Nimah Alabi
Formula One driver, Lewis Hamilton, celebrated his friends George Lucas and Mellody Hobson after attending the opening-night celebration of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles.
The celebration took place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the museum in Exposition Park, bringing together major names from film, music, sports and entertainment ahead of the museum’s public opening on September 22.
Hamilton attended the event as one of its co-chairs. On Sunday, September 20, Hamilton shared photographs from the occasion on Instagram, praising Lucas and Hobson for the work they had put into the museum.
He reflected on having watched the project develop over the past eight years and celebrated what the museum represents for storytelling, creativity and imagination.
Hamilton has a longstanding friendship with Lucas and Hobson.
Earlier coverage of the museum project described Lucas as a close friend of Hamilton, with the Formula One driver also speaking about his admiration for the museum’s design and the work Lucas had put into bringing the project together.
The opening night itself became one of Los Angeles’ major celebrity gatherings, with stars including Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry in attendance.
Music was also a major part of the evening.
The celebration featured performances before guests were treated to a rooftop drone show narrated by Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson.
The show incorporated imagery inspired by works represented in the museum’s collection. The Star Wars connection was particularly visible throughout the event.
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, were among the guests celebrating Lucas, the filmmaker behind the franchise.
Other notable filmmakers at the event included Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro and Greta Gerwig. The museum, founded by Lucas and Hobson, is dedicated to visual storytelling across different cultures, periods and artistic forms.
Its collection includes paintings, illustration, comics, photography, murals and cinematic material, alongside works connected to Lucas’ film archive.
After years of planning and construction, the museum is now preparing to open its doors to the public on Tuesday, September 22.
For Hamilton, the opening provided an opportunity to celebrate two friends and the years of work behind a project he had watched take shape.
