October is National Seafood Month, and this weekend the LA coast is taking that seriously. Between Saturday and Sunday you can eat your way from the San Pedro waterfront to the Santa Monica Pier, then finish with a stein in Long Beach. Two of these are free and two are ticketed splurges, so pick the pace that fits your weekend.
Saturday: Festa Italiana, Downtown San Pedro
Start in San Pedro, where the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association shuts down 6th Street between South Palos Verdes and South Centre streets from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry and entertainment are free. You just pay for what you eat and drink, and vendors donate a share of sales back to the association.
The food lineup is the draw. Organizers promise more than 20 vendors: regional Italian cooking from spots like Carasau, Al Dente Pasta Shop and Call Me Suppli; pizza from Ciao Bella, Buono’s and Lo Zio Pizzeria; and local anchors Trani’s Dockside Station and the San Pedro Fish Market, with that famous fried calamari. Save room for dessert. Handmade cannoli and sfogliatelle come from the association’s nonnas, alongside gelato, sfingi and cookies. A beer garden pours wine and beer.
Live entertainment starts at 2:30 p.m., with opera, singers and DJs listed on the official page. There’s a Ferrari & Italian Car Show at the Courthouse lot, an LA Galaxy Fan Zone for kids, and other kids’ games. Leashed, crowd-friendly dogs are welcome. Honorees for this year’s festa are announced on the official page — check there for the names. If you’re driving, the Topaz Building garage on Centre Street between 5th and 6th charges a $10 flat rate, and street meters run $0.60 per half hour on Saturdays before 6 p.m.
Saturday night: AltaSea Blue Hour, San Pedro
If you want to dress up a little, stay in San Pedro for Blue Hour. It’s AltaSea’s annual fundraiser at Land’s End, Berth 60, on its oceanfront campus, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern headlines with a live cooking and tasting experience built around sustainable seafood, sea vegetables and alternative ocean proteins. Chefs joining him include Chris Cosentino and San Pedro’s own Dustin Trani of Trani’s Dockside Station.
General admission is $150. It covers tastings from more than seven chef pavilions, an open bar, live entertainment and an art installation about our relationship with the ocean. Blue-Access VIP is $500 and adds a private lounge and bar with extra chances to talk with the chefs. Confirm those amounts in the live ticket widget before you buy. The money goes to AltaSea’s education programs for students, so your oysters are doing some good.
Sunday afternoon: OFF THE HOOK Seafood Festival, Santa Monica Pier
Sunday belongs to the pier. The eighth annual OFF THE HOOK takes over the southwest parking lot on the Santa Monica Pier, and a portion of proceeds benefits Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica Pier Corporation. Organizers list 25+ restaurants this year, including Water Grill, Sushi Roku, Rustic Canyon, The Albright, Huckleberry and Santa Monica Seafood. Beer, boutique wine and spirits tastings come with your ticket, and non-alcoholic options are included too.
Here’s how the afternoon runs, per the organizer’s Eventbrite schedule. VIP doors open at 3 p.m. and general admission at 4 p.m. The oyster shucking competitions start at 5 p.m., hosted by KTLA’s Wendy Burch. The Windbreakers bring the yacht rock at 5:30 p.m., and the event wraps at 7:30 p.m. One careful note: the official FAQ still says GA access runs 4–7 p.m. We’re following the Eventbrite run-of-show and checkout panel here; confirm the day of if you’re timing a late bite. Captain’s hats and boat shoes are officially encouraged. It’s 21 and over, though babies in strollers are OK, and the event is 100% free of single-use plastics.
Tickets are still on sale on the organizer’s Eventbrite page after the Oct. 5 advance window. Schema pricing currently shows tickets from $128.56 (aggregate low; high $1,658.01). Exact tier names and fees in the checkout widget can move — check before you buy. VIP has typically meant early entry, a sustainable-seafood lounge and a Pacific Park ride voucher; confirm what’s bundled on the ticket you pick. Door tickets are sold, but door prices are not published and the organizer says they are subject to change.
Parking at the pier is limited. Organizers suggest the Santa Monica Place structure or Lot 4 near Shutters, both paid, and they’ll run free pedicabs from the lots. Better yet, take Metro or the Big Blue Bus to Downtown Santa Monica Station and walk over.
Sunday: Long Beach Beer Lab’s 9th Anniversary and Tikitoberfest
If Sunday calls for beer over oysters, Long Beach Beer Lab is throwing its 9th Anniversary “Tikitoberfest” in the back parking lot of its Wrigley brewery from 1 to 5 p.m. (that’s the brewery’s own Eventbrite and product-page timing; Visit Long Beach has listed 12–5 p.m.). Entry is free and it’s all ages. Expect the return of its OKTOBERFRIENDS Festbier, tiki drinks with a Beer Lab twist, hand-made pretzels, small-business pop-ups and live music from Ukelele Hero and Insect Surfers. There’s a small-dog race at 2 p.m. and a stein-holding contest at 4:15 p.m.
Tokens cost $5 each at the festival. If you preorder online through Oct. 10, you get a 10-token bundle for $40, or a stein ($13 for 16 oz., $23 for 32 oz.) with the first fill free, plus 12:30 p.m. early entry.
Make a weekend of it
Saturday is San Pedro day: Festa Italiana for lunch and a stroll — cannoli, cars and a little opera — then Blue Hour if you’ve got a ticket and a nice jacket. On Sunday, pick your coast: seafood and yacht rock in Santa Monica, or steins and tiki drinks in Long Beach.
Details can change. Please confirm times, prices and parking on each official site before you head out.