Council Directs Santa Monica Pier Corporation to Move Twilight Concert Series to Fall 2018
December 13, 2017 9:00 AM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – On December 12, 2017, the Santa Monica City Council directed the Santa Monica Pier Corporation move the Twilight Concert Series to after Labor Day in 2018 and take other measures to reduce crowd size. After 33 years of free summer concerts at the Santa Monica Pier, the Twilight Concert Series has grown significantly bringing crowds of tens of thousands and filling the beach below the pier deck.
“The Twilight Concert Series is without a doubt one of the most admired events in Santa Monica, but we need to re-imagine it to ensure the safety of those attending,” said Mayor Ted Winterer. “The Council supports the continuation of the Twilight Concerts if the Pier Corporation is able to reduce crowd size.”
Council directed the Santa Monica Pier Corporation to collaborate with City staff with the following motion that was approved in a 7-0 vote:
- Retain the original spirit of the Twilight Concert Series by limiting attendance to primarily the Pier Deck through a re-imagined, cultural-oriented series of no more than six events starting after Labor Day.
- Give City Staff authority to achieve these goals through consideration of the options outlined in the Staff Report, including: add a no-fee ticketing system to prevent overcrowding and provide a more accurate count of expected attendees; remove all speakers that project towards the beach; reduce the size and prominence of the stage; relocate the stage so it is not visible from the beach; change the day of the week the series is held; book performers whose draw aligns with a small-sized venue; screen the Newcomb lot on the south side of the Pier to remove views from the sand; among other ideas the Pier Corporation may define.
- Limit public safety costs to no more than $400,000 for public safety for the 2018 events, with the authority to suspend the series if this allocation is exhausted prior to the conclusion of the series of events.
- Additionally, staff is directed to engage outside resources to develop an assessment, drawing on other places that host larger scale beach events, including exploring fixed infrastructure needed to provide security for larger scale events.
Council voted to approve the Santa Monica Pier Corporation’s FY 2017-18 Budget and Work Plan by a 7-0 vote and approved the update to the Pier Corporation’s bylaws by a 7-0 vote. The work plan includes continuation of several other marquee programs at the Santa Monica Pier, including Front Porch Cinema, Paddleboard Race & Ocean Festival, STEAM Machines, LA Opera, among other arts and education programming. The Pier Corporation also plans to collaborate with the City’s Office of Pier Management and Office of Emergency Management to update the existing Emergency Action Plan for the Pier.
“We can have safe, inclusive, diverse events on the Pier, but we can’t do it when it spills out over the beach at night,” said City Manager Rick Cole. “We look forward to working with the Pier Corporation’s new executive director as a partner in reimagining the scale and scope of Twilight Concerts.”
According to a December 12, 2017 Staff Report on the Twilight Concert Series and Pier Corporation Budget, Work Plan, and Bylaws, the City’s costs for the 2017 Twilight Concert Series were in excess of $1 million, primarily for public safety personnel and staffing. The size of the crowds on the beach required the assistance of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, as well as other allied agencies to fully staff each concert, and exceeded the allocated budget from City Council by $400,000.
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