Send ideas to montereycountynow.com/events 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 2-8, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com ing Coco Montoya, John “Broadway” Tucker Revue and Liquid Sky, a Jimi Hendrix tribute. Free hot dogs will be available for kids. Local singers are invited to apply to perform patriotic favorites at the event. A watermelon eating contest will also be held, with age categories. No fireworks, alcohol, drugs, barbecues or dogs are permitted. [AP] 11am-4pm Saturday, July 4. City Hall lawn, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. (831) 8996809, tinyurl.com/SeasideFourth2026. PG READS THE DECLARATION The Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce is hosting a community celebration for the 250th Independence Day. Hear a live reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Rotary Club of Pacific Grove, followed by the Monterey Peninsula Voices choir singing the National Anthem and a medley of military anthems. There’s also live music and a beer garden. The Youth Ambassadors of Pacific Grove host kids activities, face painting and a barbecue. [AP] 11am-3pm Saturday, July 4. Jewell Park, corner of Central and Grand avenues, Pacific Grove. Free. (831) 373-3304, pacificgrove. org. DRESSED FOR THE FOURTH Soledad, please note there will be no parade or fireworks this year, but plenty of fun. Instead, the City invites the community to a free, family-friendly Fourth of July celebration, including live music performances (King Bee Blues Music and Banda Raza de Rancho), food vendors, games and prizes—even a bestdressed patriotic contest to amuse and inspire your fellow countrymen. [AP] Noon-6pm Saturday, July 4. Soledad Little League Park, corner of Andalucia Drive and North Street. Free. (831) 223-5000, facebook.com/TheCityofSoledad. CARMEL POPS The Monterey County Pops! orchestra will be in Carmel with a free public concert of popular and patriotic music on the lawn. This festive day celebrates the issuance of the Declaration of Independence with a concert starting at 2pm. The special guest is vocal soloist Jorge Torres, who grew up in Salinas and attended Salinas High School. He is the director of choral activities at Soquel High School and Santa Cruz High School. The program includes themes from musical theater and movies, Dixieland favorites, traditional Americana and marches by John Philip Sousa and Henry Filmore. Bring lawn chairs and picnics. [AP] Noon-3pm Saturday, July 4. Devendorf Park, Ocean and Junipero avenues, Carmel. Free. (831) 620-2020, montereycountypops.org. MARINA ON THE BLOCK Advertised as Marina’s biggest summer celebration, this family-friendly Block Party features live music, food vendors and kids’ activities like inflatables, face painting and a rock wall in celebration of the Fourth. Sensory Tribe, The Sol Band, as well as Shannon and the Night Divers play in a live music lineup. For those 21 and over, there will be craft brews and other refreshing adult beverages a lively beer and wine garden. [AP] 3-8:30pm Saturday, July 4. Marina Airport, 3240 Imjin Road, Marina. Free. (831) 8841278, cityofmarina.org/1464/July-4th-BlockParty. BIG BANG For 250 years, Americans have been sorting out the best way to govern a pluralistic society. Whatever your review along that journey of progress or room for improvement, every HOT PICKS reaps the rewards as the week of seminars, open rehearsals and concerts are free and open to all spectators. For those that want to see the culmination of the program, the final concerts are also free to the public and feature a reception where concertgoers can pick the brains of the emerging composers. [AS] 7pm Friday, July 3; 3pm Sunday, July 5. Hidden Valley Institute of Performing Arts, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road. Free. (831) 6593115, hiddenvalleymusic.org. Saturday, July 4 INDEPENDENCE CAKES Monterey’s Fourth of July celebration starts early, with a pancake breakfast at Fire Station #11 ($17; sold out). Monterey firefighters will set aside their hoses and drop fire gear for aprons and spatulas to make fluffy cakes, with proceeds benefiting MY Museum. Join the parade that starts at 10am at the corner of Alvarado and Pearl streets. Backyard Food Fest will last from 11am-4:30pm on the Colton Hall lawn, featuring food for sale and live music performances. During the same time, Living History Day will be taking place at the Memory Garden behind the Pacific House, with 19th-century games and rope making. CooperMolera Adobe hosts a Stars, Stripes & Stories event with storytelling and family crafts from noon-4pm. Expect live entertainment, stilt walkers and taffy from Uncle Sam during the annual Fourth on the Wharf. [CJ; AP] 7:30am-4pm Saturday, July 4. Various locations downtown Monterey. Free. (831) 6463799, monterey.gov. KING’S HERITAGE This community celebration brings together the best of South Monterey County’s history, agriculture and small-town traditions in one of the region’s most beautiful parks. King City will celebrate the Fourth with an annual Chamber of Commerce parade, followed by an afternoon of festivities at San Lorenzo Park, where the Valley Heritage Days event returns with cars, tractors and family fun (11am-4pm). Spend the day exploring museum exhibits, strolling beneath towering eucalyptus and oak trees, and enjoying activities for all ages. Highlights include a car show, an antique show, kid zone, a quilt show, community performances, food vendors, local artisans and competitions. The parade begins at 10:30am, traveling down Broadway from 2nd Street to San Lorenzo Park, where more festivities await. [AP] 10:30am-5pm Saturday, July 4. San Lorenzo Park, 1160 Broadway St., King City. Free. (831) 385-8020, tinyurl.com/ KingCityFourth2026. BACK TO THE FUTURE The City of Seaside is hosting its annual Red, White & Blues Celebration. This free, family-friendly event features live music, food vendors, a petting zoo, a bounce house and a special unveiling of a 1976 time capsule at 2pm. Headlining performances by blues artists, includSome cities may give up on fireworks—not Salinas, a city where people like to keep it real. Compass Church and Salinas Sports Complex combine forces. COMPASS CHURCH Windows is a Los Angeles-based psych-rock band founded by Matthew “Matteo” Arias, blending California country, surf rock and West Coast psychedelia (see p. 28 for details). BELLA PETRO/WINDOWS
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