About this Event
Can you imagine Santa Monica without the Pier?
Fifty years ago, that unimaginable scenario almost became a reality. City officials unveiled plans for a 35-acre manmade island in the bay, complete with a resort hotel and convention center. The Santa Monica Pier was to be torn down to make way for it.
The community fought back, and they won.
Save the Pier! is a free, one-hour live play that brings this dramatic true story back to life. Set in the 1970s, it follows the colorful, passionate locals who took on City Hall through rallies, city meetings, and an unforgettable grassroots movement. The characters carry the names of the real people who were there, because this really happened, and the Pier we love today exists because of them.
Directed by Paul Sand, a Santa Monica native and Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actor in a Play whose career spans over six decades. A founding figure of American improv comedy, Sand got his start studying with Viola Spolin as a child, trained with mime Marcel Marceau in Paris, and was an early member of The Second City in Chicago. His film and TV credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Hot Rock, The Main Event, The X-Files, and M**der, She Wrote, among dozens of others. He brings that lifetime of storytelling to this love letter to his hometown.
Performed on the west end of the Santa Monica Pier. Free and open to the public.
April 16–19, 2026 | 8:00 PM
Santa Monica Pier, West End (behind Mariasol Restaurant)
Visit our website to learn more: santamonicapier.org/savethesmpier
Produced by the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, supported by Pacific Park, Playland Arcade, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, and Mariasol.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
403 Santa Monica Pier, 403 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, United States
USD 0.00
