We are happy to announce that Alvarado Street Brewery's Howzit Punch has won Gold in the Fruited American-Style Sour Ale category at the 2026 World Beer Cup...for the second year in a row!

Alvarado Street Brewery's team didn't do anything special for the competition - this POG sour loaded with passion fruit, orange, and guava was just doing its thing. It went straight off the canning line and into the show. It's the same beer you’ve been drinking!

Congratulations to the Alvarado Street Brewery production team! Visit Alvarado Street Brewery and Grill at 426 Alvarado Street in Downtown Monterey to try Howzit Punch and many more amazing beers.

Venture Gallery presents the work of Gordon Mayfield, our featured local artist for May. His exhibit of watercolors, entitled Alive, depicts places of peace and beauty.

About the Exhibit

Certain places become meaningful to each of us - dramatic and enduring, peaceful and beautiful. We experience these precious landscapes and feel alive. In this series of watercolor paintings, Gordon Mayfield invites us to see in a new way.

About Venture Gallery

Venture Gallery is open 10am-6pm daily. Gordon Mayfield's artwork will be featured through May 2026. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.

The New Monterey Business Association (NMBA) is excited to announce that Lighthouse District street banners have been installed by the City of Monterey along Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey!

We want to thank all our volunteer NMBA board members past and present, Monterey City planners and City Council members, the City Manager’s office, the NMBA's current administrator Sabrina Hiltunen, and past administrators Peter Cofresi and Rick Johnson for working hard for years to fulfill this project. The banner was designed by Melissa Thoeny, a local graphic designer who is a former NMBA board member.

The bright and cheerful blue banners you see along the street have taken a small village to bring to life, and they're a testament to everyone’s dedication to our community and their commitment to raising awareness of New Monterey's Lighthouse District. Here's to neighborhood pride!

On The Beach Surf Shop is celebrating their 40th anniversary on April 24, 2026. It's not every small, locally-owned retail business that can boast that kind of longevity.

Congratulations to owner Kelly Sorensen and his family for bringing 40 years of good vibes to surfers, skateboarders, snowboarders and skiers, and beach enthusiasts of all ages.

Stop by On The Beach at 693 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey to check out their wealth of new and retro OTB logo merchandise and celebrate with them.

The Monterey County Film Commission, located in the Lighthouse District, is pleased to announce that Julian Sumano has been selected as winner of the $2000 Monterey County Film Commission's Director Emeritus Richard Tyler Film Student Scholarship Awards. In addition, Hanna Smith has been selected as the recipient of a $1000 runner-up award.

Both Julian and Hanna are students in the Cinematic Arts and Technology Department at California State University, Monterey Bay. Congratulations to each of them! For more information on the scholarship fund, please phone MCFC at 831-646-0910.

Bad news: When it's dog vs. frames, the dog always wins.

Good news: InSight Eyewear repairs glasses frames! The frames pictured survived with just a few scratches and a new string. The next time you have an eyeglasses emergency, stop by the shop at 490 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey and we'll try to help you.

Does Oystertown serve dessert? Heck, yeah! Stop by and enjoy decadent chocolate pudding, banana custard with candied oyster crackers, and mermaid pavlova (not pictured).

Visit us at 281 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. Beginning May 1 we'll be open 6 days a week: Mon-Sat, 4:30pm-9pm.

Grit + Tonic Pilates is now offering a special for new clients to the studio located at 476 Tyler Street in Downtown Monterey.

Purchase a 3-class pack, and pay only $99 for a private session with one of our certified instructors. Want to save even more? You can instead purchase a private session with one of our resident instructors (teachers in training) for only $75.

Visit our website for more information and to place your order.

About Grit + Tonic

Grit + Tonic Pilates Studio was created to offer mindful, effective Reformer Pilates workouts that meet you exactly where you are. With small class sizes and intentional programming, we focus on quality over quantity so you can focus on moving well and feeling good. We also offer private sessions.

Welcome to Lighthouse District in the News, an occasional post featuring recent news articles on Monterey's Lighthouse District. Please click the links below to read the article.

Curry Journey ventures to the Thai staple, but keeps its menu manageable
by Dave Faries
Monterey County NOW, 04/02/26

Project to stabilize a hillside of the Presidio overlooking Lighthouse Avenue moves forward
by Aric Sleeper
Monterey County NOW, 03/12/26

Hula’s speakeasy features a line of cocktails from both green and yellow chartreuse [Hula's - Next Door]
by Dave Faries
Monterey County NOW, 02/26/26

Beach Rooster sunscreen is now available at On The Beach Surf Shop. A reef-friendly sunscreen and moisturizer, it doesn’t leave a white cast like your typical mineral sunscreen.

We carry tubes of SPF 50+ tinted mineral sunscreen with a dewy finish, and a mineral SPF 30 body spray in an aerosol-free pump bottle. Both are water resistant for 80 minutes. Come check them out at 693 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Mission 19 Taqueria invites you to try the newest addition to our menu: flautas. This is the dish everyone's going to be craving: crispy, golden, and packed with flavor, topped with fresh lettuce, pico, sour cream, cheese...plus our homemade sauce that changes EVERYTHING.

Enjoy Mission 19's Flautas a la carte (pictured here) or on a plate with rice and beans. Delicious! Visit us at 598 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

The Lighthouse District's own Lighthouse Bistro Global Cuisine is proud to have participated in The Great Taste of PG on April 4, 2026, a fundraiser for Pacific Grove P.R.I.D.E. (Public Response in Dollars for Education), funding educational enrichment in the PG Unified School District since 1982.

Did you miss the event? We serve our delicious baklava every day at the Bistro, made with love by restaurant co-owner Hiba. Stop by and try it at 570 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey! Open: Sun-Thu, 11am-8pm; Fri, 11am-9pm; Sat, 9am-9pm; and Sun, 9am-8pm.

Namaste India Bistro at 538 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey offers more than just indoor dining and takeout, we also offer catering for events, from small gatherings to larger celebrations. We love being part of birthdays, office lunches, and special occasions in our community.

Namaste offers a wide variety of dishes, mild to spicy, with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available. You're sure to make all your guests' taste buds happy! View our menu and request a quote on our website. For more information, please call us at 831-641-0130.

Venture Gallery presents Spring Into Beauty, the featured show by our local artists in April.

About the Exhibit

The season of Spring invites one to feel the promise of new growth, and a joyous burst of blooms and opportunities that longer days bring. Riots of color and Spring-like energy welcome you.

The member artists of Venture Gallery are feeling this energy and are sharing it! During the month of April, they will feature Spring-themed art and live artist demonstrations.

About Venture Gallery

Venture Gallery is open 10am-6pm daily. Spring Into Beauty will be featured through April 2026. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.