Downtown Santa Monica Is Rebuilding Itself Around the People Who Live Nearby

At 3 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, Frost on Fifth reopens at 1324 5th St., at the corner of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue. Through January 18, 2027, it runs weekdays from 3 to 10 p.m. and weekends and holidays from noon to 10 p.m. Tickets are sold through frostonfifth.com. Downtown Santa Monica Inc. has said only that special 2026 skating events are coming.

This year the rink is one part of a larger plan to bring residents Downtown more often. In an October 22 interview with the Santa Monica Daily Press, Downtown Santa Monica Inc. CEO Debbie Lee listed the return of the ice rink alongside Oktoberfest, Halloween activities, monthly Block Fest nights and a farmers market series. She described all of them as a single plan to give people "a reason to come back time and time again." Her goal is stated plainly: "We want residents to come here and use Downtown as their downtown." This fall's events, openings and construction fences are easiest to understand as steps toward that goal.

The numbers DTSM is watching now

Downtown has long been judged by crowds. The figures Lee shared with the Daily Press point to a different measure.

In August 2026, about 2.4 million people visited Downtown Santa Monica, up nearly 20% from the previous August. Visits to the Third Street Promenade itself rose only about 2% that month, to roughly 380,000, and part of the district was under construction at the time. Spending grew faster. In July, average daily spending on the Promenade topped $110 per visitor, up 12.5% year over year. Total Promenade spending rose 11.2%, and the average transaction was close to $75.

On the Promenade, then, the number of visitors barely moved while the amount each person spent climbed. That is why Lee says she tracks dwell time, meaning how long people stay. She asked, "If foot traffic is down but spend is up, what does that mean?" A longer stay leaves room for one more meal or one more shop. A neighbor who comes back every week is worth more to that model than a visitor who comes once.

The spending data is also shaping what Downtown tries to attract. Lee pointed to a concentration of activewear, wellness, beauty and specialty businesses, and a customer base made up largely of adults between about 18 and 44 with active lifestyles.

A calendar built on repeat visits

The events themselves follow the same thinking, and there are two kinds of them.

The large one is Santa Monica Block Fest, a free event that fills all three blocks of the Promenade with music stages and adds a food night market on Arizona Avenue. According to the City of Santa Monica's September release, the three summer editions averaged more than 20,000 attendees a night. That turnout was strong enough to make Block Fest a monthly series on the second Saturday through the end of the year. On that schedule, the November edition falls on Saturday, November 14, and December's on Saturday, December 12. Lineups for both had not been posted as of late October. The September night market included Dave's Hot Chicken, Luckyball BBQ and Bar Xuntos. Broke Artist Nation hosted an open mic on the 1200 Stage, and the band Dirty Monday's played inside Barney's Beanery. The free tickets have been reservable online in advance.

The smaller kind of event is easy to miss. Forever Summer set up community tables, live music, flowers and lemonade on the 1300 block on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., next to the Downtown Farmers Market. Hermanito served ceviche and ran a pop-up spritz bar. The posted schedule ran through October. The market continues without it, at 155 to 199 Arizona Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The city notes that it may close on selected holidays.

Lee told the Daily Press that the two kinds of events work together: "Activations work to spark interest. The lighter-touch events and the surprise and delight create a reason for people to come back time and time again." The rink falls in between. It runs every day for eleven weeks, which makes it a regular stop more than a one-night event.

What the papered windows mean

Empty storefronts have been the Promenade's hardest image to shake, and Lee addressed them directly. She put the Promenade at about 80% leased and said some leased spaces still look vacant because tenants are working through permits, construction and build-out. A September city and DTSM presentation reported that 79% of ground-level commercial space on the Promenade was occupied as of August 2026.

The same presentation lists the tenants behind several covered windows. Here is where each stood in the most recent public reports:

Arte Museum has the longest timeline. When Macerich announced it as d'strict's first U.S. flagship in January 2023, it projected a late-2023 opening. The fall 2026 target is the current one.

Several businesses did open this summer. The presentation lists Raising Cane's at 1401 Third Street Promenade, TMNT Pizzeria at 1444, Dragon Alley at 312 Santa Monica Blvd. and Club Studio on Level 1 of Santa Monica Place as opening in June. Khaan Saab, at 115 Santa Monica Blvd., followed in July.

Lee also described empty storefronts as space DTSM can program while longer-term deals come together. Brands can take short-term pop-ups to test the market. Neutrogena recently ran a 30-day activation on the Promenade.

The corner at 4th and Wilshire is open

One long-closed space has opened. Gott's Roadside, the Napa Valley restaurant recognized as a James Beard America's Classic, opened its first coastal location on October 2. It sits on the northeast corner of 4th Street and Wilshire Boulevard, in the space formerly used by Osteria. The space has 6,600 square feet inside and a 2,200-square-foot patio.

Gott's appears to be betting on regular local diners. Company president Clay Walker told the Santa Monica Daily Press that he expects to draw diners from as far north as Malibu, as far east as the 405 and as far south as Marina del Rey. He added, "I was actually surprised at how little outdoor patio space there is in LA, given how good the climate is." According to the Santa Monica Mirror, the restaurant has more than a dozen community tables that each seat up to 16. It also has a heated, covered patio and a dessert station serving Straus organic soft serve, Nounos Greek frozen yogurt and cookies baked on site, with a lowered self-serve kiosk where children can order treats. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and reservations are not required.

Construction you'll pass this month

Two projects are visible at the Wilshire end of the Promenade.

• Promenade and Wilshire repairs. The Westside Current reported that crews are replacing damaged pavers, sidewalk, curb and gutter at the southeast corner, damage blamed on tree roots and an earlier water-line break. Fencing went up October 10 and demolition began October 14. The city estimated about four weeks of work, aimed to finish before holiday shopping, and said pedestrian routes would stay open. Parking on Wilshire may be affected.
• Digital billboard frames on the 1200 block. According to The Lookout, crews began putting up steel frames in August for the first of 16 digital billboards. Each can span up to 1,000 square feet, and they wrap buildings at both ends of the block between Arizona Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. The 30-year agreements could bring the city as much as $7 million a year in today's dollars if all 16 are installed.

A larger change is still in planning. The city's October 15 update says a capital refresh of the Promenade is planned before the 2028 Olympics, with a concept plan due to City Council in early 2027. The DTSM board has also chosen "Next Generation: Third Street Promenade" as one of its focus areas.

Your November dates

• Thursday, November 5: Frost on Fifth opens at 1324 5th St., 3 to 10 p.m. on weekdays.
• Wednesdays and Saturdays: Downtown Farmers Market on Arizona Avenue, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, November 14: Block Fest's second-Saturday date, across all three blocks, with the night market on Arizona Avenue.
• Any day, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Gott's Roadside at 4th and Wilshire, walk-in only.

Each of these will be on the calendar again next week or next month, which is the habit DTSM is trying to build.

Over the next year, Downtown's leased storefronts, billboards and Promenade refresh plan will keep changing the blocks around 4th, 5th and Arizona. If you own a home within walking distance of the Promenade and want to talk through what these changes could mean for your property, Team Pinckert is glad to have that conversation. When the timing is right, we can help you list your home with a presentation that reflects the neighborhood around it.