Downtown Laguna Beach got two new public places within six days of each other. The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center opened its new home to the public on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The following Friday, September 25, the city dedicated the permanent Promenade on Forest. The lower stretch of Forest Avenue, from Glenneyre Street to Coast Highway, is now a pedestrian plaza for good.
The plaza itself had been finished for more than a month by then. Mayor Mark Orgill told the Laguna Beach Independent that the city held the ribbon cutting in late September on purpose, before the fall and winter months "where we start to have hospitality night and some of the other events." Hospitality Night falls on December 4. Between now and then, no recurring music series is on the published calendar for the promenade. For the next eight weeks, the new plaza is a place for everyday use, and the businesses along it are what give it something to do.
What $7.3 Million Put on Forest Avenue
The Daily Pilot reports the conversion cost about $7.3 million in total. That figure includes a $5.5 million construction contract the City Council awarded to Superb Engineering in January. The city's project page lists the completed work:
- Brick pavement where the asphalt used to be
- Two specimen oak trees and ten 48-inch-box eucalyptus trees
- Planting and irrigation
- Light poles, umbrellas and bollards
- Trench drains, storm drain and Silva Cell systems under the surface
- A/V and electrical conduits
That last item explains the fountain, audio system and Wi-Fi. At the September 22 council meeting, City Manager Dave Kiff said full electrical service for all three was expected to be running within days. He also said work was still being finished at the Coast Highway end, the part that looks out toward Main Beach. The design also called for wider walkways in front of the stores, seating and dining areas, planted gardens, and space for temporary performances.
The idea is older than the pandemic. Orgill traced it to Vision 2030, a community plan written 27 years ago that called for closing Forest or creating a downtown social space. The 2020 pandemic closure turned into a working test of the idea. When the permanent version went before the Coastal Commission, it passed unanimously.
"At the promenade, you can listen to music and you can socialize at the same time. You could be at one of the restaurants." — Mayor Mark Orgill, to the Daily Pilot
Why the Plaza Is Quiet After Dark
The mayor's comparison to the Laguna Playhouse and the Cultural Arts Center points to a scheduling fact. Music on the promenade depends on the city's calendar. Under the city's street-performance guidance, street performances are generally not allowed on the Forest Avenue Promenade. The Stage on Forest is reserved for performers the city permits and books. A musician can't simply set up on the bricks some evening in October.
The city's own series has ended. The Promenade on Forest Stage program ran from July 10 through August 30, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with funding from the city and local lodging businesses. The only music on the plaza since the dedication was Forest Under the Lights on Wednesday, October 7, with free live music from 6 to 8 p.m. Brussels Bistro promoted it as a one-night-only evening, and no more fall dates have been announced.
The Storefronts Carry the Weekday
With nothing on the stage, the plaza's daily life depends on the businesses that face it. Two of them marked anniversaries at the dedication. Bushard's Pharmacy turned 80, and Moulin turned 10. The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visit Laguna Beach list these addresses on the block:
| Business | Address | What it adds to the plaza |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels Bistro | 222 Forest Ave. | Hosted the October 7 Forest Under the Lights evening |
| 230 Forest Avenue | 230 Forest Ave. | Downtown restaurant with an outdoor patio |
| Alessa by Chef Pirozzi | 234 Forest Ave. | Diners at its tables appeared in the Daily Pilot's opening-night photos |
| Bushard's Pharmacy | 244 Forest Ave. | 80 years on Forest, marked at the dedication |
| Moulin | 248 Forest Ave. | Café celebrating 10 years; staff handed out baked goods at the opening |
| Hobie Surf Shop | 294 Forest Ave. | Surf retail on the plaza's lower block |
These are confirmed examples, and other storefronts line the block as well. They kept their doors open through the entire build, while fencing narrowed the walkways to single file. On an ordinary weeknight this fall, the plaza works like an outdoor dining room shared by these businesses. George Dubin, a planning commissioner who helped bring the project to completion, described his own use of it to the Independent. He comes down, sits, and watches the sun go down.
The Free Museum That Opened the Same Week
The other September opening gives the plaza a daytime partner. The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, known as SHACC, is free and open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Its official site gives the parking lot and main entrance as 232 Ocean Ave. The Register's opening coverage listed 239 Broadway St., so use the Ocean Avenue entrance the museum now posts.
The collection traces surfing history through surfboards and artifacts. Its exhibits cover competition, surf shops, fashion, movies, music, waves and oceanography. The rotating exhibit that opened with the museum focuses on Hawaiian surfing history. One date to plan around: from October 17 through 25, SHACC is open only to Coast Film Festival ticket holders. Before and after that week, the museum's 11 a.m. opening and the plaza's café tables make an easy free morning downtown.
Dates That Bring the Crowds Back Downtown
These are the confirmed dates for the eight weeks between the dedication and the plaza's first big holiday night. Most of the activity happens around the promenade, and the plaza gets its turn at the end.
- Through Sunday, October 11. The Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational wraps up its October 3 to 11 run with 30 invited artists.
- October 16 to 25. Coast Film & Music Festival is on the calendar. Reports on its Irvine Bowl concerts conflict, and an October 2 Stu News Laguna item said the concerts were moved to 2027, so check before planning around them.
- October 20. The city holds a public meeting on the next downtown project, covered below.
- November 1 to 9. Laguna Art Museum's Art + Nature Celebration Week includes Kim Manfredi's "A Flag Walk for Our Future" from November 5 to 9, along an accessible route in Heisler Park.
- Thursday, November 5. The free First Thursdays Art Walk runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
- Friday, December 4. Hospitality Night runs from about 5 to 9 p.m., with the main stage on Forest Avenue and Forest among the street closures. The city still labels the schedule tentative.
Throughout this stretch, Laguna Art Museum has three exhibitions up. "de la Torre Brothers: The Tipping Point" runs through January 24, 2027, "Radiant Terrains" runs through January 10, 2027, and "Kim Manfredi: View with a Grain of Sand" runs through January 18, 2027.
Getting Downtown on the Off-Season Schedule
The summer trolley schedule ended September 7. The city's off-season Coastal Route is free and runs along Coast Highway through downtown every 20 to 30 minutes, on this schedule:
- Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday until 10 p.m.
- Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The off-season schedule runs through June 25, 2027. The late Friday and Saturday service covers an evening on the plaza. Early in the week, the last trolley leaves before most dinner tables fill.
On weekends, the city's trolley page points drivers to Lot 16/Act V. Parking there costs $5, and the free Canyon Route runs downtown every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The lot is closed to the public on weekdays. Meters and pay stations take cards, coins or bills, and mobile payment also works. For weekday daytime trips, allow extra time on Coast Highway. Late-fall median landscaping between Montage Resort Drive and Catalina Street will close lanes Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Next Block Is Already on the Agenda
The promenade is the first finished piece of a larger downtown plan. The city's Ocean Avenue and Beach Street improvement project is still in planning. Its public meeting is set for October 20, 2026, and construction is scheduled for fall 2027. SHACC's main entrance is on that same Ocean Avenue, so this meeting will help decide what the street between the museum and the plaza looks like a year from now.
A permanent plaza, a free museum and a downtown plan still in progress all affect the value of a home within walking distance of Forest Avenue. If you'd like to know what those changes mean for your own address, The Bowen Team can walk you through it, starting with an Instant Home Valuation.
