| OPA June Monthly Meeting Recap: Here is the full meeting recording. |
| June 20 & 21 Main St. Summer Soulstice & Make Music LA Events: Next weekend is going to be a big weekend! |
| Summer SOULstice on Saturday, June 20: The street will be closed to vehicular traffic as we again transform the street into a pedestrian paradise. The iconic Summer Soulstice event returns with live music, vendors, beer garden, activities for kids & more. The event run from 12 – 7pm on Main St. from Pico Blvd. to the Venice border. FREE!Make Music LA on Sunday, June 21: OPA is again participating in theis annual celebration of music! Come to South Lot 5 (the grassy area by the bike path at Ocean Park Blvd.) from 1-6pm for a variety of music.HELP NEEDED for Summer Soulstice & Make Music LA Events: We NEED volunteers to staff our table/tent at the Soulstice event and to help with set-up and take-down from both Soulstice and Make Music LA. PLEASE CLICK HERE OR REPLY TO THIS EMAIL TO VOLUNTEER! |
| Green Dog’s Pet Adoptapalooza 2026: Come to OPA’s newest business member to enjoy a live DJ, free food and drinks, games for the kiddos, raffle prizes, giveaways, and complimentary veterinary wellness packages for every pet adopted today. 🎁🐾Saturday, June 13, 1-3p.m. 210 Main St. Venice https://forms.gle/aqFANVURxW7Mayjy9 |
| Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart and Michelob ULTRA bring World Cup energy to Santa Monica Pier: “From June 12 – 25, Michelob ULTRA, the Official Beer Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, will transform the Santa Monica Pier into the Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club, a two-week immersive fan experience designed to blend soccer, entertainment, music, culture, and community in the heart of Santa Monica. Featuring appearances tied to opening week celebrations from entertainment icons including Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, DJ Pee .Wee, Disco Lines, Men in Blazers, soccer legends, live DJs, and immersive fan programming, Michelob ULTRA’s Pitchside Club is transforming one of Southern California’s most iconic destinations into a global gathering place for the world’s biggest sporting event.” More details here. |
| Santa Monica celebrates the World Cup with soccer events and activations: This City post details details many of the planned events over the next few weeks, including A LOT of events this Friday: a big adults only “Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club on the Pier” kickoff, an all ages “USA Kickoff Celebration, Fan Festival & Watch Party at Santa Monica Place”, and “Golden Hour on Third Street Promenade.” |
| Officials Outline Public Safety Plan for 2026 FIFA World Cup: Details here. To receive World Cup safety notifications, U.S. residents can text FIFALA26 to 888-777. |
| Toxic carcinogen found in L.A. wildfire cleanup zones, putting millions at risk: “A cancer-causing metal detected in the air around last year’s Los Angeles wildfire cleanup zones may have exposed more than 3 million residents to dangerous levels of a toxic carcinogen, according to a new study by University of California researchers. Calculations using models for wind-carried contaminants suggest the microscopic particles traveled as far as six to nine miles from the burn areas.” More details here. |
| Where Route 66 ends, a Santa Monica writer gives the Mother Road her own voice: A hundred years after Route 66 was commissioned to stitch a fractured country together, the highway that ends at the Santa Monica Pier has found a new chronicler — and, according to local author Crystal Sershen, the Mother Road has been doing most of the talking. Sershen’s debut book, “Dust & Dreams: Roadmap of the American Soul (A Memoir of the Mother Road, in Her Own Words),” was self-published in March in celebration of the Route 66 centennial. The lyrical memoir is told entirely in the voice of the highway herself, tracing a century of American history through the travelers, towns and landscapes the road has carried. More details here. |
| Councilmember Lana Negrete Newsletter: Here is her weekly newsletter with updates on Public Safety, Economic Development, Education, Around Town & Community Highlights, Election & Voting, and more. |
| MESSAGE FROM OPA GOLD MEMBER CHI TRAINER: ‘Feel your BEST this summer with Chi Trainer!’ Our Tai Chi Gung & Qigong practices build life force energy, inner peace, strength, and balance, leaving you grounded, focused, and fully ALIVE after every class! First Class FREE for new students! Chitrainer.com |
Things to Do This Weekend
- Community Corp. Annual Summer Social (Thursday 5:30pm): This evening promises to be a meaningful celebration of our work, and all our amazing partners and stakeholders. The evening will feature live music, beverages, appetizers, and a variety of raffle prizes. Ticket sales and sponsorships go to support our resident services programs, which support free educational programs, community gardens, fitness classes, leadership training, and so much more. @ Expert Dojo More details here.
- Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club: The Santa Monica Pier is trading its classic boardwalk aesthetic for high-octane soccer culture with a massive 21+ fan village on the pier deck running Wednesday through Sunday (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Beyond giant screens broadcasting daily match action—starting with the U.S. vs. Paraguay opener on June 12—the space features a Hypebeast jersey customization station, interactive skill games, and cold pours at the custom Match Bar. Keep an eye out for celebrity guest drops and live sets from high-profile DJs. Entry is free, but timed RSVPs are mandatory via michelobultra.com/pitchsideclub.
- World Play Zone at the Metro Station (Weekends, June 11–28): The E Line Downtown Station Lot is transforming into a family-friendly World Cup activation featuring soccer challenges, skill stations, and interactive play. More details here.
- Santa Monica USA World Cup Kick Off Celebration (Friday 11am – 9pm): Join the Westside’s biggest Football/Soccer watch party & fan fest with large LED screens, DJ, food, drink, beer gardens, activations, contests & giveaways. @ Santa Monica Place More details here.
- 14th Annual Cardboard Yacht Regatta (Saturday 9am – 1pm): Two-person teams make waves racing colorful themed cardboard and duct tape yachts across the historic pool. Spectators can attend for free to cheer on the participants. Regatta participants must pre-register, and the fee is $20 per team. @ Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 PCH More details here.
- Pride on the Promenade (Saturday 11am- 4pm): Pride takes over the Promenade with a drag brunch, community booths, games, a Santa Monica Public Library pop-up and Rainbow Storytime and much, much more. More details here.
- SaMo Public Library Summer Reading Kickoff Party (Saturday): It’s the Main Library’s 20th birthday, and you’re invited to the special summer reading party. Celebrate with cupcakes, a magic show by David Skale, balloon twisting, and other fun activities. Learn how to sign up and discover what prizes you can win just for reading! All ages. @ Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. More details here.
- Santa Monica Block Fest (Saturday 5pm – Midnight): After the annual Pride on the Promenade celebration, Santa Monica Block Fest will keep the party going with a free, family-friendly Pride and World Cup-themed music festival. What started as a single-block community event is now a city co-produced, multi-stage, full scale production in the Entertainment Zone with pop-up bars, local vendors, and VIP gardens all across three iconic blocks of Third Street Promenade. This volume marks the festival’s first integration of a night market, bringing more than 20 top-tier food and merch vendors into the movement. More details here.
- Main St. Farmers Market (Sunday 8:30am – 1:30pm):Jazz is in the air at the Main Street Farmers Market this Sunday with local favorites the GM Jazz Quartet 10am-1pm! Don’t miss the market pop ups! GSSF is back with organic almonds and heritage grains and Something Good pet treats. There’s a rainbow of stone fruits and veggies to discover.
- World Play Zone at the Metro Station (Weekends, June 11–28): A family-friendly World Cup activation featuring soccer challenges, skill stations, and interactive play. @ E Line Downtown SaMo Station Lot More details here.
Upcoming Calendar of Events
- Upcoming OPA Book Club Meetings: Planned dates are July 8 (Trust), Aug 5 (The Night Watchman). Email alexabarrett@gmail.com for more info. All meets are at 6pm at the Ocean Park Library (2601 Main St.).
- OPA Monthly Meeting: Monday, June 8, 6pm @ Ocean Park Library
- Ocean Park Social Club – The Jar Returns to Ocean Park: After a wonderful first event with the national non-profit, The Jar, our friends are back for another dinner & salon on June 24. This next session will be a “Convener” model, where we invite you to bring 2-3 guests with you. This model broadens the community further, allowing us to create a more diverse room of voices. Tickets are $10/person (and includes dinner and dessert!).RSVP HERE and direct questions to samosocialclub@gmail.com and our partner abigail@jumpinthejar.org.
- Ocean Park Social Club Summer Picnic Series: Mark your calendars for our bi-weekly summer evening picnics at Hotchkiss Park on the following Thursdays 5:30-7:30pm: July 9, July 23, Aug 6, Aug 20, and Sep 3.
- Want to Volunteer for Future OPA-Sponsored Heal The Bay Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Ups? Contact Dave Tann at dogtowndave@yahoo.com. He is the coordinator for the OPA/Heal The Bay events, always meeting at Tower 26. Dates this summer are 6/28, 7/26, & 8/30.
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