Where cars and parking spaces used to be, lower Forest Avenue is now tumbled brick. There's a kelp-forest fountain near Bushard's Pharmacy, and Bushard's still operates in the building Joseph Bushard put up in 1946. The plaza runs from Coast Highway to Glenneyre Street, and the curbs, sidewalks and parking spaces have all been replaced by one pedestrian surface.

The city dedicated it on Sept. 25, 2026, under a full moon. Mayor Mark Orgill told the Laguna Beach Independent that the timing was on purpose: "We thought that it was an appropriate time to do the ribbon cutting and announce the grand opening of the promenade before we get into the fall and winter months where we start to have hospitality night and some of the other events."

For the next six weeks, the plaza has no scheduled programming of its own. What fills it are the art walks, the museum calendar and the holiday events that already run downtown. The night the plaza itself is the main event comes on Friday, Dec. 4.

A Piazza Built for $7.2 Million, With a Few Pieces Still Arriving

The Orange County Register reported a project cost of $7.2 million, which City Manager Dave Kiff said came in under budget. The temporary plaza that opened in June 2020 cost about $250,000, and $10,000 of that was security. The Daily Pilot put the total at an estimated $7.3 million, with a $5.5 million construction contract inside it. Either way, the permanent version cost close to thirty times as much as the pandemic experiment.

Under the city's approved design, the curb and gutter came out. In their place are trench drains, permeable brick paving, landscaped gardens, public seating and dining, wider walks in front of the shops, new trees, and areas set aside for temporary performances. Kiff told the Register that decomposed granite in the build should help with drainage. The unstable, unhealthy eucalyptus trees came out this summer, and the new plantings were chosen to suit a salty coastal setting.

As of dedication week, these pieces were the latest to arrive or still in progress:

• Just installed: more art pieces, a nautilus bench and bike racks
• Still to finish: some of the interior brickwork
• Not yet active: the Wi-Fi speaker system
• Still being adjusted: the Coast Highway end of the plaza

The city's capital projects page said the remaining elements would go in over the couple of weeks after the Sept. 25 opening. Tile artist Marlo Bartels, who lives in Laguna, is among the artists whose work is on the plaza, according to the Daily Pilot.

Sculptor Gerard Basil Stripling put the idea plainly to the Independent: "I have always felt that every city should have a piazza, and this is now our piazza." The idea goes back a long way. Orgill pointed to Vision 2030, a community plan from the turn of the millennium that some 2,000 residents helped shape and that called for a downtown gathering space. He also noted that the California Coastal Commission approved the permanent design unanimously.

The Stage Calendar Ended With the Summer

Through the summer, the plaza had its own schedule. The city's Music at the Promenade series ran every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., starting July 10. Performers included Jodie Siegel, Molly Bergman, Russell Long, Jackie Pember, Felisha Dunne and Beth Wood, and the series was paid for by the city and local lodging businesses. The last listed show was Kelly Fitzgerald on Aug. 30, 2026.

The same page links to the city's permit process for street performers. The design itself treats performance as occasional, with designated temporary performance areas. In practice, an ordinary fall evening on Forest is about the shops and restaurants along it: Bushard's, Moulin, which turned 10 this fall, and Alessa. One couple at the dedication told the Laguna Beach Independent they hoped to get dinner at Alessa "if we can find a table."

So the big crowds this fall come with events scheduled by others.

The Dates That Fill It, in Order

1. Saturday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 25. The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, two blocks from Forest, is open only to Coast Film Festival ticket holders.
2. Nov. 1 through 9. Laguna Art Museum holds its Art + Nature celebration week. From Nov. 5 to 9 it includes Kim Manfredi's participatory "A Flag Walk for Our Future," set on an accessible path in Heisler Park.
3. Thursday, Nov. 5, 6 to 9 p.m. The First Thursdays Art Walk runs galleries citywide.
4. Nov. 20 through Dec. 20. Sawdust Winter Fantasy opens Fridays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
5. Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 to 9 p.m. The year's last First Thursdays Art Walk.
6. Friday, Dec. 4, about 5 to 9 p.m. Hospitality Night, with the main stage on Forest Avenue.

Laguna Art Museum's current exhibitions run on their own longer schedule. "de la Torre Brothers: The Tipping Point" is up through Jan. 24, 2027, "Radiant Terrains" through Jan. 10, and "View with a Grain of Sand" through Jan. 18. Any of them works on the same evening as an art walk.

Two Blocks Over, a Free Museum Taking a Festival Week

SHACC held its Laguna Beach ribbon cutting on Sept. 18 and opened to the public that weekend, the Register reported. That puts it in the same autumn as the plaza's dedication. One attendee at the Promenade ceremony told the Laguna Beach Independent he might check out SHACC "because it's open now."

Admission is free. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and it's closed Mondays. The center's parking lot and main entrance are at 232 Ocean Ave. The Register lists the street address as 239 Broadway St. The featured exhibit is "PAE KA NALU: Catch the Wave." The permanent collection is organized into four eras: Out of the Blue, From Hawai'i with Aloha, BOOM, and Revolutions.

Since Oct. 25 is a Sunday and SHACC is closed Mondays, the first regular public day after the festival should be Tuesday, Oct. 27. The center notes that hours can change for holidays and private events.

Dec. 4 Is the Plaza's First Full Test

Hospitality Night falls on the first Friday of every December and is co-sponsored by the city and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. This year is the first time it lands on a finished plaza. The city's tentative schedule splits the evening between the Peppertree Lot, also called Lot 2, and Forest Avenue:

• 3 p.m. Downtown street closures begin on parts of Forest Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Beach Street, Glenneyre and the Peppertree Lot.
• 4 to 11 p.m. Free trolley and neighborhood on-demand service.
• 5 to 9 p.m. Businesses hold open houses.
• 6:10 p.m. Santa arrives at the Peppertree Lot to light the tree.
• 6:30 to 6:45 p.m. Anneliese School performs on the Forest Avenue main stage.
• 7 to 9 p.m. Susannah B & the Lowkeys and Earl Thomas play the main stage on Forest.

Earlier in the evening, the Peppertree Lot has the Thurston Middle School Band at 5 p.m., the Ukulele Academy at 5:30, and the Laguna Community Concert and JaZz Band after the tree lighting. Laguna Beach Presbyterian runs an art market with La Playa Tamales, cookies and cider from 5 to 7 p.m.

The evening's headline music is booked on Forest. In earlier years, the stage sat on a street that had been closed for the night. This year, the closures run around a plaza that is already car-free, and the last two hours of the night happen on the brick.

Getting There Without the Car

Downtown still has a trolley after Labor Day. The city's off-season schedule runs from Sept. 8, 2026, through June 25, 2027. The Coastal Route runs daily every 20 to 30 minutes, with weekday and weekend hours that differ. The Canyon Route runs on weekends from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., every 30 minutes, out of Lot 16, where parking is $5. SHACC's own page says the trolley runs only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. For fall service, go by the city's schedule.

There's more change coming next door. The city's Downtown Action Plan lists improvements for Ocean Avenue and Beach Street, with bidding planned for spring 2027 and construction for fall 2027. Bike riders will find the new racks on Forest and more at SHACC's front entrance.

Our team keeps a close eye on Laguna's calendar, including the new places along Forest and the gallery nights, because they shape what a home downtown is like to live in. If you're thinking about a quiet move within Laguna Beach and want an advisor who keeps up with the town as closely as the market, Michael Balliet offers a private conversation on your timeline. Request Private Client Access.