Live Music, Dance, Large-Scale Art Installations and Activities Take Over Santa Monica Streets for COAST on Octuber 7

Two miles of Santa Monica’s streets, closed to car traffic, will come alive on Sunday, Oct. 7 with live music, dance, hands-on activities and large-scale art installations, all exploring new mobility opportunities, sustainability, and art at the COAST Open Streets Event. 

Attendees are invited to enjoy the reimagined public space by walking, biking, or skating throughout COAST’s route while taking in the picturesque Pacific Ocean views and various experiences offered along the way. Participatory activities and performances will activate every block along the route, including iconic landmarks such as Camera Obscura, City Hall and the Pier. COAST festivities will culminate in an “After Party” with the final Twilight on the Pier music festival.

Musicians, dancers and artists will enliven stages, sidewalks, and everywhere in between along the two mile route. The Ocean Avenue Stage will feature an array of unique musical stylings including the Motown, R&B, soul and funk sounds of the Blue Breeze Band, the Americana tunes of the six-piece string band Moonsville Collective, and the Afro-Latin music group, El Santo Golpe, who will showcase their fusion of cumbia, drums and dance.

Camera Obscura Art Lab (COAL) will feature a host of art experiences including Creatures on the Move, a kinetic interactive installation and hands-on workshop created by artist Molly Allis, a plein air drawing session led by Deborah MacDonald with Otis College Extension, and Music to Draw To, where participants can doodle, sketch, and draw to the celestially-inspired band Desert Magic, led by current COAL artist-in-residen ce, Lisa Diane Wedgeworth.

City Hall’s front yard will be turned into an open Urban Dance Jam. DJ Glenn Red will be spinning a mix of African and Latin rhythms with funk, hip-hop and reggae. Attendees can also jump in and try world dance sessions including, Tropical Dance Jam with Andrea Rodriguez, Sabor Session with Contra Tiempo and Bloco Afro Jam with Viver Brasil. Around the corner, the Colorado Esplanade will pulse with the drumming rhythms from around the world with performances and workshops by Koshin Taiko and Percussion Artists Workshop/PAWS.

Event goers can enhance their open street experience by joining a handful of workshops including: learning how to ride a bike safely, discovering the Safe Routes to School program, and decorating a helmet with Santa Monica Spoke. The Skate Zone, on Main Street, will host skate demos and the “Best Trick” contest hosted by professional skater and hype man extraordinaire, Aaron "Ajax" Johnson. Skate lessons will also be offered and attendees can borrow a demo helmet, pads, and a skateboard to give it a go. The Skate Zone is presented by SkateSide, a Los Angeles based skateboarding school.

COAST will be held on two miles of streets closed to car traffic, including Ocean Avenue from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado Avenue, Colorado Avenue from 5th Street to and including the Pier, and Main Street from Colorado Avenue to Marine Street.

To get to the event, attendees are encouraged to walk, take the Expo Line or Big Blue Bus, or take advantage of Santa Monica’s 110 miles of bikeways. At the event, attendees can ride their bikes or wheeled devices and walk along the route. Bike rentals will be available at multiple locations along the route as well as at the 85 Breeze Bike Share stations located throughout Santa Monica. Free bike valet will be provided at several locations along the route.

For more information about COAST, visit www.smgov.net/coast and use #COASTSaMo on social media.