There are endless reasons that make Manhattan Beach such a unique and special town, and certainly one of them is the small town charm. As with any good town, the heart of the city is located in the downtown shopping and dining area. Only this town center sits just steps from one of the nicest beaches in the world and it’s hard not to be amazed and dazzled by the location. With a variety of restaurants both casual and fine dining, sports bars to catch the games, a boutique and hip hotel and shops for just about everyone, downtown Manhattan Beach really epitomizes the casual yet elegant feel of the city itself. In addition to the abundance of activities in the center of the city, just a short walk down the street leads you to the sand of world famous Manhattan Beach as well as the Manhattan Beach pier, Roundhouse Aquarium, and the bike and walk paths of The Strand, Manhattan Beach’s oceanfront walk.
Once again the holiday season starts early in Manhattan Beach with the 20th holiday open house and the 25th Annual Pier Lighting. This is a great community event in which many/most of the stores and restaurants open their doors and offer various treats and goodies. It is the chance to see friends and neighbors in a pedestrian friendly environment and a great way to kick off the holiday season. In addition to the small town feel of the event, it’s also the night in which the iconic Manhattan Beach pier gets lit up to look like a Christmas tree and the pier is lined with Christmas trees making it the centerpiece of the local holiday scene.
The Holiday Open House is your downtown local restaurants’, retail stores’ and businesses’ way of saying thank you to our customers and community for their support and patronage throughout the year. Come celebrate our annual Holiday Open House together with the City of Manhattan Beach Pier Lighting Ceremony. Downtown merchants will be open until 9:00 PM and are sure to offer some distinctive gifts and intriguing offers this holiday season. Our restaurants will be serving their original menus and some sampling is sure to get your palette started for an evening of wonderful food.
The evening includes:
6:00 PM Pier Lighting Ceremony with live entertainment
Mayor will flip the switch at 7:00 PM and illuminate the Pier with holiday lights
Carolers and strolling musicians throughout the entire downtown
Santa and his helpers will be located at the Bank of America parking lot from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Live entertainment at the Metlox Plaza from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Bring your kids and don’t forget your shopping list.
With temperatures in the 50’s (yikes…this is Manhattan Beach) it felt a lot like winter and to kick of the holiday season Manhattan Beach had it’s annual holiday fireworks show. While some watched from boats, and others watched from the beach or the streets, I was fortunate enough to have front row seats in downtown Manhattan.
The answer to the question, “what’s so great about the Manhattan Beach sand section anyway?” can be summed up with 3 words……Location, location, location. The “sand” section of Manhattan Beach gets it’s name from the proximity to the beach. The area stretches from Hermosa Beach to the edge of Manhattan known as El Porto.
In this wonderful area you’re never far from the beach, often walking distance to shops, restaurants and bars, enjoy almost perfect weather, are treated to spectacular sunsets, and often have great ocean views. The biggest drawbacks to this area are the price and the limited space as land is at a premium and just about every inch of lot is taken up by homes. Gone are most of the beach bungalows that actually fit on the lot and most have been replaced by larger and larger homes as wide, deep and tall as they can possibly be. Some of the unique areas are the “walkstreets” in which the homes front a pedestrian only “street” which allows for less noise, no cars, and a much safer atmosphere and the lack of cars make views that much more impressive.
world and it’s hard not to be amazed and dazzled by the location. With a variety of restaurants both casual and fine dining, sports bars to catch the games, a boutique and hip hotel and shops for just about everyone, downtown Manhattan Beach really epitomizes the casual yet elegant feel of the city itself. In addition to the abundance of activities in the center of the city, just a short walk down the street leads you to the sand of world famous Manhattan Beach as well as the Manhattan Beach pier, Roundhouse Aquarium, and the bike and walk paths of The Strand, Manhattan Beach’s oceanfront walk.
“sand” section of Manhattan Beach gets it’s name from the proximity to the beach. The area stretches from 
