Free Twilight Action at Santa Monica Pier

Sometimes the best things in life really are free. And sometimes they are happening right under your nose. Our pal at KCRW, Rachel Reynolds, took us out one night to something we could walk to (a major plus in this car city) that was right in our 'hood. The 25th Annual Twilight dance series has been going on all summer, every Thursday from 7-10pm.. So far, it's been an eclectic mix of music: everyone from the Squirrel Nut Zippers to Joan Baez to The Lowrider Band. This week is your last chance, and the act is a doozy: Patti Smith and her band.

The drill is pretty simple: you walk down to the Santa Monica Pier and set up shop on your blanket in the sand right next to the stage on the pier. People bring food, and though it’s explicitly forbidden, they bring booze in plastic cups. You sit and enjoy the sounds wafting over from the stage and watch the sunset on the beach. A motley mix collects quickly: families with toddlers, twentysomethings in a group, and couples on dates. The crowd is pretty large‚ maybe a thousand or more, and stretches across the sand nearly to the sidewalk. At the end, with a little buzz on and food in your happy belly, you wander back home. It’s free. And tonight’s your last chance.

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