Hot Picks 08.20.26

 Thursday, Aug. 20- Sunday, Aug. 23

Dance Marathon

The passionate partner dance that originated in the 1880s in South America is coming to the Monterey Peninsula for a four-day marathon of dances, workshops and much more, with participants from all over the world. There are several milongas scheduled for Tango Monterey Bay Marathon, social gatherings where tango is danced, including one on the beach at

Window on the Bay, plus night milongas where dancers are encouraged to wear the thematic colors of each night – the colors are beachy on Friday and Sunday nights, while Saturday night is glitz and glamor with gold, silver and black. The marathon weekend includes yoga and local hikes in addition to workshops. Drop in on a workshop or milonga – there are separate prices for individual events – or buy a day pass or full pass for all four days to experience the magic of tango with other enthusiasts. [PM]

5pm Thursday, Aug. 20-11:50pm Sunday, Aug. 23. Main venue: Hyatt Regency Monterey, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. $200-$350/four-day pass; $75/day pass. montereytangomarathon.com.

 Friday, Aug. 21

Laughter First

Controlled Chaos is coming to California’s First Theatre’s old but absolutely charming and functional stage – perfect for the spoken word. “A day without a laughter is a day wasted” is the motto of the group, led by Monterey Peninsula-born and raised Maria Dawson, who has been practicing and teaching improv for three decades. Meet the bravest of local actors and comedians, twisting in the cruel claws of the unexpected. [AP]

7pm Friday, Aug. 21. California’s First Theatre, Pacific and Scott streets, Monterey. $25. (831) 646-1188, comedyvarietyshowcase.com.

Swing of Things

We keep coming back to vintage jazz, swing and Western swing. This soundtrack of the 1920s through World War II is simply compelling. Why does it have such staying power? The Silver Lining Serenaders have the answer, and they give it in song from the era with fresh arrangements. The New Orleans-based duo (and sometimes trio or quartet) of Ella Thomasine and Scott Stobbe take favorites and lesser-known pieces and bring them to the contemporary world, without losing the danceability or the 20th-century vibe – which is why they have performed around the world. [DF]

7pm Friday, Aug. 21. Pacific Grove Art Center, 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. By donation. (831) 375-2208, pgartcenter.org.

Romantic Nostalgia

It’s time to sing, dance and remember old loves. Bring your parents and grandparents to the Fox Theater for an evening of nostalgia. A trio of popular Mexican groups that rose to fame in the 1980s – Los Yonic’s Zamacona, Los Caminantes and Grupo Yndio – will ignite the stage with balladas, cumbia, grupero and regional Mexican music. Expect songs in Spanish full of romance, passion, longing and rhythm. They will take you to the times when grupero music was to pop culture what reggaeton is today. [CJ]

8pm-1am Friday, Aug. 21 Fox Theater, 241 Main St., Salinas. $79-$119. (831) 758-8459, foxtheatersalinas.com.

 Friday, Aug. 21- Sunday, Aug. 23

Laugh Out Loud

We know that dating in the app era in 2026 can feel like a tragicomedy. What about dating in 2099? One futuristic play envisions an even more comedic (you decide whether it’s more tragic) version of the first date with fine print and contracts to sign. First Date 2099 is one of three short plays in a lineup designed to make you laugh. Make American Names Great Again (MANGA) takes aim at a fictional (but in today’s world, plausible) federal program where everything is up for review. Other Worlds features podcasters talking to ghosts, or at least trying to. Soapbox Stageworks powers through these diverse stories in an hour of rollicking short-form contemporary comedy. [SR]

7pm Friday-Saturday, Aug. 21-22, 2pm Sunday, Aug. 23. Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $35; $25/students, military. (831) 664-6587, soapboxstageworks.org.

 Saturday, Aug. 22

Tailgate Party

Ruddergate is the Salinas Area Modelers’ take on a “tailgate party.” If you are into flying planes, driving cars or racing drones, this gathering might be for you. Bring your friends who share similar interests and come hang out and see models take to the skies. Ruddergate is a monthly affair. A potluck lunch is served at noon. [AP]

9am-2pm Saturday, Aug. 22. 24200 Chualar Dump Road, Chualar. Free; bring food to share. tinyurl.com/Ruddergate.

Escritura Creativa

Thanks to a grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County, locally-based Puerto Rican poet, translator and educator Kadiri Vaquer Fernandez offers bilingual workshops in creative writing – a total of 10 monthly classes that start on Aug 22. The workshops will be predominantly in Spanish but all materials will be available in both Spanish and English and sessions provide ample space for people wanting to write in English, Spanish or code-switch. Each session will focus on a specific theme and/or genre. Participants will spend a big part of each workshop writing. “The idea is to create a space in which native speakers of Spanish and Spanish learners can build community and find new ways to express themselves individually and collectively during these strange and challenging times,” Vaquer Fernandez says. [AP]

11am-1pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Monterey Peninsula College, Humanities building (#19), 980 Fremont St., Monterey. Free. k.vaquer@gmail.com.

Plankton Party

The world of plankton is mostly invisible to the naked eye. And no, they don’t spend their days plotting to steal the secret recipe of a Krabby Patty. The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve invites people of all ages over 7 to peek at this hidden world through the lens of microscopes. There’ll also be other tiny life forms to discover, all that live in the slough’s water. With a microscope in front of you, that’s all you’ll need to become a researcher for the day. Just in case, don’t bring a hamburger with you. [EC]

1:30-3:30pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Royal Oaks. Free; registration required. (831) 728-2822, elkhornslough.org.

Building Art

One of the Monterey Museum of Art’s exhibits this summer has been A Visual History of Art and Architecture in Monterey, combining two of Monterey’s deepest traditions. The exhibit features over 30 artworks representing the city’s major architectural styles from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. The exhibit ends Aug. 30, but before it goes, the museum presents “Afternoon with the Curator: Cynthia Wagner Weick and Joaquin Turner.” Wagner and Turner, who co-curated the exhibit, share their insights into the art and artists featured. Turner is an award-winning local artist and gallerist. Wagner is the co-author of the 2019 book Preserving Nature: A Field Guide to the Art and Artists of the Monterey Bay. [PM]

2-3:30pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. $20; $5/members, ages 17 and under, military, those with SNAP benefits. (831) 327-5477, montereyart.org.

Portrait Mode

The place to see local budding musicians from Monterey County in Carmel is the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. This time around, strap on your boots and dig out a floral sun dress and a hat (if that’s your thing) for an evening with Victoria Lynn. The local artist performs her own repertoire of Americana songs, accompanied by more locals like Kelly Goldberg and Simon Stewart. The show promises to be an enchanting evening of real original music, with a few covers sprinkled in. Lynn recently recorded an album with Americana duchess Sierra Ferrell so any covers she plays with the ensemble won’t disappoint. [SC]

3-4:30pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. $29. (831) 624-7491, carlcherrycenter.org.

Jam Band

Formed in 2024, JAM and the Buttered Biscuits are a bluesy, funk rock band cooked up in Monterey Bay. The constituent ingredients include the jam, of course, or Jeffrey A. Meyer, and the Biscuits, which consist of Fernando Giraldo on lead guitar, drummer Cliff Nichols, Nathan Dennen on the keys, Leo MacDonald bringing the butter to the biscuits with his smooth bass lines, and longtime Monterey Bay-based journalist and editor Brad Kava, who adds a touch of seasoning to the crew with his harmonica skills. Check out the band at Pop & Hiss where you can complement the tunes with a drink from the new cocktail menu. [AS]

7pm Saturday, August 22. Pop & Hiss, 215 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. $5. (831) 275-3303, popandhiss.net.

Sun and Moon

It was in Ohio in the mid-1980s that Mark Kozelek formed his first band, God Forbid, while still in his teens. The name would eventually follow him throughout his career, later becoming the name of his personal music publishing company, God Forbid Publishing. Since then, Kozelek has continued his journey through the worlds of indie rock and folk, experimenting with slower temp folk rock that sometimes included spoken word. In 2002, he formed Sun Kil Moon in San Francisco, naming the band after Korean featherweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon. The project extended the melancholic sound Kozelek had developed with Red House Painters, and resulted in Ghosts of the Great Highway, considered one of his best works. [KR]

7pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $34-$61. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.

 Sunday, Aug. 23

In The Loop

How about a guided hike on a magnificent parcel of land that is otherwise inaccessible to the public? The Wildlands Conservancy has it all planned for you; all you need to do to immerse yourself in the beauty of Rana Creek Preserve (specifically the Wildflower Meadow Loop Trail) is to walk. Bring water, layers and snacks; the moderately strenuous hike is four miles long and recommended for ages 10 and up. [AP]

8am-noon Sunday, Aug. 23. Rana Creek Preserve, 35351 E. Carmel Road, Carmel Valley. Free; registration required. tinyurl.com/SmmmertimeHike.

Fresh Cedar

When Rick Forschino caught a performance by Cedar Walton, he was captivated – so much so that some 50 years later he is devoting an entire concert by his own Rick Forschino Trio to the music of the jazz legend. Walton’s compositions were distinct. He was considered the bridge between the modern sound and the jazz age that originally brought the style to life and made it endure. Walton could sway between both traditions and make something of his own. Keep in mind that Forschino has his own music, but for this appearance, he is sharing the sound of jazz royalty. [DF]

2-4pm Sunday, Aug. 23. Carl Cherry Center, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. $45. (831) 624-7491, carlcherry.org.

HOT PICKS by Sloan Campi, Erik Chalhoub, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Katie Rodriguez, Sara Rubin and Aric Sleeper.