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Art walks, pier music, and a few good reasons to get out
Whats happening in the southbay
Jaime J
August 06, 2026
Hello South Bay!
August is doing what August does around here: outdoor concerts, beach nights, art walks, and a few things that are a little more interesting than the usual weekend scroll.
There’s a nice mix this week, from a Redondo landmark reopening to a San Pedro art night, music on the pier, a big art fair in Torrance, and a few easy family picks if you’re keeping things low-key.
Here’s what’s going on 👇
This Week in My South Bay
Thursday, August 6
🏛️ Historic Library Grand Opening @ Redondo Beach
🎨 First Thursday ArtWalk @ San Pedro
🌋 Hot Lava, B-52s Tribute @ Redondo Beach Pier
Friday, August 7
🎨 Fri-Sun TRYST International Art Fair + NOMAD @ Torrance
🛍️ Fri-Sun Summer Sidewalk Sale @ Downtown Manhattan Beach
Saturday, August 8
🎭 Disney’s Frozen Opening Night @ Torrance
🎬 Hoppers Movie in the Park @ Rancho Palos Verdes
🌴 Alarmaz @ Redondo Beach Pier
Sunday, August 9
🏃 Hermosa Beach Triathlon @ Hermosa Beach
🎶 Woodie & The Longboards @ El Segundo
🎸 Cobra Cowboy @ Polliwog Park
Wednesday, August 12
🌱 Beach Cities Volunteer Day @ Beach Cities
🤠 Country House Party @ The Point El Segundo
🏛️ Historic Library Grand Opening
📍 Redondo Beach Historic Library at Veterans Park
🕒 Thursday, August 6 | 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
💰 Free, RSVP encouraged
Redondo Beach is reopening the Historic Library at Veterans Park, and this feels like the kind of civic moment worth knowing about. After the ribbon cutting, guests can tour the newly remodeled indoor and outdoor event spaces at one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. There will also be complimentary light bites and beverages by the beach.
🔹 Ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration
🔹 Tours of the remodeled event spaces
🔹 RSVP encouraged through Eventbrite
🛍️ Summer Sidewalk Sale
📍 Downtown Manhattan Beach
🕒 Friday, August 7 - Sunday, August 9 | Shop hours vary
💰 Free to browse
Downtown Manhattan Beach is doing its summer sidewalk sale this weekend, which is a good excuse to wander around the shops before or after the beach. Expect local boutiques and businesses to bring sale racks, seasonal finds, and end-of-summer deals outside. It’s not a big production, but it is an easy add-on if you’re already near the pier.
🔹 Local shops and sidewalk deals
🔹 Easy to pair with lunch, coffee, or a beach walk
🔹 Individual shop hours and participation may vary
🎨 First Thursday ArtWalk
📍 Downtown San Pedro Arts District
🕒 Thursday, August 6 | 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
💰 Free
San Pedro’s First Thursday is one of those local nights that actually feels like a neighborhood showing up for itself. Galleries open their doors, music spills into the street, and the whole thing works best when you give yourself time to wander. It’s a good pick if you want something with more texture than another dinner reservation.
🔹 Galleries, local artists, music, and food stops
🔹 Easy to pair with dinner or a drink downtown
🔹 Metered street parking is free after 6 PM
🌋 Hot Lava, B-52s Tribute
📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach Pier
🕒 Thursday, August 6 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
💰 Free
The Redondo Pier summer concert series is in full swing, and Thursday brings Hot Lava with a B-52s tribute set. It’s a simple beach-night plan: grab food nearby, find a spot near the west end of the pier, and let the sunset do some of the work. Free, outdoors, and very easy to say yes to.
🔹 B-52s tribute night
🔹 Free concert on the pier
🔹 Weather permitting
🎨 TRYST International Art Fair + NOMAD
📍 Del Amo Crossing, 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance CA 90503
🕒 Friday, August 7 - Sunday, August 9 | 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
💰 Free
This is probably the most unusual pick of the week. TRYST brings artist-run spaces, collectives, and independent art organizations together in Torrance, with NOMAD adding a showcase of Southern California artists. It’s a nice reminder that the South Bay has more going on culturally than people sometimes give it credit for.
🔹 Free international art fair
🔹 Artist-run spaces, collectives, and local artists
🔹 Good indoor option if you want a break from the beach loop
🎭 Disney’s Frozen Opening Night
📍 James Armstrong Theatre, Torrance
🕒 Saturday, August 8 | 7:00 PM
💰 Ticketed
Torrance Theatre Company opens Disney’s Frozen this weekend at the James Armstrong Theatre. It’s a good indoor option for families, theater kids, and anyone who wants a real show instead of another lawn-chair night. Opening night gives it a little more reason to make the list.
🔹 Presented by Torrance Theatre Company
🔹 Opening night performance
🔹 Family-friendly indoor theater option
🎬 Movies in the Park: Hoppers
📍 Ken Dyda Civic Center, Rancho Palos Verdes
🕒 Saturday, August 8 | Pre-movie activities at 7:00 PM, movie at dusk
💰 Free
If you need a family-friendly Saturday plan, this is a solid one. Rancho Palos Verdes is showing Hoppers outdoors, with pre-movie activities, a food truck, and room to spread out. Bring a blanket or low chair and make it an easy evening.
🔹 Pre-movie activities start at 7:00 PM
🔹 Movie begins around dusk
🔹 Bring blankets or low-slung beach chairs
🌴 Alarmaz Band
📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach Pier
🕒 Saturday, August 8 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
💰 Free
Saturday on the pier keeps things easy with reggae from Alarmaz. This is the kind of summer listing that does not need much selling: ocean air, free music, and plenty of places nearby to grab food before or after. Bring a layer and make it a low-lift night by the water.
🔹 Free reggae concert
🔹 Part of Redondo Pier’s Summer of Music series
🔹 Weather permitting
🏃 Hermosa Beach Triathlon
📍 Hermosa Beach Pier
🕒 Sunday, August 9 | 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
💰 Free to watch
The Hermosa Beach Triathlon brings an early-morning crowd to the pier with swimming, biking, running, and plenty of local race-day noise. Even if you’re not competing, it’s a very South Bay scene to catch for a bit: athletes coming out of the water, bikes moving through town, and families posted up near the finish. Go early if you want the full feel of it.
🔹 Swim, bike, and run course through Hermosa
🔹 Good spectator energy near the pier
🔹 Expect street impacts and race-day crowds
🎶 Woodie & The Longboards
📍 Library Park, El Segundo
🕒 Sunday, August 9 | Activities at 4:00 PM, music at 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
💰 Free
El Segundo wraps up its summer concert series with Woodie & The Longboards, which is exactly the kind of surf-rock afternoon that makes sense for August. Food trucks start lining up before the music, and kids crafts and games are planned near the gazebo. Bring a blanket, claim a spot after lunch, and make it an easy Sunday downtown.
🔹 Food trucks start at 4:00 PM
🔹 Kids crafts, games, and giveaways
🔹 Blankets can be placed after 1:00 PM
🎸 Concerts in the Park: Cobra Cowboy
📍 Polliwog Park Amphitheater, Manhattan Beach
🕒 Sunday, August 9 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
💰 Free
Polliwog Park on a summer Sunday is about as South Bay as it gets. This week’s Concerts in the Park features Cobra Cowboy, and the usual advice applies: come early, bring a blanket, and don’t overcomplicate it. It’s a good one for families, picnic people, and anyone who likes ending the weekend outside.
🔹 Free Sunday concert
🔹 Seating is first come, first served
🔹 Pets, barbecues, scooters, and skateboards are not allowed
🌱 Beach Cities Volunteer Day
📍 Beach Cities school gardens
🕒 Wednesday, August 12 | 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
💰 Registration required
Beach Cities Volunteer Day is a quieter kind of local pick, but a good one. Volunteers spend the morning helping in school gardens across the Beach Cities, which makes it feel more useful than another scroll-by event. If you’ve been meaning to plug into something local, this is a simple place to start.
🔹 Morning volunteer opportunity
🔹 Supports local school gardens
🔹 Registration required
🤠 Country House Party at The Point
📍 The Point Plaza, El Segundo
🕒 Wednesday, August 12 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
💰 Free
The Point’s summer concert series keeps the week going with Country House Party on Wednesday night. It’s an easy after-work plan: bring a blanket, grab dinner nearby, and hang out on the plaza without making it a whole production. Good one if your weekend got away from you and you still want a little summer music.
🔹 Free outdoor concert
🔹 Dining options nearby
🔹 Easy midweek South Bay plan
📸 South Bay Snapshot
Marine Layer Mood
That's it for this week!
We’re in that part of summer where the calendar gets full without feeling too serious. Pick one thing, maybe two, and leave room for a slow walk or a late dinner somewhere close to the water.
If you have a friend who's always looking for things to do around the South Bay, send them this newsletter.
See you out there,
Jaime
@MySouthBay