More than 25 restaurants and chefs are set to descend on Santa Monica Pier this Sunday for the return of the Off the Hook seafood festival, an event that doubles as a nod to National Seafood Month and to the 100th anniversary of Route 66. Oysters, lobster, shrimp, tuna, caviar and sushi will headline the tastings, alongside craft beer and wine gardens, curated cocktails, and a yacht rock party featuring The Windbreakers spinning 1970s and 1980s smooth rock.
The festival returns to the pier that marks the western end of Route 66, a detail festival producer Kim Koury says shaped this year's theme. As reported by SMDP, Koury, president of Spin PR Group, said the 2026 festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66 at an iconic location associated with the Mother Road. Koury has lived in Santa Monica for 25 years and has produced events in the city for two decades, and she called the festival a labor of love.
A Pier Already Soaked in Route 66 Lore
The pier's Route 66 connection is more symbolic than official — the highway's true terminus sits at Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards, but the famous End of the Trail sign was mounted on the pier in 2009 by the Route 66 Alliance and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation, according to Route 66 Road Trip. That symbolic status has made the pier a magnet for centennial programming this year, including a June Pier to Pier event with Chicago's Navy Pier that offered 66 minutes of free Ferris wheel rides on each coast, according to the Santa Monica Pier. Hoodline previously reported on Chicago's own Route 66 sign ceremony at Navy Pier earlier this year. Federal lawmakers have also introduced the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act, aiming to designate and preserve the 2,400-mile corridor ahead of its 100th anniversary, per the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Beyond the Tastings: An Environmental Mandate
Festival organizers describe the event as free of single-use plastics and built around sustainable seafood and ocean conservation. Proceeds benefit Heal the Bay, which works to protect the coastline, restore local waterways and keep Santa Monica Bay clean, per the festival's own description as relayed by the same SMDP report. The festival will also benefit the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, a nonprofit that funnels funds toward free community programming on the pier.
Heal the Bay's ties to the venue run deep: the nonprofit acquired the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, tucked beneath the historic carousel, from UCLA in March 2003 for just $1, transforming the 4,500-square-foot space into a public marine science museum with over 100 native species, according to Heal the Bay. Founded in 1985 by activist Dorothy Green, the organization launched its Beach Report Card in 1992, using A-to-F bacterial grades that helped secure more than $200 million in California state cleanup funding.
Oyster Shells Head Back to the Bay
During the festival, Santa Monica College's Life Sciences Department will promote its aquaculture program, and OC Coastkeepers will collect oyster shells through its Shells for Shorelines program, with the shells repurposed for native oyster restoration projects across Southern California. Organizers collected more than 70 pounds of oyster shells at last year's festival and expect to collect more than 140 pounds this time around, per the same SMDP account.
The restoration work has real ecological stakes. Native Olympia oyster populations along California's coastline have plummeted by an estimated 85% since the early 20th century due to overharvesting, degraded water quality and coastal development, according to Orange County Coastkeeper. Statewide, the organization's Shells for Shorelines program has diverted more than 24,000 pounds of discarded oyster shells from restaurant waste streams since it began, curing them in the sun before using them in living shoreline projects in Newport Bay, Alamitos Bay and Seal Beach.
What's on the Menu and What It Costs
Participating restaurants include Santa Monica Seafood, Water Grill, Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry, Sushi Roku, Michael's Santa Monica, Mastro's Ocean Club, Fogo de Chão, Pacific Catch and The Lobster, with beverage producers Duvel, Dulce Vida Tequila, Giesen Wines and Junipero Gin pouring alongside the food. The festival has run for eight years, drawing visitors from across Los Angeles as well as attendees who fly in, though it also endured a three-year hiatus after the pandemic.
General admission Little Fish tickets start at $115 and include seafood and beverage tastings, games and live music, with entry beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday. VIP Big Fish tickets start at $175, allow early entry at 3 p.m., and include access to a Sustainable Seafood VIP Lounge presented by Santa Monica Seafood, featuring curated cocktails and extra tastings from Calabra at Santa Monica Proper Hotel, Shuck Brothers and Vibe Caviar. VIP guests also receive a gift bag and unlimited rides at Pacific Park, a ride pass valued at $40. Tickets are available at offthehookseafoodfest.com.
Beyond the food and music, organizers say the goal is to make sustainability part of the experience itself, supporting ocean protection alongside local restaurants and businesses. The festival's return also lands squarely within National Seafood Month, a designation Congress created in October following passage of the Fish and Seafood Promotion Act in 1986 to highlight the economic contributions of fisheries and promote sustainable seafood consumption, according to Gulf Shores News.
