The New Monterey Business Association (NMBA), the organization of small businesses in the Lighthouse District, is excited to announce that our new Administrator, Sabrina Hiltunen, will participate in the City of Monterey's First City Academy in Spring 2026 as a strategic community partner.

Meeting weekly March 4 - May 14, First City Academy, a community program presented by the City of Monterey, teaches participants about topics such as city management, community engagement, community services, public works, police, community development, fire and emergency management, economic development, budgeting, technology, and human resources. In short, it covers how the City is funded, how services are delivered, and how decisions are made.

An integral part of Sabrina Hiltunen's job in serving and representing the businesses in the Lighthouse District and Downtown Old Monterey is to work with the City of Monterey to conduct day-to-day operations, coordinate community events, and fulfill the districts’ visions.

Sabrina writes, "I recognize First City Academy will teach me invaluable information and processes into how local government operates that will not only benefit me but our businesses and the City of Monterey staff I work closely with. As a Monterey native and civic engagement aficionado, I am looking forward to learning about our government programs and services as well as getting to know the civil servants who dedicate their lives and careers to making our city a vibrant community to live, work, and play."

The Old Monterey Business Association (OMBA) is excited to announce that our new Executive Director, Sabrina Hiltunen, will participate in the City of Monterey's First City Academy in Spring 2026 as a strategic community partner.

Meeting weekly March 4 - May 14, First City Academy, a community program presented by the City of Monterey, teaches participants about topics such as city management, community engagement, community services, public works, police, community development, fire and emergency management, economic development, budgeting, technology, and human resources. In short, it covers how the City is funded, how services are delivered, and how decisions are made.

An integral part of Sabrina Hiltunen's job in serving and representing the businesses in Downtown Old Monterey and the Lighthouse District is to work with the City of Monterey to conduct day-to-day operations, coordinate community events, and fulfill the districts’ visions.

Sabrina writes, "I recognize First City Academy will teach me invaluable information and processes into how local government operates that will not only benefit me but our businesses and the City of Monterey staff I work closely with. As a Monterey native and civic engagement aficionado, I am looking forward to learning about our government programs and services as well as getting to know the civil servants who dedicate their lives and careers to making our city a vibrant community to live, work, and play."

Hi everyone, we have a day confirmed for the 2026 Historic Downtown Campbell Car Show. It'll be our 4th annual show and this year it will happen on Saturday, June 6th.

We will be announcing additional details in the coming weeks, including when we'll begin taking registrations for this year's show. For now we just wanted to make sure that you circle the date on June 6th for one of the most talked about Nor Cal car shows in recent years.

We're looking forward to it and hope you'll be able to join us.

Namaste India Bistro has been part of Monterey's Lighthouse District for nearly a decade, offering authentic Indian cuisine made with care, tradition, and a whole lot of heart.

We’ve recently refreshed our interior to create a warm, inviting atmosphere, perfect for a casual lunch, family dinner, or a relaxed night out. Our goal is simple: to make every guest feel welcome the moment they walk through our door at 538 Lighthouse Avenue.

If you’ve been meaning to try Namaste or haven’t visited in a while, we invite you to stop by and experience it for yourself. Supporting local restaurants keeps the Lighthouse District vibrant.

We just updated our Downtown Campbell annual events guide for 2026 and it's going to be another busy year of events between everything organized by the Downtown Campbell Business Association, Campbell Chamber, and the City itself. Volunteers will be needed for all of them.

Volunteers are what makes Campbell's engaging community culture possible and creating community connections is more important than ever in the world that we live in. If you're interested in helping us with this mission, take a look through our events guide and then fill out our Volunteer Registration Form and let us know which events you'd be interested in helping with.

Completing our registration form does not commit you to work at your selected events nor does it guarantee we'll have a position we can place you in. It only means that you'd like us to contact you when we're organizing our volunteer teams.

Volunteer Registration Form

There's a new spot for men's and women's tailoring and alterations in Downtown Monterey: Marries Her Designs! Pants, skirts, shirts, bridal gowns, engagement dresses, suits, and prom dresses...tailor and fashion designer Mary Almanasir can handle them all.

Depending on the piece, most items will be ready for pick up within a week with flawless stitching and a fit that feels like it was always meant to be yours. This is custom tailoring for every body, every style.

Mary's small workshop is nestled inside Alma Del Mar's soap shop at 269 Bonifacio Place, conveniently located next to Paris Bakery. Please make an appointment for drop-off or pick-up on the Marries Her Designs website or through Instagram. Fittings available.

Looking for a sweet way to say you care about someone this Valentine's Day? Give them a locally made candle from I Heart You Candles and Gifts, located at 482 Alvarado Street, Suite A in Downtown Monterey.

Come find a unique gift on our shelves or create your own customized candle in-house by selecting a scented candle and decorating it with a variety of small metal charms to create a special, heartfelt message.

All scented, organic soy candles at I Heart You are made in Monterey by shop owner Sherry Devine. Open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm.

Congratulations to the 16 Downtown Monterey businesses and organizations voted as winners and finalists in Monterey Bay Parent Family Favorites 2026, celebrating local residents' top picks for family life across Monterey County.

Ad Astra Bread Co.
Bakery / Desserts Finalist

Alvarado Street Brewery
Burger Finalist

Cella Restaurant
Date Night Finalist

Chase Bank
Bank / Credit Union Finalist

Dennis Murphy School of Music
Music Studio / Lessons Finalist

The Hot Spot
Art Classes Finalist

Monterey Credit Union
Bank / Credit Union Winner

Monterey Museum of Art
Museum Finalist

Monterey Public Library
Library Finalist

MY Museum
Indoor Activity Winner
Museum Winner
Toddler Activity Winner
Must-Have Family Membership Finalist
Party Venue: Indoors Finalist

Revival Ice Cream
Ice Cream / Yogurt Winner

Rosine's Restaurant
Family-Friendly Dining Winner

Scoops Ice Cream Parlor
Ice Cream / Yogurt Finalist

Spa on the Plaza
Massage Therapist / Spa Finalist

Sur Burger
Burger Finalist

Wells Fargo Bank
Bank / Credit Union Finalist

We know it's already February, but our 2026 Featured Events guide is finally up with the expected dates and times of almost all of the key events happening in Downtown Campbell this year. Some events like the City of Campbell's Summer Concert Series we can't add until the City's Parks and Recreation department releases the schedule for this year's concerts.

Just about everything else is in there though! Our Car Show will be on Saturday, June 6th this year and we'll have a lot to say about it in the next few months. It's going to be an exciting year in Downtown Campbell. Among other things, a couple of highly anticipated new restaurants are going to open in the space that used to be Opa's and Mo's.

We're also expecting to have a new website sometime this year. Things will be changing and improving in 2026.

View 2026 Featured Events