Must-see entertainment in Central Coast

  • Catalyst

    Santa Cruz

    Over the years, this stage for local bands has seen big-time national acts perform, from Queens of the Stone Age to Snoop Dogg. Expect loads of punk…

  • Sunset Drive-In

    San Luis Obispo

    Recline your seat, put your feet up on the dash and munch on bottomless bags of popcorn at this classic Americana drive-in. Sticking around for the second…

  • Palm Theatre

    San Luis Obispo

    This small-scale movie house showing foreign and indie flicks just happens to be the USA’s first solar-powered cinema. Seats are a bargain $5 on Mondays…

  • Osio Cinema

    Monterey

    Downtown Monterey cinema screens indie dramas, cutting-edge documentaries and offbeat Hollywood films. Drop by its Cafe Lumiere for locally roasted coffee…

  • Pismo Bowl

    Central Coast

    Epitomizing Pismo Beach’s retro vibe, this old-fashioned bowling alley is just a short walk uphill from the pier. Blacklight ‘cosmic' and karaoke bowling…

  • Kuumbwa Jazz Center

    Santa Cruz

    Hosting jazz luminaries since 1975, this nonprofit theater is for serious jazz cats snapping their fingers for famous-name performers in an electrically…

  • Moe's Alley

    Santa Cruz

    In a way-out industrial wasteland, this joint puts on live sounds almost every night: jazz, blues, reggae, roots, salsa and acoustic world-music jams.

  • Performing Arts Center

    San Luis Obispo

    On the CalPoly campus, SLO’s biggest cultural venue presents an internationally spiced variety of concerts, theater, dance recitals, stand-up comedy and…

  • Forest Theater

    Carmel-by-the-Sea

    At this 1910 venue, community-theater musicals, dramas and comedies as well as film screenings take place under the stars by flickering fire pits.

  • Sly McFly’s Fueling Station

    Monterey

    Waterfront dive showcases live local blues, jazz and rock bands nightly after 8:30pm or 9pm. Skip the food, though.