The Salty Seal cancels weekly electronic dance music nights on the heels of a story in the Weekly.

The electronic dance music night that was happening on a weekly basis on Wednesdays at the Salty Seal Brewpub and Sports Bar has been canceled. “We canceled [the EDM night] because we’re for sale,” says Rachael Smith, co-owner and general manager. The business, housed in the historic Bear Flag building on Cannery Row in Monterey, is for sale. Cannery Row Company is the landlord for the building.

Frank Padilla, a manager at Salty Seal, is also a DJ who had been hosting weekly EDM nights on the back patio of the establishment for about a month. The event, coined by Padilla as “Hops and Drops,” was advertised primarily on Instagram and had gained a nascent following. Padilla also invested some of his own money into a subwoofer he had been using for the shows on the back patio. 

The establishment is known for drawing in evening rock and roll bands with dancing happening on the back patio.

Ownership of the Salty Seal claim that they were not aware of the extent of the EDM nights were happening, despite the events being advertised by Padilla on Instagram since July 7. Concerns raised by management since the Weekly published a story about the events on Aug. 15 include the pending sale of the business, as well as memories of the former Cannery Row nightclub Blue Fin that shut down in 2017 after eight years in business amid security concerns. Management also raised concerns about dancing on the brick floor of the patio and permitting for the event—although live music performances are planned for most weekends through December 2024, according to the pub’s website.

A use permit is required for any amplified music or sound to be played by a business, following a public hearing process in the City of Monterey. The genre or nature of such sound, once approved, cannot be dictated by the city on free speech grounds, according to Monterey city planners. A use permit originally granted to the venue (in a former iteration) in 2001 allows for live non-amplified entertainment until 11pm on The Salty Seal’s back patio, so long as noise does not exceed 70 decibels on the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail abutting the property. Amplified live entertainment can happen until 1am inside the bar, with a 60-decibel threshold on the sidewalk of Cannery Row. City staff do not have any knowledge of noise complaints coming from the establishment under the use permit.

Padilla expressed disappointment in the decision. “The patio provides a truly unique experience in Monterey but I am looking for a more stable home for the dance community,” he says. “I just want the community to have a stable home.”