and portions of Beach Park 1."
It now appears that Austria is joining in on the fun! From the October 13 Santa Monica Council Meeting agenda, it appears that the Austrian Olympic Committee is in negotiations with Santa Monica to set up Austria House at "a portion of Santa Monica Parking Lot 4 South during the LA28 Summer Olympic Games."
More specifically, it appears organizers are looking at the Northwest corner of Ocean and Hollister Avenues, a site totalling 34,500 sqft. The lease would start on June 1 and run through August 13, 2028. That beachside strip of Santa Monica is becoming an established destination for Hospitality Houses at LA28.
We will be watching closely for an official announcement from Austria, as well as Brazil and India!
Nations Plaza: Belize and Botswana
In our September 2026 News Roundup, we wrote about Afro-Caribbean House, announced by Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson at the Los Angeles Caribbean Heritage Festival.
Since mid-September, additional information has been made public. It appears that Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall will actually be home to a "Nations Plaza" — a far larger, more comprehensive gathering of multiple Hospitality Houses. From the Discover Los Angeles promo video:
"Nations Plaza is a centralized destination at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall that brings multiple Caribbean and African nation houses together in one location. It offers each nation space to create its own cultural activation alongside a shared outdoor festival with performances, food, and watch parties."
The promo video mentions that Nations Plaza is inspired by the Parc de Nations at Parc de la Villette during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which hosted over 15 countries in one central location. More details have been unveiled:
"Nations Plaza will take over more than half of the mall's available storefronts, along with over an acre of adjacent outdoor parking lot space." The proposed Nations Plaza space at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall is around 68,000 sqft, with at least seven open storefronts in the proposed festival area.
Interestingly, it appears that participating NOCs will be offered these storefronts at no cost — "Nations Houses [will be] offered complimentary venue space. [Their] investment goes into [their] own space, not rent."
Excitingly, it appears we may have insight into the first two countries who will be participating in Nations Plaza: Belize and Botswana. We Love Bze, an organization dedicated to preserving Belizean culture, is leading an effort named "Belize Runs LA28". From their site:
"The 2028 Olympic Games are coming to Los Angeles — and Belize will be present, proud, and unmistakable. Belizeans make up a significant part of the cultural fabric of Los Angeles. In recognition of that, LA28 has [a] dedicated [Nations Village] — a shared home for Belize and our Caribbean friends to gather, celebrate, and represent throughout the Games."
In mid-summer, Botswana Olympic representatives spent time in Los Angeles, and in particular, toured key areas of Baldwin Hills. From their host, Terry Batch:
"The tour started with a walkthrough of Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall to understand the vision for Nations Plaza being planned for African and Caribbean nations, a quick pitstop at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to understand the distance and public transportatin to/from opening/closing ceremonies and key sporting events, and a cultural and historic tour of Leimert Park Village, Inc., the epicenter of black empowerment and upward economic mobility in Los Angeles."
We are excited about this evolution — Nations Plaza will be a can't-miss experience for LA28. Fans will be able to visit one destination and visit multiple Hospitality Houses. More to come!
Germany: Deutsches Haus
In our Two-Years-to-Go News Roundup, we confirmed that Germany will be opening the doors of Deutsches Haus at Bel-Air Bay Club in the Pacific Palisades.
We have now learned the dates that Deutsches Haus will open at LA28: Friday July 14, 2028 (the first day of the Olympic Games!) until Wednesday August 2, three days after Los Angeles 2028 comes to a close.
It has yet to be announced if Deutsches Haus will be open to the public.
Japan: Team Japan House
Since May 2026, we've been following Japan House lease negotiations in the city of Los Angeles. In the August 14 Los Angeles City Operations Committee Meeting, officials were instructed to move forward with negotiations for the Mangrove Parking Lot in Downtown LA, at 426-462 East Temple Street.
While no further information has been made public about the location of Japan House at LA28, it appears that organizers are moving ahead with the project. In mid-October, the Japan Olympic Committee opened a search for a Japan House Event Director. Citing overwhelming interest, the job posting has already been taken down.
The mandate: "To create and establish Team Japan House, the central on-the-ground hub at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games where Team Japan, fans, corporate sponsors and media intersect. This lead producer position is responsible for bringing together stakeholders from both inside and outside of the Japan Olympic Committee, functioning as the Project Management Office."
From this posting, it appears Team Japan House will be open to the public — but we will await official word.
Pier-to-Pier FERRY Network
Of interest to House Party readers: at Los Angeles 2028, visitors may be able to take a scenic ferry between Hospitality House clusters, from Malibu in the North to Long Beach in the South.
Earlier in 2026, Malibu City Council supported a letter backing the project, and Malibu Pier has secured funding for required repairs that should finish in January 2027. Around the same period, Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to move forward with participation in the program, although no funding as been allocated. Then, in the October 13 Santa Monica City Council meeting, the city real estate negotiator was given approval to proceed with representatives from Pier to Pier to establish a location on Santa Monica Pier.
For Hospitality House visitors, this service could dramatically shape their experience and ability to visit multiple coastal Hospitality Houses with relative speed and ease, not to mention a scenic journey!
Spain: Casa España
In late September, the Spanish Olympic Committee published a procurement document for the integrated planning, operation and coordination of Casa España during Los Angeles 2028. This is the first publicly-available confirmation of Spain's intent to open a Hospitality House!
The tender explicitly describes Casa España as an "institutional and hospitality space" — however, it also states "Casa España no tendrá carácter de espacio abierto al público." Translation: Casa España will not be a space open to the public.
However, further along in the document, it is mentioned that a public fan zone or spaces available to sponsor activations could be future initiatives tied to the project.
Interestingly, the RFP was opened on September 22 and was noted as "awarded" just days later in early October. In the coming months, we shall watch closely for more information about the possibility of a public space for Spanish fans!
Switzerland: House of Switzerland
At Los Angeles 2028, the House of Switzerland will be located at the historic Camera Obscura building in Santa Monica.
Organizers have now updated their House of Switzerland official website and confirmed the Swiss Hospitality House will be free and open to the public:
"The House of Switzerland will be a place to experience contemporary Switzerland: its creativity, diversity, know-how and curiosity. Through culture, design, innovation, sport and health, it will bring people together from Switzerland and California to meet, exchange ideas and discover new perspective. With free admission and open to everyone, the House will welcome the public as well as leaders from business, politics, science, culture and media to enjoy inspiring conversations, exhibitions, performances, celebrations and joyful encounters throughout the Games."
Organizers have also included an inspiring LA28 promo video. Take a peek below!
What Hospitality House news are you most excited about?
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0%Belize
0%Botswana
0%Nations Plaza
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Have you read something interesting or do you have intel about a Hospitality House at LA28? We're always keen to hear... share with us!
