Sunset Center Throws a Free Centennial Block Party on Oct. 25

The Whole Town Is Invited: Sunset Center Throws a Free Centennial Block Party on Oct. 25

One campus. Two centennials. One very big afternoon.

Live music, a giant community art wall, a photo bus, face painting, cookies, a DJ spinning vinyl on the lawn — Carmel-by-the-Sea’s cultural landmark hands the whole campus over to the community for one free, joyful afternoon.

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. — Bring the kids. Bring the neighbors. Bring your memories. On Sunday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunset Center opens every door and every corner of its historic campus for a free, family-friendly celebration — music on the main stage, hands-on art on the grounds, storytelling, treats and something happening everywhere you turn. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

The party kicks off Century of Creativity | 1926–2031, a five-year community campaign honoring one campus with two centennials. In 2026, Sunset marks 100 years since its original 1926 building opened as Sunset School. In 2031, it will mark 100 years of live performance in the theater, whose auditorium opened in 1931. Between those two milestones lies a single, continuous story — from a neighborhood schoolhouse to the beating heart of the arts on the Monterey Peninsula. One campus. Two centennials. One story.

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. For one afternoon, the campus becomes the community’s living room.

Ellen Martin, a longtime neighbor who has both attended and produced performances at Sunset, knows exactly what this campus can do when it throws open its gates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when theaters had gone dark and people were isolated, she helped turn the Sunset Center parking lot into an outdoor concert venue for Halloween.

“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 THE MAIN STAGE · TWO HOURS, ONE CENTURY OF MUSIC

From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the historic 718-seat theater fills with performance — and the doors stay open, so wander in, catch a set, wander back out. The lineup brings together the resident companies that have called this campus home for decades — the Carmel Bach Festival, the Monterey Symphony, the Carmel Music Society and Chamber Music Monterey Bay — with the next generation of Peninsula talent taking outdoor terrace stage:

• Youth Music Monterey — a youth brass ensemble
• Carmel High School Chamber Singers (Carmel Unified School District) — student vocalists
• Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre / TDC — dancers from right here on the Peninsula

The full performance schedule will be announced. Between them, these are the artists who have made this stage sing since 1931 — and the ones who will carry it to its own centennial in 2031.

THE SUNSET LEGACY WALL · LEAVE YOUR MARK

Here is the part guests will still be talking about next year. The Sunset Legacy Wall, led by the Sally Russell Art Studio, is one enormous artwork built 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 100 years from now. Grab a brush, find your spot, sign your name to the next century. A rock-painting station alongside it means even the smallest hands go home with something they made.

The wall picks up a thread that has run through this campus for a hundred years. Barbara Bullock-Wilson first appeared here on stage as a child, in a ballet recital. As a teenager she ushered for the Carmel Bach Festival, back when ushers wore evening gowns for evening performances and, as she remembers it, she felt like a princess at a ball. Her father, photographer Wynn Bullock, was a founding member of the Friends of Photography — today the Center for Photographic Art — and the campus gallery once carried his name.

“The Center is an enormously important contributor to the cultural and educational life of the Monterey Peninsula. My hope is that it continues to build on that legacy for generations to come.”

— Barbara Bullock-Wilson

EVERYWHERE ELSE · MUSIC, ART AND A PHOTO BUS

Outside on the grounds and terrace, and inside throughout the buildings, the celebration keeps moving all afternoon:

• DJ Paul Wylde spins vinyl near the theater — actual records, actual turntables — with pop-up performances breaking out around the campus.
• Watch a painting happen. Artist Valentine creates a work in real time, start to finish, right in front of you.
• Climb aboard the photo bus. The Center for Photographic Art brings a photo bus activation and a book signing, turning photography into something you can step inside.
• Free face painting from the Harrison Memorial Library, plus community art activities running all afternoon.
• Tell your Sunset story. The Carmel Public Library is collecting oral histories on the spot — share a favorite memory in a minute, or leave your name for a full interview later.
• Breathe. Yoga Shala hosts outdoor wellness practices through the day, including a sound-bath experience.
• Go behind the scenes. Guided tours take guests into corners of the campus most people never see; tour times to be announced.
• Then and now. A “looking back and looking forward” gallery exhibit of archival photographs traces the campus from 1926 toward its next 100 years.
• Take home a piece of it. Official Sunset Center Centennial merchandise and campaign information at the centennial table.

SNACKS ON THE HOUSE

Local partners are handing out treats all afternoon: 200 complimentary chocolate chip cookies from the Cookie Kindness Project, 100 individual cheeses from Beehive and a chocolate donation from Marich. Sunset Center concessions will be open too, with hot dogs, chips, popcorn and sodas available for purchase. Come hungry.

A CELEBRATION BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY

The day is a true community effort. Civic and cultural organizations are hosting tables and sharing stories across the campus — among them the Carmel Heritage Society, the Harrison Memorial Library, The Carmel Foundation, the Carmel Youth Center, the Carmel Residents Association and the Carmel Woman’s Club — with additional resident companies, schools, artists and neighbors joining through the fall. 

Just as this campus was built and sustained by the community across a century, Century of Creativity invites the next generation of neighbors, patrons and partners to help carry it forward. Supporters, sponsors and donors are welcome to invest in the next 100 years, with opportunities to give and get involved unfolding across the five-year campaign.

“For 100 years, Sunset has been a place where our community comes together — to learn, create, celebrate, and connect. What began as a neighborhood school has evolved into a vibrant cultural center that belongs to everyone. This centennial is not only an opportunity to honor the generations of students, artists, volunteers, audiences, and supporters who shaped Sunset’s story, but also to celebrate the role it continues to play in bringing people together and inspiring creativity for generations to come.”

— Beth Bowman, Executive Director, Sunset Cultural Center

THE JOURNEY BEGAN AUG. 26

The community celebration is the first public chapter of a five-year campaign that opened Wednesday, Aug. 26, with a public ribbon-cutting and press conference — “The Journey Begins” — presented with the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, followed by a reception and campus tours.

EVENT DETAILS

OCT. 25 — Centennial Community Celebration. Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Theater performances 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; full performance schedule to be announced. Activities run throughout the afternoon, indoors and out. Free and open to all.

LOCATION — Sunset Center, San Carlos Street at Ninth Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea.

FOLLOW ALONG — #CenturyOfCreativity · #Sunset100 · sunsetcenter.org

ABOUT SUNSET CENTER

Sunset Center is the cultural center of Carmel-by-the-Sea, presenting performances, exhibitions and community programs on a historic campus that opened as Sunset School in 1926, with its theater auditorium following in 1931. Operated by the nonprofit Sunset Cultural Center, Inc., the landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and today features an intimate 718-seat theater, resident companies and year-round arts education. Century of Creativity | 1926–2031 is the organization’s five-year campaign marking two centennials — the 1926 building in 2026 and 100 years of performance in the theater in 2031 — and an invitation to the community to help shape the next 100 years. Learn more at sunsetcenter.org.