What's up Laguna! Saturday morning is Love Laguna Beach day: the whole town spends the morning volunteering on more than 20 projects, and everyone is welcome. Then Sunday the Classic Car Show and Oktoberfest take over downtown. And orcas are off the coast right now!
Below you'll find this week's events, ways to give back, spots coming soon, the conditions, some local news, and a bit of Laguna lore.
★ = family friendly
Wednesday 9/30
Nix Nature Center, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Wed, 8 to 10am
A beginner-friendly guided hike to Laguna's only natural lake with Canyon Foundation naturalists. Free, RSVP at
lagunacanyon.org.
Thursday 10/1
Willow Staging Area, Aliso and Wood Canyons Thu, 8:30 to 11am
A fast-paced conditioning hike at roughly a 19 minute mile, not for beginners. Free, RSVP at
lagunacanyon.org.
Saturday 10/3
The 28th annual competition brings 30 of the nation's top landscape painters to Laguna through October 11, and it opens with a Welcome to Laguna paint out at Heisler Park. Free to wander and watch all week.
The Laguna Beach Surf Club's sign-up night for next year, with a live auction raising money for local surfer Eli Viszolay's fight against cancer, the history of the Brooks Street Classic, and Dick Metz honored. $20 donation at the door.
Nix Nature Center, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Sat, 8 to 10am
A brisk 2 mile hike with 400 feet of gain connecting the Nix Nature Center to Serrano Ridge. Registration is already full for this one.
Sunday 10/4
The 22nd annual car show fills downtown with classics, plus an Oktoberfest alongside. $10 adults, $3 kids under 12, pay at the gate.
A painting race where the 30 Invitational artists get exactly two hours to finish a painting in front of you at Heisler Park. The wet paintings then go to a meet and greet and silent auction at the Festival grounds after, free to attend both. LPAPA has not posted this year's times yet, check lpapa.org.
Meet spot on IG Sun, 9am
The Sunday group run, free and all paces welcome.
Tuesday 10/6
Downtown Coast Hwy, Forest Avenue, and Main Beach Tue, 5 to 8pm
The Invitational artists set up easels around downtown at dusk to paint Laguna after dark. Free, just walk around and watch them work.
Canyon View Park entrance, Aliso and Wood Canyons Tue, 8:30 to 11am
A guided wilderness walk where you might see deer, bobcats, and hawks with OC Parks and Canyon Foundation volunteers. Free, RSVP at
lagunacanyon.org.
Meet spot on IG Tue, 6:30pm
The weekday evening run, free.
• Coast Film and Music Festival Oct 16 to 25, passes on sale. Irvine Bowl nights Oct 23 to 25 with Ben Harper, Amos Lee, Donavon Frankenreiter and more.
Saturday 10/3
All over town, kickoff 8am at the Susi Q Sat, morning
The citywide volunteer morning with more than 20 projects, from painting at the Boys and Girls Club to prepping the Invitational's art exhibition. Pick a project and sign up free at
LoveLagunaBeach.org/Projects.
Aliso and Wood Canyons Sat, 9am to noon
Hands-in-the-dirt habitat restoration with the Canyon Foundation and OC Parks. Free, RSVP required.
Through Wednesday 9/30
Online Through Sep 30
Every dollar you give is doubled up to $20,000 through September 30. Two days left when you read this.
Ongoing
Laguna Art Museum Flexible shifts
The museum is looking for volunteers to greet visitors and run the Museum Store. Details on the museum's Instagram.
• The Irvine Bowl gets a sound test The city will suspend its sound policy for three days in October to measure a real concert at the Bowl and decide whether the rules should change.
• All five school board candidates, one room The Council of PTAs hosts a forum Wednesday October 7, 6 to 7:30pm in the Thurston Middle School library, all five invited.
• Festival of Arts artist applications are open for 2027 OC artists can apply for next summer's Fine Art Show through October 30 at 4pm, $50 jury fee per medium.
• A plant found nowhere else in North America grows in Laguna Canyon Stinking Roger, an invasive weed, lives along the access road to the police shooting range on Laguna Canyon Rd, the only recorded spot on the continent, and the city and Canyon Foundation are working to contain it.
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