Your weekend starts here with the Montana Avenue Art Walk & SMC Glass Pumpkin Sale , food and drink highlights including that Friday is National Coffee Day , and much more!
Heal the Bay Aquarium Comedy Club: Where else can you watch comedy while the fish are swimming around you? And it’s BYOB! Friday, Sept. 29, 8 p.m. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-monica-aquarium-comedy-club-september-29th-tickets-650055642927
Montana Avenue Art Walk (FREE): For the first time ever, Montana Ave. will be closed to cars making room for 150 artists, wine garden, live music, kid paint station & more. Saturday, Sept. 30, 1 – 7 p.m. Montana Ave. between 7th & 17th Streets. https://www.instagram.com/montanaavesm/
Mini Fall Festival & SMC Glass Pumpkin Sale: The event will also feature seasonal craft activities for kids and a family photo booth. Saturday, Sept. 30, 10a.m. – 1p.m. @ Virginia Ave. Park during weekly Pico Farmers Market, 2200 Virginia Ave. https://santamonica.gov/press/2023/09/19/mini-fall-festival-and-glass-pumpkin-sale-returns-to-virginia-avenue-park
Tavern on Main Fight Nights – Canelo vs Charlo Watch Party ($20): Tavern on Main will have 15+ TVs set up to watch the heavyweight title fight. Saturday, Sept. 30 · 4 – 9p.m. @ 2907 Main St.
Art At The Airport Open Studios (FREE): The 18th Street Arts Center Airport Campus artists-in-residence are open for the public to “stroll artists’ studios and The Slipstream Galleries inside a historic airplane hangar adjacent to Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport.” Saturday, Sept. 30, 5 – 9p.m. @ 3026 Airport Ave. https://www.artattheairport.org/
Stand Ups For History – An Evening of Food, Laughs, Music and Libations ($200): The SaMo History Museum fundraiser promises “you will laugh your a$% off, and we will rock your culinary world” with food including Socalo and Xuntos. Sunday, Oct. 1, 4 – 8p.m. @ Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, 1210 4th St. https://santamonicahistory.org/events/gala/current-gala/stand-ups-for-history/
An Evening with Heather Cox Richardson @ New Roads School: Shewill be discussing her book “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. “ Tuesday, October 3, 8p.m. @ 3131 Olympic Blvd. https://livetalksla.org/events/heather-cox-richardson/
Kids Club @ SaMo Place (FREE): “Come play with us on the first Wednesday of every month for a FREE, fun, family-friendly musical morning hosted by Twinkle Time, a bilingual, Billboard pop-artist for kids, and featuring special guests each month.” Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11a.m. More details here.
Banned Books Trivia Bowl (FREE): “Celebrate Banned Books Week and flex your literary knowledge with a pub-style trivia contest! Compete individually or as a team to win prizes and raise awareness about book bans.” Wednesday, Oct. 4, 6 – 7p.m. https://www.santamonica.gov/events/4a8qmbqcth6tqv6370amhhpgdt/202310041800
Indoor Pickleball at 3rd St. Promenade: KCAL recently highlighted the new PicklePop that took over the former Adidas store at 1231 3rd St.
What to Eat & Drink?
Rustic Canyon Statement Cocktail Is “Strawberry Quik on Acid”: This EaterLA write up details the drink made with fermented strawberry Aperol and koji rice orgeat. 1119 Wilshire Blvd. https://punchdrink.com/articles/fermented-strawberry-aperol-cocktail-recipe/
The Infatuation Reviews Coucou: This mostly positive write up describes it as a “lively, rosé-guzzling scene on Main Street” and “The ambiance (and great drinks) makes it a buzzy dinner option for when being “out and about” is the night’s top priority—except the food here is pretty solid, too.” https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/coucou
KTLA Features Bar Monette’s Italian Tapas & Pizza: This video story that aired on California Cooking with Jessica Holmes details how Chef MacDonald’s “menu was inspired by what he might cook for family and friends at home, and it does not disappoint.”https://ktla.com/food/california-cooking/jessica-visits-bar-monette-in-santa-monica-for-italian-tapas-and-pizza/
Friday Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day: Here a few of the deals offered to honor the country’s long connection with the drink allegedly pointing back to the 1773 Boston Tea Party as a key moment in U.S. history for when the country, quite literally, dumped tea for coffee:
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Sweepstakes for free coffee and tea beverages for a year. 1312 3rd St. Promenade & SaMo Pier
Duck Donuts: Get a free medium hot coffee or cold brew with any purchase. 1315 3rd St. Promenade
Dunkin’: Get a free hot or iced medium coffee with the purchase of any other beverage or bakery item. 1132 Wilshire Blvd.
Peet’s Coffee: Rewarding “disloyal” customer with a free coffee by uploading a screengrab of a competing chain’s loyalty app (e.g., the Starbucks app, Dunkin’ app, etc.) to prove they’ve accrued loyalty points elsewhere. 1401 Montana Ave.
Sidecar Doughnuts: Free doughnut through their app. 631 Wilshire Blvd.
LOOKING AHEAD: “The Fans Strike Back” Star Wars Fan Exhibition (Opens Oct. 5); DineLA (Oct. 6 – 20); Howl-o-Ween Main St. Festival (Oct. 21-22), The Dr. Seuss Experience (Opens Nov 10)
If there’s something you think is worth highlighting, you can reach out directly to me at sean@smdp.com