The following is a submission from the Pier Corporation.
The Santa Monica Pier will step back into the 1930s on Saturday, Sept. 19, for the second annual A PIERfect Benefit, transforming the historic Merry Go-Round Building into a vintage Casino Night inspired by the legendary SS Rex, the famed gambling ship once anchored offshore in Santa Monica Bay.
Produced by the nonprofit Santa Monica Pier Corporation, the evening will feature casino-style gaming, live entertainment, cocktails and culinary offerings, vintage attire, auction experiences and one of the night’s most unusual attractions — live Carousel Horse Racing on the historic carousel, complete with guests cheering on their favorite mounts as a race announcer calls the action around the “track.”
The event will also honor the Gordon Family, owners and operators of Playland Arcade for more than seven decades, and the Whiting Family, direct descendants of the historic Newcomb Family, with the 2026 Santa Monica Pier Awards recognizing their generations of dedication to preserving and strengthening the Santa Monica Pier.
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
3:30-7:30 p.m., A PIERfect Benefit
4:30 p.m., live Carousel Horse Racing
WHERE: Historic Merry Go-Round Building
Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401
WHY: Proceeds benefit the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and help support free, year-round programming on the Pier, including Youth Day and the annual Pier 360 Beach Festival.
