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Off the Hook Seafood Festival Returns to Santa Monica Pier October 11 for Its 8th Year

  • 6 days ago
  • 3 min read




SANTA MONICA — The Santa Monica Pier is getting hooked again. The 8th annual Off the Hook Seafood Festival drops anchor on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m., bringing the city's top chefs and restaurants together for an afternoon of sustainable seafood, yacht rock, and oyster theatrics above the Pacific.

This year's edition carries a bonus layer of local history. The festival coincides with the 100th anniversary of Route 66, the legendary highway that famously begins, or ends, at the Santa Monica Pier. Expect a Route 66 Centennial thread running through the branding and, likely, the plates.


What to Expect on the Pier


Presented by Spin PR and benefiting Heal the Bay, Off the Hook is a foodie fundraiser built around one simple idea: Los Angeles chefs, their favorite underwater ingredients, and unlimited tastings for ticket holders. Guests wander the Pier sampling from more than a dozen restaurants while a live band, oyster competitions, ocean views, and cold beer fill in the gaps.


One detail worth calling out for the sustainability-minded: Off the Hook operates 100 percent free of single-use plastics, a rare posture at a food festival of this size.


Image courtesy of Off the Hook Seafood Festival


Live Music and Oyster Showdowns


Handling the soundtrack this year: The Windbreakers, a yacht rock band drawing from the Toto, Steely Dan, and Hall & Oates songbook. Think lush harmonies, silky guitar, and the golden-hour Pier as backdrop.

The competitive centerpiece is a pair of oyster contests hosted by Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete:


  • "Best in Shuck" Oyster Shucking Showdown — Five minutes to shuck and present as many oysters as possible. Speed matters, but presentation is the tiebreaker.

  • Oyster Slurping Smackdown — Three minutes, no shucking, just eating. Straightforward and slightly ridiculous, which is the point.


Registration for competitors is open now through the festival website.


The Restaurant Lineup (TBD) Below are past restaurants that have attended.


The 2026 restaurant roster is still being announced, but Off the Hook has built its reputation on a deep bench of Santa Monica and Westside heavyweights. Past editions have featured:


  • The Lobster

  • Blue Plate Oysterette

  • Sushi Roku

  • BOA Steakhouse

  • Gladstone's

  • Marelle

  • The Albright

  • Tiato

  • Blue Ribbon Sushi

  • The Surfing Fox

  • Emporium Thai

  • Crudo e Nudo

  • Santa Monica Whaler

  • Killer Shrimp

  • Michael's

  • Xuntos

  • Malibu Meringue

  • Santa Monica Seafood


If the past is any indication, this is one of the more concentrated tastes of the Westside restaurant scene you'll find on a single afternoon, and it earns its place among the most anticipated food events across Los Angeles every fall.


The Sustainable Seafood VIP Lounge


For guests upgrading to Big Fish VIP tickets, the Santa Monica Seafood Sustainable Seafood VIP Lounge opens an hour early at 3:00 p.m. and layers in extras: curated cocktails, full pours from beer and wine partners, reserved seating, exclusive tastings from an additional five restaurants, and a Pacific Park voucher good for a ride on the iconic Ferris Wheel, valued at $50.


Past VIP lounge participants have included Soko Sushi, Santa Monica Seafood, Crudo e Nudo, Gladstone's, Marelle, and Michael's.


Sustainable Seafood VIP Lounge at Off the Hook Seafood Festival

Image courtesy of Off the Hook Seafood Festival


The Cause: Heal the Bay


Every ticket supports Heal the Bay, the Santa Monica environmental nonprofit founded in 1985. The organization is best known for its water quality report cards, its advocacy on plastics restrictions across California, and for operating the family-friendly Santa Monica Pier Aquarium just under the Carousel. Off the Hook launches during National Seafood Month, which lines up with Heal the Bay's ongoing sustainability push.


If You Go


  • What: 8th Annual Off the Hook Seafood Festival

  • When: Sunday, October 11, 2026, 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. (VIP entry at 3:00 p.m.)

  • Where: Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401

  • Age: 21 and over, all guests

  • Tickets: Available via Eventbrite through the official festival site

  • More info: offthehookseafoodfest.com


Whether you're in it for the shucking showdown, the yacht rock, or a Sunday afternoon working through the best of Santa Monica's seafood kitchens, Off the Hook remains one of the most reliably fun stops on the LA food calendar, and a solid answer to anyone hunting for the best food in Los Angeles this October.


I hope your hungry! - Food Journal Magazine

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