Event Calendar
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Centennial Community Celebration
Sunday, October 25, 2026, 1:00 pm
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Centennial Community Celebration
One campus. Two centennials. One story — and you're part of it!
Bring the kids. Bring the neighbors. Bring your memories.
For one afternoon, Sunset Center opens every door and every corner of its historic campus to the community. Music on the main stage. A giant art wall you help paint. A photo bus. Face painting. A DJ spinning actual vinyl on the plaza. Something happening everywhere you turn, indoors and out.
This is a block party, not a gala. No tickets, no dress code, no velvet rope. What began as Sunset School — where generations of local families learned, grew and, for many, first stepped onto a stage — has become Carmel's gathering place. On Oct. 25, the campus becomes the community's living room.
SAVE MY SPOT | SPONSOR THE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
What's happening
The Sunset Center Legacy WallLeave your mark on the next 100 years. Led by the Sally Russell Art Studio, the Sunset Legacy Wall is one enormous artwork built across the afternoon by everyone who shows up. Families, students, artists and neighbors add their own art, handwritten memories and messages meant for the people who will walk this campus a century from now. Grab a brush, find your spot, sign your name to the next century. A rock-painting station alongside the wall means even the smallest hands go home with something they made. |
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Main Stage · 1:30 - 3:30 PM
The historic 718-seat theater fills with performance, and the doors stay open — wander in, catch a set, wander back out.
- Carmel Bach Festival
- Monterey Symphony
- Carmel Music Society
- Chamber Music Monterey Bay
Outdoor Terrace Stage
On the outdoor terrace stage enjoy the next generation of performers.
- Youth Music Monterey
- Carmel High School Chamber Choir
- Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre
Full performance schedule coming soon. Check back for set times.
Across the campus · All afternoon
Vinyl on the plaza | DJ Paul Wylde spins records outside the theater.
Watch a master painter | Artist Valentine creates a work in real time, start to finish.
Climb aboard the photo bus | A Center for Photographic Art activation, plus a book signing.
Free face painting | On-site throughout the afternoon.
Tell your Sunset Center story | The Carmel Public Library collects oral histories on the spot. Share a memory in a minute, or leave your name for a longer interview.
For inner peace | Outdoor wellness practices with Yoga Shala.
Go behind the scenes | Guided campus tours. Times to be announced.
Gallery Show | A photography exhibit in partnership with the Carmel Public Library in the Marjorie Evans Gallery, documenting student life at the historic Sunset School.
Snacks on the house
Complimentary treats from local partners: chocolate chip cookies from the Cookie Kindness Project, individual cheeses from Beehive and chocolate from Marich (while supplies last). Concessions will be open too, with hot dogs, chips, popcorn and sodas available for purchase.
Plan your visit
When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 1 to 4 p.m. Theater performances 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Sunset Center, San Carlos Street at Ninth Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Cost: Free and open to all. No tickets required.
Ages: All. This one is built for families.
Follow along: #CenturyOfCreativity · #Sunset100
One campus. Two centennials. One story.
Century of Creativity | 1926–2031 is a five-year campaign honoring one campus with two milestones. In 2026, Sunset marks 100 years since its original building opened as Sunset School. In 2031, it marks 100 years of live performance in the theater, whose auditorium opened in 1931. Between them lies one continuous story — from a neighborhood schoolhouse to the beating heart of the arts on the Monterey Peninsula.
Share your Sunset Center story
Did you go to school here? Take a ballet class, usher a festival, get married in the lobby, see your first live concert from these seats? We are collecting stories across the centennial, and we want yours.
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"With two live bands, music once again filled the air. Families laughed, danced and celebrated together at a time when hope was in short supply. That evening proved that Sunset Center is much more than a beautiful building. It is a place of resilience, creativity and community." — Ellen Martin, on transforming the Sunset parking lot into a Halloween concert venue during the pandemic. |
Takes only a few minutes.