Events

Breaking Bread: Stories of Food and Family

Chefs, educators, and community voices explore how breads across cultures carry stories of ancestry, memory, hospitality, resilience, and belonging, from cornbread to croissants and baguettes; Mexican breads to flatbreads.

yellow background with skulls and flowers with listing of schools participating in the program described on the webpage

Dia de los Muertos 2025

The Santa Monica History Museum hosts students from local high schools as we honor Dia de los Muertos. Students share altars honoring family and friends. The rich tradition of Dia de los Muertos is a rare opportunity to spend time with loved ones who have passed away as well as being a time to process their loss and remember. Dia de los Muertos is not a mournful commemoration but a joyous, colorful celebration of life and memory.

Herstory Talks

Nina Fresco presents highlights from her extensive research into the complex life of Arcadia Bandini Stearns de Baker—an often-overlooked figure in Santa Monica’s founding story.

Postcard with palm trees and text: Santa Monica and Save the date Sunday, October 19

2025 Gala – History Isn’t Trivial

This annual event is the Santa Monica History Museum’s largest and most important fundraiser of the year. Join us as we celebrate Santa Monica’s 150th year and honor Paulette and Sam Kardashian, and Buria Finkel.

Event announcement showing blue book cover with photo montage of faces

When the City Speaks

Book signing and Photo exhibit for “When the City Speaks”

Herstory

This exhibit remembers the groundbreaking women of Santa Monica. They were the first and often, though not always, the only women in the room, but they created spaces and places for other women, their communities, and the broader Santa Monica community. Their legacy and work continue to this day.

Palm trees and blue sky with Kuruvunga Village Springs and text overlay

Kuruvunga Village Springs Tour

Kuruvunga Village Springs Tour + Free Museum Admission Friday, June 6, 2025, Starting at 10AM rsvp@santamonicahistory.org The Santa Monica History Museum, in partnership with the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, invites the public to a free day of cultural exploration celebrating Indigenous heritage and the rich local history of the region. The day begins at Kuruvungna Village Springs and Cultural Center, where from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Bob Ramirez, President of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, will lead a guided tour of the sacred site. Following the tour, guests may visit the Santa Monica History Museum to explore its current exhibitions, which […]