Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Noon-10pm Friday-Saturday, Sept. 19-20. Fernwood Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. $882-$1,744. 667-2422, bit.ly/ ToroyMoiFernwood. Saturday, Sept. 20 ACROSS CULTURES With a diverse array of cultures from around the world represented in our county, what better way to share the richness of those cultures with each other than with a big celebration, including food, performances, crafts and activities? The City of Marina Recreation & Cultural Services Department is throwing that celebration with the 2025 Marina MultiCultural Festival. Performers include the Monterey Bay Chinese Association, the FilAm Community Club of the Monterey Peninsula, Huli A hai Mai la ‘U, Sampaguita Dancers of St. Jude Church, Marina Uu Dam Temple, Om Shanti Om Bollywood Dance Group and others. Make sure to bring a blanket to settle in and watch. [PM] 11am-3pm Saturday, Sept. 20. Vince DiMaggio Park, 3200 Del Monte Blvd., Marina. Free. 884-1253, cityofmarina.org. ART OF PLACE Museum-goers experience the art on the walls, the informational placards, the impeccable lighting. What goes into how that experience is envisioned, defined and created? Curators spend hours selecting pieces to display and thinking about how to convey a story. This event features four guest curators—Wendy Van Wyck Good, David D. Keaton, John Rexine and Magnus Torén—whose four exhibits now fill MMA’s Pacific Street galleries with different takes on the theme of mid-century Big Sur. The day kicks off at 11:30am with a discussion led by MMA Executive Director Corey Madden, followed by lunch in the rose garden from 1-3pm. Learn about the discoveries, logic and intention behind these exhibits—and maybe a behind-the-scenes discovery or two that was made along the way. [SR] 11:30am-3pm Saturday, Sept. 20. Monterey Museum of Art - La Mirada, 720 Via Mirada, Monterey. $1,000; $1,500/two tickets; $5,000/table of eight; discounts for MMA members. 372-5477, montereyart.org. BIER HERE It’s a sad fact, but not everyone can make it to Munich for Oktoberfest. Tut mir leid. Fortunately, Alvarado Street Brewery’s J.C. Hill studied traditional Bavarian brewing there. And for the first time, he’s bringing Oktoberfest to Monterey. There will be Germanstyle beers from Alvarado, plus more than 30 taps pouring brews from other craft brewers, both local and from across the U.S. There will be artisanal German sausages from The Meatery— yes, bratwurst, but also styles such as käsekainer. Pretzels and apple strudel, too, plus vendors, music and games. Tickets include a crystal tankard and four beer tokens ($4 each for more). So weit, ist es gut. There is, however, one problem. Oktoberfest in Monterey lasts just a few hours. Feiern Sie, solange Sie können. [DF] 1-5pm Saturday, Sept. 20. Colton Hall lawn, 570 Pacific St., Monterey. $55; $66/door; $18/designated driver; free/12 and under with adult. eventbrite.com. EXPO TIME The Pacific Grove Art Center has put together a large multimedia event, Pacific Grove Art Expo, with a vision of transforming Lighthouse Avenue into a corridor of creativity. Look for film screenings, street vendors and performances in the neighborhood. The expo celebrates collaboration and diversity in the arts. Screenings will be hosted at venues throughout downtown P.G. [AP] HOT PICKS ture it: a reflective character walking along the beach or in a park, reading at a cafe, watching TV alone with their dog or cat. The Trio’s sound is one to relax to, to let wash over you in an otherwise quiet place. You could bring a friend, or even something to read. [DS] 5:30pm Friday, Sept. 19. Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 648-5760, pacificgrovelibrary.org. UNDER FIRE The devastating war in Gaza that began just after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 continues today. Its human toll has been well documented in the media, thanks largely to Palestinian journalists working inside Gaza. Their work has become increasingly perilous, with at least 189 journalists killed and 90 imprisoned, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In the documentary Gaza: Journalists Under Fire, filmmaker Robert Greenwald documents the lives and deaths of three Palestinian journalists: Belal Jadallah, Heba Al-Abadla and Ismail al-Ghoul. In a statement last month following an Israeli strike that killed five journalists in Gaza—the deadliest such strike—CPJ called for an investigation and wrote, “it is part of a wider, deeply troubling pattern of lethal attacks on the media. The press cannot function under fire. When journalists die without answers, truth dies with them.” This screening and panel discussion cannot promise to provide the answers, but at least to provoke conversation. [SR] 7pm Friday, Sept. 19. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. Free. montereypalestineevents.com. SOUTHERN COMFORT When naming a band, it is important to capture something of its essence in the words. Not all bands are successful, of course. But Red Beans & Rice nailed it. The music hails from delta shotgun shacks and New Orleans music halls, the worn wood dance floors that echo Texas swing and the smoky blues haunts of Chicago. This is truth, hardship and comfort rolled into sound. And they are not to be missed— especially when the poetic spirit Rags Rosenberg shares the bill. [DF] 7pm Friday, Sept. 19. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. $25. wavestreetlive774.com. Friday, Sept. 19 -Saturday, Sept. 20 TAKE IT EASY Chaz Bear, perhaps better known by his stage name Toro y Moi, knows how to chill out, and it’s something we should all aspire to do. He’s credited as being a pioneer of the chillwave genre, a dreamy retro sound meant to evoke feelings of nostalgia. It’s only fitting that Bear will perform in Big Sur, the land of dreamy landscapes that attracts all sorts of creatives. In this concert and camping experience presented by folkYeah! and Fernwood Resort, Bear is joined by some of his musical friends over two days of shows. It’ll be a chill time. [EC] Rooted in the jazz tradition, vocalist Miranda Perl’s sound is modern and innovative. Hear her at Pacific Grove Public Library on Friday, Sept. 19. BILL BROWN Soapbox Stageworks rehearsing material earlier this year. See their new work ThursdaySaturday, Sept. 18-20 (see p. 22 for details). DANIEL DREIFUSS
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