The Sunset Center in Carmel is a historic venue for live performances and community events. Built…read morein 1926 as Sunset School, the Spanish Colonial Revival building was saved and transformed into the Sunset Center, giving it new life as a cultural hub. Good lighting and clear acoustics here, and performances are enjoyable from all 718 seats in the main room. For the show we attended, sponsored by Folk-Yeah, our seating was assigned & we picked physical tickets up at will-call --no electronic tickets. It felt relatively small and well organized for a concert venue. Wine is sold in non-spillable sippy cups, a smart, practical detail. For our show, the merchandise line spilled out the front door and moved slowly. More than enough bathrooms at the venue. The ushers are helpful, though pocket lights and seat assistance during the performance can be distracting. Overall, an intimate place to see a live act in Carmel.

I really enjoy volunteering here, for many reasons. The presentations and performances are top…read morenotch. Entertainers, artists, musicians, comedians and others adore visiting Carmel by the Sea and the Monterey Peninsula. The venue maximum is about 700 guests in the main theater and 50 for the studio 105 shows. So not overwhelming crowds, thank goodness. Many outdoor patio shows and big screen theater movies are complimentary, to all. As volunteers, we work usually less than 4 hour shifts and see the shows, for free. We earn credits for next season tickets, with Bravo lounge status. Maxed 4 tickets, 10 shifts per ticket. We choose the shifts and shows to volunteer, then get assigned. Older very nice group of people, the majority are women. Exciting to be involved with such a fabulous team. Thank you kindly!

Daniel at Golden State Theatre made my night! He helped me get tickets to see Jack Johnson's sold…read moreout documentary and show. All the staff were friendly and the theatre beautiful.

This was a great venue to see a comedy show. It's small enough to feel intimate but still large…read moreenough that it could easily host a concert too. First off, the venue is older in the best way. It's beautiful, full of charm, and has a uniqueness you just don't get in newer places. I'm personally a big fan of small to mid sized theaters with personality rather than giant venues built purely for mass audiences. This one definitely delivers on that. The theater feels like a mix of different historical influences coming together. I had a few guesses about its origins while I was there, and after a little Googling later I can say with confidence it's a restored movie palace/vaudeville theater that still hosts a variety of events today. It opened in 1926, and some of the original design features are still there. That honestly made me really excited because the place absolutely has those vibes. Inside, the architecture is really unique. It's kind of a courtyard meets castle theme. The ceiling was one of my favorite parts. It has a painted sky, with most of it covered by a canopy effect. Ceilings are such an underrated part of décor, but I always notice them, and this one was especially cool. There are also little decorative flower gardens under the windows that add to the courtyard atmosphere. Looking toward the stage really leans into the castle feeling, like you've somehow been transported back in time to watch a performance. Since we saw a comedy show the orchestra pit wasn't being used, but there were people sitting up in the balcony as well. The overhead lighting throughout the theater was beautiful too, very Tiffany lamp esque. Picture included. Outside the main theater area there's a bar and stairways leading up to the upper levels. I wish I had taken a picture but I completely forgot. The bathrooms are on opposite ends of the theater, and wow, talk about another little time travel moment. They're definitely old, but they work just fine. The stalls are shorter with smaller doors, which I assume matches the original partition style design. It reminded me of a saloon style restroom I once saw in an old historic town somewhere. For a moment it even made me feel taller than usual, which was unexpected. The theater is right downtown and within easy walking distance of a bunch of other businesses, which makes it a great place to see a show and then wander around afterward.

My mom and I attended Fantasia last weekend with live accompaniment by the Monterey Symphony. Such…read morea treat! I forgot how wonderful the animation was on that film. It's so easy to take film scores for granted, so it was great to see it performed live to understand how many artists it actually takes (on paper and on instruments) to create this masterpiece. Truly a world-class group of musicians. A few tips: Parking at the Sunset Center gets full quickly, so leave some extra time and be prepared to park on the streets in surrounding Carmel and walk a few blocks. Online booking with the Symphony was easy but adding tickets to my original order was more complicated than necessary and required a phone call. Plan ahead when calling for tickets as their ticket office hours are limited.

Monterey Symphony Seeks Volunteers (Monterey and Salinas)…read more Volunteers needed for Monterey Symphony The Monterey Symphony is seeking volunteers. If you love music and want to be involved, please call 831-646-8511 or visit our website at www.montereysymphony.org for more information.

We had dinner and a show here. Really enjoyed both. The meal was quite good - the vegan sushi…read moresuperb, as was the bread rolls, mashed potatoes, tri-tip etc followed by dole whip. The show was a lot of fun for community theater - solid acting particularly the female leads. We plan to come back.

Fantastic little community theater that has been one of my favorite parts of living on the Monterey…read morePeninsula! My wife and I came to our first Rocky Horror Picture Show with them back when they were on Lighthouse and have been coming back every year since. Their productions are always good quality and light hearted. We have been to a variety of the food related events as well and everything was delicious and entertaining. I usually try to break down reviews into service, food/drink and abiance but I don't think that is very applicable for a theater, so I'll address those at the end. In general you'll come to Paper Wing to be entertained and if you're an introvert like me you may be pushed out of your comfort zone a bit, but it's always in good fun. This is a fantastic community third space and a great little spot that makes the otherwise straight laced Monterey Peninsula interesting. If you go for a play the food/drink is served at a bar in the back, it's nothing that will blow your mind but you're not there for the food/drink. Service always friendly and as efficient as bar service can be. The physical ambiance of the theater is pretty basic; However, there is an amazing painted mural of New Monterey back in the day up near the roof.

The Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey is an AWESOME opportunity to hear the best and…read morebrightest musicians from middle school, high school and college students. It is so inspiring to see so many young people with a love of music that spans all generations. Held at the Monterey Convention Center, the public is allowed to hear all the performances for FREE. Students compete for awards and scholarships in jazz band performance and vocal performance as well. This is a must-see experience!

I've been attending / vending at 1st Friday Art Walk for a little over a year now and I have…read morenothing but positive feelings towards it all! It's such a great thing to have an event and place to promote and appreciate art of all sorts. There's always live music from local musicians. Varying snacks at Salinas 411. Stimulating conversation. Always someone new to meet. And you can never go wrong with a little shopping for unique wares! My only concern is that we need more artists and appreciators to join in the fun! But that doesn't have anything to do with the actual event really, so it doesn't count towards my rating. :P So come on down to Oldtown every first Friday of the month and see for yourself! :D

at 1st fridays art walk, free of charge, you can see and hear the art walker band, clear blue…read moreclay, greg hyde and living room, hal laughlin, souvenir, dan beck, and many others. you can see and hear richard best play a drum and/or sing. ask him to read a poem. he is the best poet in salinas -and has won many poetry slams. you can stand outside the door of the welcome center and hear both bluegrass and 60s rock - often at the same time. you can talk to great artists and good friends. you can see hot rods and buy art, you can find the best home made cookies and cartoons at bridgett spicer's gallery. buy a cartoon book or a button for someone special... you can find and buy great used books at the book nook. you can sip coffee and chocolate at two locations in old town. you can dine well inexpensively at multiple locations. some of the best discussions i have ever heard/participated in - have been at the welcome center and at bridgett spicer's gallery. i love 1st fridays art walk.

Great people work here…read more A wonderful find! They have bingo on Thursdays and karaoke on Friday.

I understand the new owners have invested a lot. I applaud their commitment to keeping this…read morecharming local theater open. And I wonder if attendance will be sufficient, it feels like people want a local movie theater but not enough of them actually want to visit it. And I was a bit surprised at the condition of the theater. Most significantly, when I watched Project Hail Mary yesterday, the image was very misaligned with the screen. At the top and bottom, it spilled beyond the screen by a good foot. And the sides, it fell short of the edges of the screen by a half foot. On the right hand side, masking material was simply missing from the screen setup. In a charming local theater like this, I'm not expecting big theater video and audio quality (and neither are, and both are adequate). But the setup last night seemed janky, so much so that it makes me less likely to visit again.

This is a wonderful local community event! Fabulous Food,…read moreIncredible Music & Wonderful Local Artists! Sunday, July 29, 2018 ~ 10:30-4:00pm Come one, Come All! Congregation Beth Israel Carmel 5716 Carmel Valley Road Carmel, CA 93923 **Parkingw/ Shuttle~ at The Middle School https://www.facebook.com/carmeljewishfoodfestival/ Hope to see you there!!

Unique, delicious, educational, fun way to spend an hour or two (or more) one day a year. This year…read morewas the 25th annual, and they seem to have the logistics down to a science. I'm sure that this event takes months of hard work on the part of many individuals, and it shows--well-organized, Earth-friendly, and best of all, yummy. My gf & I got to Carmel Valley Middle School by about 11:30 yesterday morning, and we were promptly directed by a number of friendly & capable volunteers to the parking area, after which we walked a short distance to the shuttle bus. The buses run at frequent intervals, so there wasn't more than a 2-3 minute wait. We were dropped off at the Temple and immediately walked down the hill, scouted out the scene (determining along the way how many "gelt" (tokens; refundable if you don't use them all) we wanted to buy in order to satiate our growing appetites. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we determined that it would be best to start out with $25 or $30 worth of gelt to get appetizers, entrees, drinks, & dessert. (EVERYTHING was so tempting--see http://www.carmelbethisrael.org/calendar/events/jewish_food_festival/food/ for details.) We resisted the baked goods at first, splitting a savory & sweet Barbequed Salmon Plate (kasha varnishkes, one of the sides, is still not something that I've grown to like, though the side tossed salad was very good) and a Potato Knish. The texture of the knish left a little something to be desired--this is likely the result of having to prepare lots & lots of food and then store (freeze) it. Flavor was nice, esp. with some Gulden's mustard. We then went on to a Dairy Sampler (two Cheese Blintzes, half a slice of Noodle Kugel, some sour cream, & strawberry jam). The Kugel was "to die for"--as one woman told us, (perhaps) the best thing there. But there were other contenders. Sadly, the Chocolate Egg Cream didn't live up to the Chocolate Phosphates I had growing up in Ohio--not cold enough, and not enough chocolate syrup. And the texture of the blintzes was a bit off. One can only eat so much at a meal, so we left without trying the Latkes (potato pancakes)--perhaps a mistake--and the Matzo Ball Soup. The Middle Eastern food, Cheesecake, and Corned Beef certainly looked good, too. But I couldn't leave without grabbing a half a huge rye bread (with caraway seeds, of course)--brought in from San Francisco--the flavor brought back memories--plus a home-made Challah (egg bread) and some apricot Hamentaschen (fruit filled pastries). Too much food, too little stomach. And then you have the lively entertainment - we heard a great group of women--seven in all--playing guitar, flute & percussion and singing in nice harmony--in English, Hebrew & Yiddish. I believe that their group is called Zambra. Plus crafts for sale, a chance to tour the temple, hear storytellers, etc. (And a play area for the kids.) In spite of some minor shortcomings in some of the food, it's an event everyone should attend at least once. (Warning--you may get hooked & show up repeatedly at future annual festivals.)