Our weekly guide to food and entertainment goings-on in and around town includes the Annual SMC Fireworks Show, Pier 360 Beach Festival, Triple Beam Pizza finally opening on Main Street and much more.
Pier 360 Beach Festival: Celebrate the best of beach life with an awesome, free, all-ages festival! With ocean sports competitions, live music, food and drinks, interactive games, food and drink sampling, and much more, the festival offers a peek into SoCal beach culture and brings together thousands of guests for a day of good vibes. Whether you’re hanging with the family, competing on land or at sea, or partying with your friends–Santa Monica Pier 360 Beach Festival has got it all! Saturday, June 29–Sunday, June 30. More info here.
Santa Monica Pier Pressure Scavenger Hunt: "Don’t miss this breezy adventure out on the pier and in Palisades Park, where you’ll hunt for fun quirks and surprising secrets you never knew you never knew. Highlights include a local landmark that pretends to be from Miami, a surprising message in a faraway park, the magical mind of Zoltar, a devastating storm, oddball art, a theater that sells shoes, great views from the little-known Observation Room, and more." Saturday, June 29, 2pm. More info here.
Pico Library Branch 10th Anniversary Celebration: Join us for a celebration of the Pico Branch Library’s 10th anniversary. The event includes local speakers and neighborhood partners, a reading from Santa Monica Poet Laureate Anne Carmack and children’s book author Ashley Granillo (Cruzita and the Mariacheros), a performance by the Santa Monica Youth Orchestra mariachi band, a concert with the bossa nova band Angelo Metz Quartet, refreshments, arts and crafts, giveaways, and lots more. Festivities will take place in the Annex Amphitheater and in front of the Pico Branch. Saturday, June 29, 11am–2pm at 2201 Pico Blvd. Details here.
Annual "Celebrate America 2024" Fireworks at Santa Monica College: Festivities include three inflatable bounce houses for kids, community service booths, and multiple food booths. Saturday, June 29 at Corsair Field on the main SMC campus at 1900 Pico Blvd. Gates open at 5pm at Fireworks at 9pm. More details here.
Dogtown and the Legendary Z- BOYS Exhibit at California Heritage Museum: The exhibit features iconic, as well as never seen before, surfboards, skateboards, artifacts, film, and photography illustrating the cultural and historical significance of the legendary Z-Boys and the Dogtown surf/skate movement, featuring boards, photography and art by Kevin Ancell, Warren Bolster, Chris Cahill, Cris Dawson, Shepard Fairey and others. Opening Reception Saturday, June 29, 3–6pm at exhibit runs June 30–Oct. 27 at 2612 Main St. Would you like to know more?
Tiananmen Mission Film Screening: This historical film follows a young man — one of the student leaders during the 1989 student movement in Tiananmen Square. It tells the story of Zhan Jiang, a 17-year-old, survived three bullets during the massacre and had been in hiding for 16 years. Sunday, June 30 at Laemmle Santa Monica, 1332 2nd St. More info here.
Main St. 4th of July Parade: The annual parade starts at Pico Blvd at 9:30am on Thursday, July 4, and runs south to the Venice border. See you there.
What to Eat & Drink?
Triple Beam Pizza is finally open at 2905 Main St: It took nearly two years, but this EaterLA article details the much anticipated spot from the Michelin-starred team of "Nancy Silverton, chef Matt Molina (Pizzeria Mozza), and Randy Clement (Silverlake Wine)...Triple Beam is known for its thin Roman-style pizzas that come with toppings like acorn squash, roasted fennel, pepperoni, and fresh mozzarella. The pizzeria also offers rotating seasonal specials highlighting local produce and flavors like a roasted spring corn pizza and a chicken bulgogi pie."
Health Nut Opens at 1447 Lincoln Blvd: it is a local chain known for its variety of salads, sandwiches, homemade dressings, teas, and a range of vegan, vegetarian, organic, and gluten-free options. its most popular menu items include the Chinese Chicken Salad (shredded chicken breast, dry chow mein noodles, pickled ginger, carrots, with sesame dressing), the Noodlerama (rice noodles, shredded chicken breast, carrots, cucumbers, and pickled ginger, served on romaine and iceberg lettuce, with spicy asian dressing) and the Tuna Avocado Sandwich (tuna, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, served on multigrain bread). More info here.
Los Angeles Times "This Must Be Santa Monica" guide: This new neighborhood guide is meant to highlight "gems that may linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live." Details here.
Where to eat in Pacific Palisades: The Infatuation lists "Seven solid places to eat in LA’s sleepiest (and richest) little beach town." Details here.
Night Market Thursdays at The Bungalow: This free event, open to the public for guests of all ages and pet-friendly, runs every Thursday from 5–11pm through August 29. Families can also enjoy a kids’ play area with complimentary face painting, alongside various brand activations, celebrity appearances, and DJ performances. On Thursday, June 27, Tequila enthusiasts can enjoy Lalo Tequila and mingle with co-owner Eduardo "Lalo" González, grandson of Don Julio. Would you like to know more?
McConnell’s Ice Cream & See’s Candies Summer Collaboration: The creamery at 1456 3rd St. Promenade will be serving these special flavors through the end of July: Vanilla with California Brittle, Banana Cream with Toffee-ettes, Chocolate with Polar Bear Paws & Coffee with Molasses Chips.
Further afield: July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular with Harry Connick Jr. Hollywood Bowl for three nights on July 2, 3 and 4. available to choose for a special Independence Day celebration at the Bowl. More info here.
Looking ahead around town: Main St. 4th of July Parade (7/4), Main St. Summer Solstice Festival: (7/13), National Night Out (8/6),Montana Ave. (8/24)
If there’s something you think is worth highlighting around town, reach out to me at sean@smdp.com
