The South Bay Is Going Full Summer This Week

Here’s what’s happening July 30 - August 5

Author

Jaime J
July 30, 2026

Hello South Bay!

It’s been a warm one around here, and this week looks like more of the same. Good thing the calendar is giving us plenty of excuses to get near the water: beach volleyball, pier concerts, ocean swims, park blankets, and a few easy summer nights that don’t require overthinking.

The big one is the International Surf Festival, which takes over the beach cities this weekend. But there are also good options if you want something more low-key, more musical, or just a little less sandy.

Here’s what’s going on 👇

This Week in My South Bay

Thursday, July 30
🎸 Grateful to the Core @ Redondo Beach Pier

Friday, July 31
🏐 Charlie Saikley 6-Man Beach Volleyball @ Manhattan Beach
🚨 Bud Stevenson Intracrew Medley Relay @ Hermosa Beach

Saturday, August 1
🦋 Butterflies, Seeds and Superblooms @ Redondo Beach
🏃 Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach Run @ Hermosa Beach
🌊 International Bodysurfing Championships @ Manhattan Beach
🎶 Manuel the Band @ Redondo Beach Pier
🪩 ABBA LA Summer Concert @ Torrance

Sunday, August 2
🏊 Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim @ Hermosa to Manhattan Beach
🏄 Velzy-Stevens Pier-to-Pier Paddle @ Manhattan to Hermosa Beach
🌴 Jimmy’s Buffet @ Manhattan Beach
🎸 Who’s Zeppelin @ El Segundo

Monday, August 3
💃 Zumba in the Park @ Redondo Beach

All Week
🦋 SOAR Tropical Butterflies + Thomas Dambo’s Trolls @ South Coast Botanic Garden

🎸 Grateful to the Core

📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach Pier
🕒 Thursday, July 30 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
💰 Free

Redondo’s pier concert series gets the week started with Grateful to the Core, a Grateful Dead tribute playing right by the water. It is a simple Thursday-night plan: grab dinner nearby, bring a layer, and let the pier do most of the work. This one is especially good if you want something easy before the bigger weekend crowds roll in.

🔹 Part of Redondo Pier’s Summer of Music series
🔹 Free and open to the public
🔹 Weather permitting

🏐 Charlie Saikley 6-Man Beach Volleyball

📍 South side of the Manhattan Beach Pier
🕒 Friday, July 31 - Saturday, August 1
💰 Free to watch

This is one of the South Bay’s most recognizable summer traditions. The Charlie Saikley 6-Man brings big crowds, costumes, beach volleyball, and plenty of Manhattan Beach personality to the sand. Even if you only stop by for a little while, it is one of those weekends where the pier area feels fully awake.

🔹 Part of the International Surf Festival
🔹 Expect crowds around the Manhattan Beach Pier
🔹 Best approached by bike, rideshare, or patience

🚨 Bud Stevenson Intracrew Medley Relay

📍 North side of the Hermosa Beach Pier
🕒 Friday, July 31 | 7:30 PM
💰 Free to watch

This is one of the more local-feeling Surf Festival events. Los Angeles County lifeguard teams compete under the lights in a relay that includes running, swimming, paddling, surf ski, and dory legs. It is fast, loud, very South Bay, and a good Friday-night option if you want something that feels different from a normal beach evening.

🔹 First relay events begin at 7:30 PM
🔹 Bud Stevenson Intracrew begins around 9:00 PM
🔹 North side of the Hermosa Beach Pier

🦋 Butterflies, Seeds and Superblooms

📍 Redondo Beach Main Library
🕒 Saturday, August 1 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
💰 Free

The Redondo Beach Library is hosting a family program with the South Bay Parkland Conservancy focused on native plants, butterflies, bees, birds, and local habitat. Kids can check out plant samples, take home seed packets, color pages, make paper butterflies, and learn a little more about the coastal land around us. It is a nice low-key morning option before the rest of Saturday gets busy.

🔹 Family-friendly nature program
🔹 Includes hands-on activities for kids
🔹 Hosted with South Bay Parkland Conservancy

🏃 Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach Run

📍 Hermosa Beach Pier
🕒 Saturday, August 1
💰 Registration required to run; free to watch

The Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach Run starts and finishes at the Hermosa Beach Pier, sending runners north along the sand before looping back by the water. It is part of the International Surf Festival and has that classic South Bay mix of beach, competition, and community support. The race is hosted by Mira Costa Cross Country, with proceeds going back to the team.

🔹 Two-mile beach run starting and finishing at Hermosa Beach Pier
🔹 Age divisions for kids, teens, adults, and older runners
🔹 Proceeds support Mira Costa Cross Country

🎶 Manuel the Band

📍 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach Pier
🕒 Saturday, August 1 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
💰 Free

Saturday night on the pier brings Manuel the Band, a Southern California indie pop group with a sound that fits the water pretty well. This is a good pick if you want a weekend plan that does not require tickets, reservations, or a whole production. Show up, wander the pier, and stay as long as it feels good.

🔹 Part of Redondo Pier’s Summer of Music series
🔹 Free and open to the public
🔹 Easy to pair with dinner nearby

🌊 International Bodysurfing Championships

📍 North side of the Manhattan Beach Pier
🕒 Saturday, August 1
💰 Free to watch

The International Bodysurfing Championships bring competitors to the north side of the Manhattan Beach Pier for one of Surf Festival’s more classic ocean events. Divisions include men’s and women’s heats, with everyone from newer bodysurfers to former world champions in the water. No boards, no big setup, just swim fins and whatever the ocean decides to do that morning.

🔹 Hosted by Gillis Beach Bodysurfing Association
🔹 Men’s and women’s divisions
🔹 Free to watch from the beach or pier

🪩 Torrance Summer Nights: ABBA LA

📍 Wilson Park Amphitheatre, Torrance
🕒 Saturday, August 1 | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
💰 Free

If your Saturday could use a little less sand and a little more dancing, Torrance has a good one. ABBA LA is playing Wilson Park as part of the city’s Summer Nights series, which is built for blankets, lawn chairs, and an easy family evening. It is central, free, and probably hard not to sing along at least once.

🔹 City-sponsored summer concert
🔹 Bring a blanket or lawn chair
🔹 Good all-ages option before Saturday night plans

🏊 Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim

📍 Starts near Hermosa Beach Pier, finishes near Manhattan Beach Pier
🕒 Sunday, August 2 | First heat starts at 9:00 AM
💰 Free to watch

Sunday morning belongs to one of the classic Surf Festival events. Swimmers start near the Hermosa Beach Pier, round the pier, head north along the shoreline, and finish near Manhattan Beach. It is a strong one to watch from The Strand, especially near the finish if you want the full race-day scene.

🔹 Two-mile open-water swim
🔹 First heat starts at 9:00 AM
🔹 Parking will be tight near both piers

🏄 Velzy-Stevens Pier-to-Pier Paddle

📍 Manhattan Beach Pier to Hermosa Beach Pier
🕒 Sunday, August 2
💰 Registration required to participate; free to watch

The Velzy-Stevens Paddle starts in the water off the Manhattan Beach Pier, heads south along the shoreline, rounds the Hermosa Beach Pier, and finishes on the beach just south of the pier. It is one of the bigger paddle events of Surf Festival weekend and a good one to catch from The Strand if you are already near either pier. The race is hosted by the South Bay Boardriders Club.

🔹 Water start off the Manhattan Beach Pier
🔹 Course runs south to Hermosa Beach
🔹 Hosted by South Bay Boardriders Club

🎸 Who’s Zeppelin

📍 Library Park, El Segundo
🕒 Sunday, August 2 | 4:30 PM
💰 Free

El Segundo’s summer concert series continues with Who’s Zeppelin at Library Park. Food trucks start at 4:00 PM, and the city usually has a kids’ craft-and-games area before the music starts. This is a good Sunday pick if you want something easy, family-friendly, and a little west of the beach-city crowd.

🔹 Food trucks start at 4:00 PM
🔹 Music starts at 4:30 PM
🔹 Bring blankets or low-back chairs

🌴 Jimmy’s Buffet

📍 Polliwog Park Amphitheater, Manhattan Beach
🕒 Sunday, August 2 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
💰 Free

Manhattan Beach gets the island-rock treatment this Sunday with Jimmy’s Buffet at Polliwog Park. It is part of the city’s Concerts in the Park series, which means blankets, picnic setups, kids running around, and a pretty classic South Bay Sunday evening. Bring dinner or snacks and settle in early if you want a good spot.

🔹 Free Sunday concert at Polliwog Park
🔹 Bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic
🔹 Seating is first come, first served

💃 Zumba in the Park

📍 Julia Field at Alta Vista Park, Redondo Beach
🕒 Monday, August 3 | 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
💰 Free; registration required

After a packed beach weekend, this is a nice reset. Beach Cities Health District is hosting a free Zumba session at Alta Vista Park with instructors from its Center for Health & Fitness. It is low-commitment, outdoors, and a good excuse to move a little before the week gets away from you.

🔹 Free Beach Cities Health District fitness series
🔹 Walk-ups are welcome, but registration is required
🔹 All ages listed by the organizer

🦋 SOAR Tropical Butterflies + Thomas Dambo’s Trolls

📍 South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula
🕒 Daily | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
💰 Ticketed

Here’s the non-beach-sports breather if your week needs one. SOAR brings hundreds of tropical butterflies into the garden, and admission also includes Thomas Dambo’s Trolls: A Field Study, the large reclaimed-wood sculptures tucked across the grounds. It is an easy family outing, but it also works if you just want a quieter walk somewhere pretty.

🔹 Timed reservations are required for SOAR
🔹 General garden admission includes the Trolls exhibit
🔹 Butterfly feeding is available as an add-on

📸 South Bay Snapshot

It’s a warm one this week. Find the breeze when you can.

That's it for this week!

Late summer is starting to show up now. The kind where the calendar fills up, the beach gets crowded, and somehow a simple walk near the pier turns into a whole afternoon.

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