Third Street Promenade

Third Street Promenade is a car-free shopping street that runs three blocks through downtown Santa Monica, connecting hundreds of shops, restaurants, and entertainment options. At its southern end, it opens into Santa Monica Place, a multi-story shopping center with direct access from the street.

The city closed the street to cars and turned it into a covered shopping mall called Santa Monica Mall in 1965. After a decline in the 1980s, the entire area was redesigned and reopened as an open-air pedestrian zone with its current name in 1989.

Street performers work the sidewalks all day, showing acrobatics, music, or mime acts on the open plazas between the shops. Large dinosaur shapes made from trimmed plants stand along the walkway and draw families with children who often stop to take photos.

Several parking structures around the pedestrian zone offer spaces within a few minutes walk. Many shops open around ten in the morning and close late in the evening, especially on weekends and during the summer months.

A farmers market takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays along the street, bringing growers from around Los Angeles to sell fruit, vegetables, and flowers. The stalls stretch over several blocks and turn the pedestrian zone into a lively marketplace for a few hours.