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Spring starts Friday and the South Bay is already ready
What's happening around the South Bay, March 19 - March 25
Jaime J
March 19, 2026
Hello South Bay,
Spring officially starts Friday. For most of the country that means coats are finally coming off. For us, it means the South Bay is about to enter its best stretch of the year. The one where every weekend feels like it was designed for people who live here. Longer days, fuller calendars, and that feeling where you walk outside and just know it is going to be a good one. And this one? It delivers. Starting with 42 robots battling it out in a gymnasium in El Segundo.
Here's what's going on this week👇
This Week in My South Bay
Thursday, March 19
🌊 Poetry Inspired By Water @ El Segundo Public Library, El Segundo
Friday, March 20
🎭 Something Rotten @ Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach
🩰 Hamptons Pilates Studio Soft Opening @ Hamptons Pilates Studio, Redondo Beach
Saturday, March 21
🌿 Manhattan Beach Dune Restoration @ Manhattan Beach
♻️ Compost Giveaway @ Wilderness Park, Redondo Beach
🛍️ Young Entrepreneurs Maker and Talent Fair @ El Segundo High School, El Segundo
🤖 FIRST Robotics LA District Event @ Da Vinci High School, El Segundo
🧪 STEAM Expo 2026 @ Prairie Vista Middle School, Hawthorne
🎉 ThriveFest 2026 @ Adams Middle School, Redondo Beach
🍽️ Dining in the South Bay: A Culinary History (Part 2) @ Redondo Beach Main Library
🚢 5th Annual Los Angeles Harbor Hop @ SS Lane Victory, San Pedro
🎤 Divas of Soul starring CeCe Teneal @ Norris Theatre, Rolling Hills Estates
Sunday, March 22
🎺 Center Stage Concert @ The Salvation Army Torrance Corps, Torrance
🛒 Torrance Antique Street Faire @ Downtown Torrance
Ongoing through October 2026
🧌 Thomas Dambo's TROLLS: A Field Study @ South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula
🤖 FIRST Robotics Los Angeles District Event
📍 Da Vinci High School, 201 N Douglas Street, El Segundo
🕒 Saturday, March 21 through Sunday, March 22 | Check agenda for daily schedule
💰 Free | All ages
Over 1,200 high school students and 42 teams descend on El Segundo this weekend to battle it out with industrial-sized robots they designed, programmed, and built themselves. NASA JPL sponsors several teams and sends over 100 volunteers. The energy inside that gymnasium is unlike anything else in the South Bay. Walk through the pits, watch the matches, and try not to lose your voice cheering for a team you just met five minutes ago.
🔹 42 robots built by high school students competing in three-team alliances
🔹 Tour the pits and see the robots up close between matches
🔹 NASA JPL-supported event now in its 26th year in Los Angeles
🩰 Hamptons Pilates Studio Soft Opening
📍 Hamptons Pilates Studio, 265 Avenida Del Norte, Redondo Beach
🕒 Starting Friday, March 20 | 9AM - 1PM
💰 Soft opening pricing starting at $38/class
A new Pilates studio is opening in South Redondo this week. Hamptons Pilates is launching with a soft opening for founding members, offering both reformer and mat classes in a new space right in Riviera Village. Founders who sign up before the grand opening get discounted rates and priority access to classes. If you have been looking for a studio close to home, the timing is right.
🔹 Reformer and mat Pilates classes in a new South Redondo studio
🔹 Founders membership with discounted rates and priority class access
🔹 Located on Avenida Del Norte, steps from Riviera Village
👉 More Info
🛍️ Young Entrepreneurs Maker and Talent Fair
📍 El Segundo High School Front Lawn, 640 Main Street, El Segundo
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
💰 Free | All ages
Local kids running real businesses. That is what this is. The Young Entrepreneurs of El Segundo program gives students a chance to set up shop and sell what they have built, baked, designed, or dreamed up. Expect food, drinks, crafts, art, and creative services, all run by kids who go to school in El Segundo. It is one of those events where you show up to browse and leave genuinely impressed.
🔹 Student-run booths with handmade goods, food, and creative services
🔹 Run by El Segundo Council PTA's Young Entrepreneurs program
🔹 Easy Saturday morning stop before a beach day or lunch in town
🎉 ThriveFest 2026
📍 Adams Middle School Field, 2600 Ripley Ave, Redondo Beach
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (Quiet Hour 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM for sensory-sensitive families)
💰 Free | All ages
Adams Middle School PTSA combines their camp expo and health and wellness fair into one big community afternoon. Over 35 local organizations will be on hand, and the kids get a 50-foot obstacle course, rock wall, and dunk tank to burn off energy while you browse.
🔹 Over 35 health, wellness, and summer camp vendors
🔹 50-foot inflatable obstacle course, rock wall, dunk tank, and DJ
🔹 Quiet hour from 12 to 1 PM for sensory-sensitive families
🎤 Divas of Soul starring CeCe Teneal
📍 The Norris Theatre at Palos Verdes Performing Arts Center, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 8:00 PM
💰 Ticketed | All ages
This powerhouse concert celebrates decades of iconic soul, R&B, and pop hits made famous by legends like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston. CeCe Teneal leads the night with a powerful voice and big stage presence in this high-energy tribute show.
🔹 Live performances of classic hits across multiple decades
🔹 Tribute to artists like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Whitney Houston
🔹 A lively night out on the Peninsula
🎭 Something Rotten
📍 Redondo Union High School Auditorium, 1 Seahawk Way, Redondo Beach
🕒 Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22 | Multiple showtimes
💰 Ticketed | Ages 10+ recommended
The RUHS Theatre Arts program brings the hilarious Broadway musical Something Rotten to the South Bay stage. Set in the Renaissance, the story follows two playwright brothers trying to outshine Shakespeare by inventing the world's very first musical.
🔹 Big musical numbers and comedy-filled scenes
🔹 Shows run Friday and Saturday evenings plus a Sunday matinee
🔹 Student cast and production team from RUHS
🌿 Manhattan Beach Dune Restoration Community Event
📍 Manhattan Beach (exact meeting point provided upon registration)
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
💰 Free (volunteer event)
Kick off your Saturday morning with a meaningful beach day, this time with a purpose. Join The Bay Foundation for a hands-on volunteer event focused on restoring Manhattan Beach's coastal dunes, increasing biodiversity, and strengthening shoreline resilience.
🔹 Family-friendly volunteer opportunity right on Manhattan Beach
🔹 Help protect local ecosystems including habitat for the El Segundo blue butterfly
🔹 A meaningful way to start the weekend while enjoying the coastline
🧪 STEAM Expo 2026
📍 Prairie Vista Middle School, 13600 Prairie Ave, Hawthorne
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
💰 Free | All ages
The Hawthorne School District and Two Bit Circus Foundation team up for a full day of science, engineering, art, and hands-on fun. Students show off their projects in the Inventor's Alley while families bounce between arcade games, make-and-takes, and engineering challenges. There is a full performance stage running all day with everything from folklorico to drumline to a magician. Boeing and Northrop Grumman are among the collaborators. This one is built for curious kids and the parents who want to encourage it.
🔹 Two Bit Circus Foundation interactive circus with arcade games and engineering challenges
🔹 Full performance schedule from 10 AM to 2 PM including dance, karate, and drumline
🔹 Collaborators include Boeing, Northrop Grumman, NASA FAA, and CSUDH
♻️ Compost Giveaway at Wilderness Park
📍 Hopkins Wilderness Park Parking Lot, 1102 Camino Real, Redondo Beach
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
💰 Free (Redondo Beach residents only, bring proof of residency)
Athens Services and the City of Redondo Beach are giving away free compost to residents. It is a blend of organics including green waste, wood waste, and food scraps, perfect for spring planting. Get there early because it goes fast.
🔹 Free compost while supplies last, arrive early
🔹 Bring proof of Redondo Beach residency and sturdy containers
🔹 Great way for South Bay gardeners to supercharge spring planting
🍽️ Dining in the South Bay: A Culinary History (Part 2: 1945-1985)
📍 Redondo Beach Main Library (Meeting Room, 2nd Floor), 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
💰 Free
Culinary historian and Peninsula Magazine food writer Richard Foss returns for Part 2 of his fascinating two-part series exploring the rich dining history of the South Bay. This installment covers the post-war boom through the 1980s, discover how the restaurants and food culture we know today took shape right in our own backyard.
🔹 Free talk by a renowned local culinary historian
🔹 Part 2 of a special two-part series (Part 1 covered 1895-1945 on March 7)
🔹 No registration needed, just show up at the Redondo Beach Main Library
🚢 5th Annual Los Angeles Harbor Hop
📍 SS Lane Victory Maritime Center, Berth 52, 2400 Miner Street, San Pedro
🕒 Saturday, March 21 | 12:00 PM to 6:30 PM
💰 $60-$63 (kids under 12 free)
Step aboard the historic SS Lane Victory for a spectacular day of swing music, dancing, and 1940s glamour as the Los Angeles Harbor Hop celebrates its 5th anniversary. Featuring live performances by Dandy Wellington and His Band, Jennifer Keith Sextet, and Grace Fae and the GrandBirds.
🔹 Miss Harbor Hop Pin-Up Contest and Mix and Match Lindy Hop Contest
🔹 1940s Swimwear Fashion Show aboard a historic WWII cargo ship
🔹 Family-friendly event with food trucks, vintage vendors, and free parking
🎺 Center Stage Concert
📍 The Salvation Army Torrance Corps, 4223 Emerald St, Torrance
🕒 Sunday, March 22 | 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
💰 Free | All ages
This relaxed Sunday concert features a program that moves from Mozart to Gershwin and beyond. It is an easy way to enjoy live music and wind down the weekend.
🔹 Community concert featuring talented local musicians
🔹 Comfortable afternoon concert setting
🔹 Free admission makes it an easy yes
🛒 Torrance Antique Street Faire
📍 Sartori Ave, El Prado Ave and Marcelina Ave, Downtown Torrance
🕒 Sunday, March 22 | 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
💰 Free
The beloved monthly tradition returns as 200+ vendors transform the tree-lined streets of historic Downtown Torrance into an eclectic open-air antique market. Hunt for vintage furniture, retro clothing, vinyl records, jewelry, and one-of-a-kind treasures.
🔹 200+ vendors with antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, and home decor
🔹 Antique Appraisal Booth (just $3 per item) and live DJ in the park
🔹 21 nearby restaurants open for dining and free parking in public structure
🌊 Poetry Inspired by Water
📍 El Segundo Public Library, 111 West Mariposa Avenue, El Segundo
🕒 Thursday, March 19 | 5:30 PM
💰 Free | Ages 18+ | No registration required
El Segundo Poet Laureate Kweku Abimbola leads an evening of "documentary poetry" exploring the relationship between humans, water, and water pollution. Participants will dig into indigenous and Afro-indigenous concepts of water, write their own poems, and share them with the group. All reading materials are provided. Just bring something to write with.
🔹 Led by El Segundo Poet Laureate Kweku Abimbola
🔹 Explores water conservation through poetry and storytelling
🔹 No registration needed, just show up to the Reading Lounge
🧌 Thomas Dambo's TROLLS: A Field Study
📍 South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula
🕒 Ongoing through October 2026 | Daily, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
💰 Included with Garden admission (up to $17 for non-member adults) | Troll Trek guided tours $12 members / up to $33 non-members
Danish artist Thomas Dambo returns to the South Bay with the West Coast premiere of his latest exhibit. Twelve giant trolls crafted entirely from reclaimed wood are scattered across the Garden's 87 acres, transforming the landscape into a whimsical storybook world.
🔹 12 brand-new troll sculptures (different from the ‘23 exhibit) hidden across 87 acres
🔹 Guided Troll Trek walking tours available on weekends (40 minutes)
🔹 Troll Trek Mobility Rides available for those with limited mobility
📸 South Bay Snapshot
Est. 1889. Still here.
That's it for this week.
Saturday has too many good options and Sunday somehow keeps it going. That is the kind of week this is. Send this to whoever is still figuring out their weekend. You just did the hard part for them.
See you out there,
Jaime
@MySouthBay
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