Promenade on Forest in Laguna Beach: What's New for Fall 2026

Two things happened downtown in the last two weeks of September. On Sept. 18, the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center opened its new building on Broadway. A week later, on Sept. 25, the city cut the ribbon on lower Forest Avenue as a permanent pedestrian plaza. In between, on Sept. 22, the City Council voted to start moving the temporary restaurant patios around town toward permanent status.

All three point the same way. The open-air downtown Laguna Beach put together in a hurry in 2020 is turning into infrastructure. It arrives just as the Chamber of Commerce's best-known fall food event is off the calendar, so this October the plaza, the museum and a string of smaller events are carrying the season.

Forest Avenue, six years after the pilot

The Promenade on Forest started as a pandemic pilot program to help downtown businesses that were working under tight restrictions. City officials later pushed to close the lower part of Forest Avenue, from Glenneyre Street to Coast Highway, to cars for good. In January 2026, the council awarded Superb Engineering a $5.5 million construction contract, with the full conversion estimated at up to $7.3 million including contingency. The Orange County Register reported the finished project at $7.2 million, and said the city manager described it as under budget.

The city's project materials list specialty brick and permeable paving, planted areas, seating and dining zones, wider walkways in front of the shops, performance areas, new trees and drainage work. Opening-week coverage described a fountain inspired by a kelp forest, a nautilus-shaped bench, artwork and bike racks. At the Sept. 22 council meeting, City Manager Dave Kiff said the electrical work for the fountain, the audio system and public Wi-Fi was expected to be finished that week.

Mayor Mark Orgill explained what the space is for by comparing it with the town's other venues:

"You go to the [Laguna] Playhouse, you're in seating. You go to the Cultural Arts Center, you're primarily seated. It's a different experience. [At] the promenade, you can listen to music and you can socialize at the same time."

The opening had a neighborhood feel. The 133 Band played after the ribbon-cutting, and two businesses on the promenade marked anniversaries the same night: Bushard's Pharmacy turned 80 and Moulin turned 10. Moulin's staff handed out baked goods. Local coverage and October event listings also name Alessa, 230 Forest and Brussels Bistro along the promenade. That is a partial list, not a full directory of the block.

For regulars, the main open question is the music schedule. The city's posted "Music on the Promenade" series ran Friday through Sunday evenings and ended Aug. 30, 2026. As of today, the city has not posted a schedule for October through December.

Two blocks away, a collection that spent 20 years mostly out of view

The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, known as SHACC, spent about two decades in an industrial building in San Clemente, where much of its collection was out of public view. Its new home at 239 Broadway was built in 1939. Founder Dick Metz, 97, started the nonprofit 27 years ago and, as Laguna Beach Indy reported, called the building a rare downtown find because of its high ceilings, size, parking and short distance to the beach.

The surfboards along the outer walls run in order from early Hawaii through California and into modern board design, from redwood and pine to balsa and foam. The collection includes five boards that belonged to Duke Kahanamoku. Rows down the middle cover competition, surf shops and fashion, film and music, and waves and oceanography. Upstairs is a library and archive holding thousands of photographs and films. The first rotating exhibit covers ancient Hawaiian surfing. An opening-day photo shows a wall titled "From Hawaii with Aloha," with wooden boards and early surfing figures from 1908 to 1945.

Self-guided admission is free. The hours are still settling in. SHACC's own weekly schedule for Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 shows Monday closed, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Sunday, and a 5 p.m. close on Saturday for a surf-club rally. A Sept. 22 Stu News story gave Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check shacc.org before you go, especially if you're bringing guests. Local coverage mentions the building's parking lot but not whether visitors can use it.

October without Taste of Laguna

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce canceled Taste of Laguna, which had been set for Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Festival of Arts grounds. Organizers cited "unforeseen circumstances" and said they plan a centennial celebration in 2027. The Daily Pilot reported that the chamber's CEO separately pointed to an alcohol-licensing issue.

Without that one evening, the month spreads out across several smaller dates, and one of them is held on the new plaza.

Forest Under the Lights is the first evening event announced for the finished promenade. The live music is free, and the participating restaurants offer their own dinners that you book separately. Brussels Bistro's site lists a 6 p.m. dinner with live music that night to celebrate the promenade. The Rotary car show, now in its 22nd year, brings classic cars, a German band, a Biergarten and food to 551 Forest Ave. that Sunday morning. You could walk down Forest to SHACC and back in the same outing.

Laguna Art Museum's indoor exhibition "View with a Grain of Sand" opens Oct. 3 and runs through Jan. 18, 2027. Kim Manfredi's flag walk in Heisler Park follows Nov. 5–9, during the 14th annual Art + Nature week.

The patios are next

The Forest Avenue plaza is the most visible permanent change, but the bigger one may be the outdoor dining spread around town. On Sept. 22, the council voted 5-0 to send proposed parking changes to community workshops. It also directed staff to help restaurants with temporary outdoor dining get temporary use permits and coastal development permits by Jan. 1, 2027. That would give an 18-month transition while the city finishes its rules and the California Coastal Commission reviews the related Local Coastal Program amendment.

The holdup is parking. Principal Planner Wendy Jung told the council that some temporary dining areas could not become permanent under current parking rules without a variance. Part of the reason is that many of Laguna's older commercial buildings have little room to add parking on site. Staff proposed an exemption for patios no larger than the indoor dining room, capped at 500 square feet and five parking spaces. That cap matches the city's existing parking incentive for sidewalk cafes. Principal Planner Belinda Deines called it a fix for "the most significant hurdle for businesses seeking permanent outdoor dining areas." Nothing is final yet. The proposal still needs zoning code and Local Coastal Program amendments, and those require Coastal Commission approval.

The patios matter because they depend on more than city rules, and leases decide a lot too. In South Laguna, La Sirena Grill closed its 30862 S. Coast Highway location on Sept. 20 after more than 25 years. The owner said the lease ended without new terms. The downtown location at 347 Mermaid Street is still open. The Deck and Driftwood Kitchen closed Sept. 7, after more than a decade, so the Pacific Edge Hotel complex on Sleepy Hollow Lane can be redeveloped. The redevelopment plan includes a new cafe with outdoor dining. Oliver's Osteria on Laguna Canyon Road reopened Aug. 8 and then closed again within days. As of an Aug. 18 report, it was closed until further notice, with no return date given. Further down Coast Highway, Small's Smash Club opened in June at 2794 S. Coast Highway as a casual, family-oriented restaurant.

The Jan. 1, 2027, permit deadline will show which of the town's improvised patios make it into the permanent rules, as Forest Avenue already has.

If you own a home near downtown and want to know how this fall's changes fit into what your property is worth, Lighthouse Realty Assoc Inc. can walk through it with you calmly and clearly. Ask us for a free home valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.