This is one of the best street fairs I've attended. It wasn't the biggest, but it did have a lot of…read morelocal vendors and organizations. As a dog owner, it was great to see 5 different dog rescue or dog advocates booths. Also plenty of music stages. It seemed every other block had a stage. The food area had a nice variety of food. Maybe next year the organizers will try to bring in some vegetarian options.(Yes there some people who had 1 vegan option). Not a complaint,but as with all street fairs. Get there early to find parking. You may have to walk a few blocks. Final thought, it was nice to see a large police presence

Nice free family themed festival. It can get really crowded and wouldn't recommend strollers…read more Lots of artists from all over, some really nice pieces available for purchase. Huge amount of vendors with all sorts of things for sale. Live Music and other entertainment through out the event on different stages. Childrens carnival area at the end of the street. Dog friendly. Everybody and their cousins bring their dogs. It's nice to see all the different breeds. Everything here is Pretty pricey but if you look really hard you might be able to find a good deal. Only 3 stars because it's so expensive most families probably can't afford much. Lots of food and drink booths. Parking is always challenging as it's primarily street parking so you have to fight for a space among the residents.

This used to be a fun event but sadly the last time I went was deeply disappointed…read more. They changed the entertainment and it was not fun anymore. The posters advertised certain entertainers but those on the poster were not even hired to appear. So sad

We were excited to hear that there was going to be a festival that focused on clam chowder and…read morecalamari; both foods that I have grown to absolutley love since I moved to CA. Well this was a big disapointment. First of all tokens, tokens for EVERYTHING. While the concept seems simple, it still wasn't proven to be beneficial as many people pawned off their unused tokens to everyone including our group, because we really didn't want anything else and there are absolutley NO REFUNDS on tokens. So $20 for 7 tokens, 3 gets you calamari, 3 gets you clam chowder, 1 gets your fries, soda etc. and 2 gets you margaritas/wine. It would have been all worth it IF the food was good. It wasn't, the clam chowder was really watered down, tasted like it came from a can and the calamari didn't taste fresh but extremely fishy. Not the standards I know, as we love the wharf and go to The Grotto all the time! We love their clam chowder! Crabby Jims also has great clam chowder and Albolennettis has amazing calamari where you can choose buffalo style or garlic. Anyways we asked what restaurant this came from and they couldn't say, and they said that it all came from the Wharf. Yeah right. We ended up walking down sampling clam chowder from our favs, and it was so delicious, not at ALL like the garbage from the festival. One thing that seemed interesting was the clam chowder ice cream, a little sweet a little salty and definatley something to try. I don't think it was worth 2 tokens because the scoop was so small. Anyhoo, we came with a party of 6 and we were all disapointed and agreed that anything going on at the plaza is bust.

This is an amazing weeklong event that has been celebrated over 100 years in Pacific Grove…read more Conceptual artists, take note; It is completely made up! Begun as the closing ceremonies to the annual summer Chautauqua lectures, some think as early as the 1890's. No one is positively sure when it started but the official year is now 1905. Well worth bringing the kids to see this day long pageant and pet parade as well as chicken dinner and many other events including Wednesday which is cake cutting day and kids get to draw on the sidewalks outside Chautauqua Hall. All free! Don't miss the great fireworks including Chinese fireworks! Update in response to the very poor review by AJ: Feast of Lanterns has very little to do with any real Chinese history. It is a faux Chinese pageant which is based on an English play. It has been offensive to some Asian people who don't understand that it started as a celebration of other cultures and was an American interpretation of the Japanese Obon festival circa 1900, in the 1920's it turned into a bathing beauty contest, was not celebrated during WWII, then re-emerged as a faux Chinese American festival, probably due to anti-Japanese sentiment. What has remained are small vestiges of the original Obon with lanterns being lit down at the beach as well as the boat parade. It is a celebration, like many in America which has changed with the times and has only traces of actual history. Pacific Grove had the longest active Chinese fishing community on the west coast. Feast of Lanterns was very Japanese oriented when the Chinese lived there. As far as their involvement, it was probably limited to the lighted boat parade, one of the few consistent traditions of the event. As far as the history of the actual Chinese families that lived at the village, it was a fairly peaceful relationship until the end when several entities were interested in the land. Not the local residents, but rather developers and Stanford University. I do agree, this event should have some basis in actual Asian history, but it has become it's own unique event. To that end, it is hard to be offended by something that has no roots in any particular culture but it's own, and yet, started because of a very open-minded interest in other cultures circa 1900.

Location is beautiful, event amazing, but the food is such a rip off. We got a "philly cheese…read moresteak" which was some cooked deli beef with jalapeños inside a tiny hotdog bun for $11. No cheese. Yes, no cheese for a cheese steak. For a tiny cup of hot chocolate it was five bucks, for a sparse and minuscule amount of curly fries, $6. Such a waste of money so strongly suggest bringing your own food.

I've been to this farmers market no less than 20 times. Its good and the perfect size. A nice mix…read moreof fresh produce and good things to munch on. A solid selection of live plants and knickknacks A little bit sparse lately and some homeless noticeably about. Last words...get your steps in.

An easy evening excursion. It operates Tues. from 4-8PM and extends to the bay (convention center)…read moreand the corner Rite Aid pharmacy (a good 7 blocks?). A MIXED VENUE with food trucks, produce, health and beauty products, and some crafts and accessories. I am not sure but sometimes I hear music from a distance. Live music would definitely bring me back and linger longer.

So much fun dancing the way the Greeks do And so much good…read morefood, especially the baklava. Lots of interesting music. Lots of fun people. Plenty of booths selling so many unique items. A great way to spend the day

It was really hot so I didn't stay as long as I would normally. I liked the variety of items to…read morepurchase. I bought Russian doll earrings the food looked good. Plus I enjoyed it he Greek music

My bf and I spent our last night of the year at First Night Monterey, and it was the perfect way to…read morering in 2026. This annual event is a celebration of music and the arts, a full day of musical ensembles performing at several different venues in downtown Monterey. There was a bit of rain earlier in the afternoon, so several performances were cancelled, such as the twilight procession, fire show, and drum circle. However, by 6pm the rain had subsided, and the festival atmosphere turned out to be an amazing experience. There was so much live entertainment to choose from, with bands playing a wonderful variety of musical genres. We enjoyed indie folk-rock by Grumbling Ginger, sounds of jazz by the Stu Reynold Saxtet on the guitar, bass, sax, and oboe, a lively set filled with rock tunes by Bad Machine, great country songs by SouthBound 101, awesome celtic music by Black Irish (my fave of the evening), an exciting performance of party hits by Everyday People, and our finale band of choice, Wrockinfoose, playing mostly rock and original pieces as they entertained the crowd till just after midnight. FNM also featured karaoke, light-up merchandise (we purchased twinkling "happy new year" crown headbands), a small food court with vendors selling tacos, hot dogs, wood-fired pizza, and beignets, along with some venues selling snacks like peanut butter cookies and pastries. We were also able to take advantage of the free shuttle bus from Del Monte mall where our hotel was located. Overall, we had a good time and appreciated how well-organized this event was, allowing attendees to have a positive and memorable experience.

This was our first time to attend this event, so I have nothing to compare it to. It did rain most…read moreof the evening, which I'm sure impacted the event due to some cancellations of the parade and participating vendors. Pros.: great variety of music, plenty of parking, festive environment, family friendly, indoor venues if you purchased the button and medium size crowd of all ages.. cons: ran by volunteers who were not able to answer basic questions, felt a little disorganized, not very many food options and not very many of the downtown vendors participating. Overall, we had a great time and would attend again next year if we're in the area.

One event during car week that is totally inclusive. All are welcome.read more

If you are in town to see rare, one of a kind cars, you should skip this rally. There are no cars…read morethat you can't see by the dozens driving up and down highway 1. It's free and it's relaxed, so bring your kids and let them put their fingerprintS on these factory grade vehicleS.

A cute experience to walk through! Lots of fun lights and displays. The community does a great job…read moreof lights and displays

Went there this year with out of town guests. I haven't been in a few years myself. I remember it…read morebeing so busy that they had to make the streets one way. This year it was easy to get into and easy to find parking. The park was definitely the most popular part of the experience. I appreciate those that still participate and put up lights at their homes. I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I could have sworn that in the past there were more participants. I remember carolers and every house light up. But anyway, it was still nice, and was fun for the kids to see, especially for the three year old when she saw the Frozen house.

Fantastic little community theater that has been one of my favorite parts of living on the Monterey…read morePeninsula! My wife and I came to our first Rocky Horror Picture Show with them back when they were on Lighthouse and have been coming back every year since. Their productions are always good quality and light hearted. We have been to a variety of the food related events as well and everything was delicious and entertaining. I usually try to break down reviews into service, food/drink and abiance but I don't think that is very applicable for a theater, so I'll address those at the end. In general you'll come to Paper Wing to be entertained and if you're an introvert like me you may be pushed out of your comfort zone a bit, but it's always in good fun. This is a fantastic community third space and a great little spot that makes the otherwise straight laced Monterey Peninsula interesting. If you go for a play the food/drink is served at a bar in the back, it's nothing that will blow your mind but you're not there for the food/drink. Service always friendly and as efficient as bar service can be. The physical ambiance of the theater is pretty basic; However, there is an amazing painted mural of New Monterey back in the day up near the roof.

While I've only been to the Paper Wing Theater in person one time, I have ordered food from them a…read morecouple times and was pleasantly surprised at how addicting they are! On DoorDash, they offer Paper Wing's Vegan Sushi and it is so good! I end up gorging myself every time! I highly recommend the veggie tempura. With their creative take on traditional sushi rolls, this is one spot I hope stays around for a while. This is one vegan version of a sushi roll that's fun and fabulous! (Look out Queens!) Along with their vegan sushi, you should check out Paper Wing Theater's show schedule. They host Drag Bingo and other fun drag events. This place is definitely a good time! I highly recommend the Paper Wing for their food and fun.