Santa Monica College’s popular annual outdoor festival and fireworks show, “Celebrate America,” will be held Saturday, June 26, in honor of Independence Day.
The celebration — the only one of its kind in Santa Monica — will feature a picnic and global food fair from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the SMC Fountain Quad, located in the center of the campus, 1900 Pico Blvd.
The food fair will showcase a wide variety of some of L.A.’s best mobile cuisine including Let’s Be Frank, Calbi Tacos and Lomo Arigato. Ben & Jerry’s world famous ice cream, Santa Monica Pier’s own Churro Man, chili cheese nachos by the Kiwanis Club and pizza by the Jaycees will also ensure there is something for every taste.
The festivities on the quad will include KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox, character sketching and face painting artists. Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnic lunches.
The gates to the stadium bleachers adjacent to Corsair Field will open at 7 p.m. and the entertainment will begin with SMC logo T-shirts shot out of a cannon into the stands. The SMC cheerleaders and the rhythm and blues group, The J.D. Hall Band, will perform on the “Celebrate America” stage. Peanuts, popcorn churros and other surprises will be sold in the stands, and beach balls will be passed around.
Corsair Field will be open to everyone after 8 p.m. for the fireworks display by Pyro Spectaculars.
Entry to the event is free but donations are welcome. Free parking is available in the structures at Pico Boulevard and 17th Street. Alcoholic beverages, glass containers, barbecues and fireworks are prohibited anywhere on campus. Food, drink (except water) and furniture are prohibited on Corsair Field.
Presenting sponsors of the event are SMC, the city of Santa Monica, the SMC Associated Students and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. For information, call (310) 434-3001. Additional updates on Celebrate America will be posted on the SMC website www.smc.edu.
