Maturation of dendritic cells (DC), leading to migration and increased T cell stimulatory capacity, is essential for the initiation of immune responses. This process is triggered by a variety of stimuli, such as inflammatory cytokines, bacterial and viral products. Using a recombinant disabled infectious single cycle herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV‐1) encoding green fluorescent protein, we show that the infected DC are defective in up‐regulating co‐stimulatory molecules, do not produce cytokines, and do not acquire responsiveness to chemokines required for migration to secondary lymphoid organs. These results reveal yet another strategy used by HSV‐1 to evade the immune response, namely the inhibition of signaling pathways involved in DC maturation.