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Catalina Classic, Free Pier Music & One More Summer Weekend
What’s happening around the South Bay, August 27-September 2
Jaime J
August 27, 2026
Hey South Bay,
How is it already the end of August?
If you’re trying to fit in one more beach day, one more night out, or one more easy plan before September, this is a pretty good week for it. We’ve got free music by the water, a Hermosa art night, an early El Porto surf meetup, a few family-friendly picks, and a very South Bay race weekend.
Here’s what’s going on 👇
This Week in My South Bay
Thursday, August 27
🏄 Catalina Classic Kick-Off Party + Photo Exhibit @ Culture Brewing, Manhattan Beach
🎶 Redondo Beach Pier Summer Concert: The Arcadies @ Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Beach
Friday, August 28
🎨 How to Break Into the Art World @ The Studio, Hermosa Beach
Saturday, August 29
🏄 Get Clip’d @ El Porto, Manhattan Beach
🎤 Torrance Summer Nights: Coldplay USA @ Wilson Park Amphitheatre, Torrance
🎸 Redondo Beach Pier Summer Concert Finale: 1969 @ Redondo Beach Pier, Redondo Beach
Sunday, August 30
🏄 Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race Finish @ Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach
🌊 One Last Splash @ Seaside Lagoon, Redondo Beach
🕺 Concerts in the Park: Stone Soul @ Polliwog Park, Manhattan Beach
Wednesday, September 2
🐋 Hope on the Horizon @ Manhattan Beach Library, Manhattan Beach
🏄 Catalina Classic Kick-Off Party + Photo Exhibit
📍 Culture Brewing, Manhattan Beach
🕒 Thursday, August 27 | 5 PM-8 PM
💰 Free
Race weekend starts Thursday at Culture Brewing with a kick-off party and photo exhibit from the South Bay Boardriders Club. The evening begins with the unveiling of the new Catalina Classic sign at the Catalina Classic statue, then moves into a photo exhibit celebrating the paddlers, history, and legends behind the 32-mile crossing.
There will be beer and tacos while they last, plus plenty of paddlers, friends, family, and local surf people in the room. If you are planning to watch the finish on Sunday, this is a good way to understand why the race matters around here.
🔹 Kick-off party and photo exhibit
🔹 New sign unveiling at the Catalina Classic statue
🔹 Beer and tacos while they last
🎶 Redondo Beach Pier Summer Concert: The Arcadies
📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, West End of the Pier, Redondo Beach
🕒 Thursday, August 27 | 6 PM-8 PM
💰 Free
Redondo Pier is getting one more Thursday tribute night in before the summer series wraps. The Arcadies are bringing the 80s songs, and the setup is about as South Bay as it gets: ocean air, pier views, and a free evening show at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf.
Bring a low-back chair or a blanket if you want to stay awhile. This is an easy one to turn into dinner on the pier before or after the music.
🔹 Free pier concert
🔹 80s tribute band
🔹 One of the final shows of the summer series
🎨 How to Break Into the Art World
📍 The Studio, 636 Cypress Ave, Hermosa Beach
🕒 Friday, August 28 | 7 PM-9 PM
💰 Free / RSVP
Backboxx Artist Society is hosting a panel, artist talk, and showcase at The Studio in Hermosa on Friday night. The conversation is built around “How to Break (or Not Break) Into the Art World,” which makes it a useful local pick for artists, collectors, creatives, and anyone curious about how the art world actually works.
It is smaller and more niche than the big outdoor events this week, but that is also the point. This is the one to send to the friend who keeps saying they want to meet more creative people around the South Bay.
🔹 Panel discussion, artist talk, and showcase
🔹 Hosted by Backboxx Artist Society
🔹 RSVP requested
👉 RSVP
🏄 Get Clip’d
📍 El Porto / Rosecrans, Manhattan Beach
🕒 Saturday, August 29 | 7:30 AM
💰 Free
Lasso Surf and Spyderboards are bringing Get Clip’d to El Porto on Saturday morning with free surf clips for anyone who shows up. The meetup is at Rosecrans, and Spyderboards will have boards available to demo.
This is very South Bay: early, local, surfy, and useful if you want actual footage from a session instead of another blurry phone clip from the sand.
🔹 Free surf clips
🔹 Spyderboards demos
🔹 Meet at Rosecrans
🎤 Torrance Summer Nights: Coldplay USA
📍 Wilson Park Amphitheatre, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance
🕒 Saturday, August 29 | 5 PM-6:30 PM
💰 Free
Torrance Summer Nights brings Coldplay USA to Wilson Park on Saturday for a free city concert at the amphitheatre behind the splash pad. It is a straightforward picnic-blanket pick: easy to bring the family, easy to meet friends, and early enough that it does not take over the whole night.
If you have been meaning to catch one of Torrance’s summer concerts, this is a useful one to put on the list before the season starts winding down.
🔹 Free city concert
🔹 Coldplay tribute band
🔹 Bring a blanket or lawn chair
🎸 Redondo Beach Pier Summer Concert Finale: 1969
📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, West End of the Pier, Redondo Beach
🕒 Saturday, August 29 | 6 PM-8 PM
💰 Free
The Redondo Beach Pier summer concert series closes out Saturday night with 1969, a classic rock band playing over the water. It is the final show on this year’s pier calendar, which gives it a nice end-of-summer excuse even if you have already caught one or two this year.
Go early if you want to make it a full Redondo night. The pier is usually better when you are not trying to park at the exact same time as everyone else.
🔹 Final concert of the Redondo Pier summer series
🔹 Classic rock
🔹 Free and outdoors
🏄 Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race Finish
📍 Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach
🕒 Sunday, August 30 | Lead paddlers expected late morning into afternoon
💰 Free
This is one of those South Bay events that feels bigger once you realize what the paddlers have actually done. They leave Isthmus Cove on Catalina at 6 AM and paddle 32 miles across open ocean to the Manhattan Beach Pier using only their hands.
You do not need to know anything about paddleboarding to appreciate the finish. Just head toward the pier late morning, find a spot on the sand, and watch a very South Bay kind of endurance story come in from the water.
🔹 49th annual race
🔹 32 miles from Catalina to Manhattan Beach
🔹 Free spectator-friendly finish at the pier
🌊 One Last Splash
📍 Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach
🕒 Sunday, August 30 | 11 AM-3 PM
💰 Ticketed
Seaside Lagoon gets one more big summer day with One Last Splash, an end-of-summer beach bash from Local Anchor, South Bay Credit Union, the City of Redondo Beach, and local partners. Expect live music, arts and crafts, food trucks, community booths, giveaways, and plenty of families trying to squeeze in one more lagoon day.
This one is especially useful if you have kids and want an easy Sunday plan that still feels like summer. Regular Seaside Lagoon admission applies at the gate, and RSVP is suggested.
🔹 End-of-summer family beach bash
🔹 Live music, crafts, food trucks, and giveaways
🔹 Regular Seaside Lagoon admission at the gate
🕺 Concerts in the Park: Stone Soul
📍 Polliwog Park Amphitheater, 1601 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach
🕒 Sunday, August 30 | 5 PM-7 PM
💰 Free
Manhattan Beach Concerts in the Park closes August with Stone Soul at Polliwog Park. The band plays Motown, soul, and R&B, which is pretty much built for a Sunday evening lawn setup.
Bring a blanket, pack dinner, and expect a familiar summer crowd. This is one of those classic Manhattan Beach community nights that works because it is simple.
🔹 Free Sunday park concert
🔹 Motown, soul, and R&B
🔹 Bring a picnic setup
🐋 Hope on the Horizon
📍 Manhattan Beach Library, 1320 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach
🕒 Wednesday, September 2 | 6 PM-7 PM
💰 Free
The Roundhouse Aquarium is bringing Marine Mammal Care Center’s Dave Bader to the Manhattan Beach Library for a talk on rescued seals, sea lions, and what they can tell us about the health of the ocean. It is a quieter midweek pick, but a good one for anyone who likes the South Bay’s marine life side as much as the beach-day side.
The program is free and geared toward adults, with RSVP requested through the library.
🔹 Roundhouse Aquarium program
🔹 Marine Mammal Care Center speaker
🔹 Free with RSVP requested
South Bay Snapshot
That’s it for this week!
It’s been a hot week, so I’m counting anything near the water as a plan.
If you have a friend who keeps saying summer went too fast, send them this newsletter.
See you out there,
Jaime
@MySouthBay