Santa Monica Announces Free October Celebration Honoring Belmar History and Black Santa Monica

Santa Monica is preparing for a free community event that will celebrate the history of Belmar Park and the legacy of Black Santa Monica through music, cultural programming, discussion and local vendors.

The city announced that “Continuum: Honoring Belmar History & Black Santa Monica” will take place at Historic Belmar Park on October 11. The all-ages event is being organized in partnership with Goldenvoice and will feature live music, KCRW DJs, a vendor village curated by Black Market Flea and conversations led by award-winning journalist Sam Sanders.

The event is intended to connect Santa Monica's contemporary community with the history of the Belmar neighborhood, an area that holds particular significance in the city's Black history.

The programming will combine historical discussion with live entertainment and community activities, giving residents and visitors an opportunity to engage with the area's cultural heritage in a public setting.

Music will be an important component of the celebration. KCRW DJs and live performers are scheduled to participate, creating a contemporary soundtrack for an event centered on local history and community identity.

The vendor village will also bring local commerce into the event. Black Market Flea, which has developed a platform for independent vendors and creators, will curate participating businesses and sellers.

The combination of cultural programming and small-business participation reflects the broader role that public events can play in local communities. Events centered on neighborhood history can create opportunities for residents to learn about the past while also supporting contemporary artists, entrepreneurs and community organizations.

Belmar Park is particularly relevant to the event because of its connection to the historic Belmar neighborhood. The area was once home to a significant Black community before redevelopment changed the physical landscape of Santa Monica.

The event's title, “Continuum,” reflects an emphasis on connecting historical experiences with the city's present-day community. Rather than presenting history as an isolated subject, the organizers are incorporating music, commerce and public discussion into the program.

The participation of KCRW gives the event another direct Southern California connection. The public radio station has long been associated with Los Angeles-area music and cultural programming, making its DJs part of a broader regional creative community.

Sam Sanders' participation also adds a journalism and public-discussion component. Conversations with an established journalist can provide a structured setting for exploring the history and continuing significance of Black Santa Monica.

The event is scheduled as a free, all-ages gathering, making it accessible to families as well as individual visitors. The city described the celebration as running from noon to 5 p.m. at Historic Belmar Park.

Santa Monica's event calendar has increasingly included programming that combines public spaces with arts, culture and community history. Such events can provide opportunities for residents to interact with parts of the city that may not always receive attention through conventional tourism.

The Belmar celebration also comes at a time when cities across Southern California are continuing to document and preserve neighborhood histories that have been affected by redevelopment and demographic change.

For local residents, the event offers a way to experience that history through multiple forms of participation rather than a traditional museum setting. Music, food, vendors and discussion can bring different groups into the same public space.

The October gathering will therefore serve both cultural and community functions. It will recognize the history of Belmar and Black Santa Monica while giving contemporary artists, businesses and residents a place to participate in a shared local event.

By combining historical storytelling with live entertainment and local commerce, Santa Monica's “Continuum” celebration is designed to connect the city's past with its present-day cultural community.