Main Street Santa Monica in October 2026: What's Changing?

After 20 years on Main Street, The Victorian is preparing to close, marking the end of an era for one of Santa Monica's best-known nightlife venues. The business announced on October 5th that its annual Halloween party would mark its final weekend, leaving four weekends of service. The announcement did not explain the closure, although city records reveal plans to transform the historic property at 2640 Main St. in Heritage Square into a private members club.

The city's ownership adds another dimension to the closure. Throughout 2026, City Hall has been revising the rules for opening restaurants and bars, with Main Street explicitly included in those changes. Those rules could shape what comes next at The Victorian's address, while the city also has a direct role as landlord.

The Victorian's Final Four Weekends on Main Street

Westside Current found the parcel listed in a city property inventory as city-owned and leased for The Victorian/California Heritage. Although plans for the property's redevelopment have emerged, the timeline for the proposed transformation remains unclear. The closing post also did not give a date for the last night. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, but the venue has not confirmed when the party will be.

Counting the weekends from the October 5th announcement through the end of the month, here is how the rest of October looks on and around the corridor:

A New Restaurant Bets on Santa Monica's Main Street

While one long-running tenant gets ready to leave the 2600 block, another has just arrived. Met Her at a Bar opened at 2651 Main Street. It is the first Santa Monica restaurant for owners, Mindy and Vinny Kinne, and the sixth they have opened since 2017. Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and there is a hidden garden patio that seats 60. The neon outside says Met Her at a Bar. Inside, the wall lettering says Met Her on Main, and that name is also on the ordering page.

The Kinnes started with a brunch café in Miracle Mile, and today they run five related concepts around La Cienega Boulevard and Eighth Street. Main Street is their first move away from that cluster. When the Santa Monica Daily Press profiled them in August, Vinny Kinne put the choice in terms of the street itself. "We didn't come to Santa Monica just to open another restaurant," he said. "We came here because we believe in Main Street." The same article described the opening as part of the city's continuing push to revitalize Main Street.

Farther down the corridor, the change went the other way. The Starbucks at 2901 Main St. closed on Saturday, September 26, along with the store at 1030 Wilshire Blvd. Both were part of a cut of about 250 Starbucks locations across North America. Westside Current counts four Santa Monica Starbucks closures in roughly 12 months, including the 2901 Ocean Park Blvd. store in September 2025. Starbucks' chief operating officer, Mike Grams, said the company closed stores where it saw no path to acceptable financial performance or could not deliver the experience it wanted. That decision came from a review of the whole continent, not from anything specific to Main Street.

In about five weeks, the corridor gained an independent all-day café, lost a national coffee chain's corner store, and learned that a 20-year nightlife venue is leaving. The common thread is the set of measures the Council approved this spring.

Santa Monica's New Rules Aim to Revitalize Main Street

Santa Monica's revitalization work on Main Street goes back to the city's Realignment Plan. The City Council took it up in October 2025, and it included $500,000 in targeted reinvestment shared with business improvement districts on Main Street and three other corridors. The bigger changes came in March 2026, in two separate actions.

On March 5, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported that the Council had unanimously approved a zoning overhaul that lowered permit requirements across the city's commercial zones. Then, in the city's March 26 announcement, the Council approved an economic development package. Mayor Caroline Torosis described it as "filling our storefronts, activating our streets." At the time, the zoning ordinance still needed a second reading, and the city described several parts of the March package as changes still to come. Here is what the Council approved that bears most directly on a street like Main:

• Lighter permits. Under the ordinance, many businesses that needed a Conditional Use Permit, at about $10,000 and three to five months, would need only a Minor Use Permit, at about $8,000 and roughly two months. Bars in districts where they are allowed would move to the Minor Use Permit as well.
• Main Street bars can come back. The Council approved a provision letting existing Main Street bars that have been closed for more than 12 months reopen, so they don't permanently lose that right under nonconforming-use rules.
• Lower costs to open a restaurant. The city said it will waive its share of the wastewater capacity fee, about $1,000 per seat, for new restaurants and expansions. For a 50-seat restaurant, that comes to $50,000 in city fees.
• Free sidewalk dining. The city said fees and permit requirements are being eliminated for basic tables-and-chairs setups and estimated that up to 59 restaurants citywide could benefit.
• Entertainment Zone authority for events. The Entertainment Zone started on the Third Street Promenade in June 2025. The March package says it will expand to the whole Downtown core, with authority for events extended to the Pier, Main Street and Montana Avenue.

None of these measures names 2640 Main. Together they point Main Street toward cheaper and faster restaurant and bar openings, and the city also has a direct say over one of the street's best-known buildings as its owner.

October 18: Main Street Block Party and Day of the Dog

The quickest way to see the direction of the March changes is the Main Street Business Improvement Association's block party on Sunday, October 18th. It runs from noon to 6 p.m. The organizers call it "Santa Monica's last street festival of 2026," and it is free and open to all ages. The listing promises live music and DJs, kids' activities, local businesses and "drinks to-go," the kind of street event the planned Entertainment Zone authority for Main Street is meant to support.

This year the event has a Halloween theme. Day of the Dog is billed as North America's largest pet festival. Live music is presented by Gerber Kawasaki and Thirst Trap, with the lineup still to come. Pump Station & Nurtury will run a Kids Corner with pumpkin decorating and free face painting, and there will be a VCA HOWLoween Photo Booth with Venice Paparazzi for costumed dogs. The one paid part is Tito's Paws for a Cause with Thirst Trap. Entry is $10, and $8 of each ticket goes to the Santa Monica Animal Shelter Foundation, with a goal of raising $4,000. The event lists support from LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, the City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism and the city's Office of Sustainability & the Environment.

Main Street will be closed to cars from Pier Avenue to Pacific Street from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you drive the corridor on Sundays, find a different route for the whole day, since the closure covers much more than the six festival hours.

The block party lands on the third weekend of The Victorian's final four weekends. The street will be busy that day while the building at 2640 Main is still open, with its last weekends counting down.

What's Next for The Victorian and Main Street in 2027?

The next chapter for The Victorian's historic building may already be taking shape. In March 2026, the Santa Monica City Council approved transferring the lease for the city-owned property to The Santamonican Club, LLC. Plans call for converting the venue into a private, family-oriented recreation and wellness club, including a swimming pool, spa, fitness center, coffee bistro, and restaurant. While the project's timeline remains unclear, the proposed transformation would represent a significant change in how this Main Street landmark is used.

The other open items on the corridor are less dramatic. The Main Street BIA's own website still lists La Diperie at 2441 Main as coming "End of Summer 2026" and Chez Luna Adoption Cafe at 2929 Main as "Summer 2026." Neither opening has been confirmed.

For now, the dates are fixed. The Victorian is open through its Halloween weekend, Met Her on Main serves from 8 a.m. daily, and Main Street closes to cars at 5 a.m. on Sunday, October 18th.

The changes unfolding along Main Street are about more than restaurants opening and closing. They reflect the ongoing evolution of one of Santa Monica's most distinctive neighborhoods. From walkability and neighborhood amenities to dining, entertainment, and community character, these details help shape the appeal of living nearby and can influence how buyers perceive a location. At Steinbeck Homes, we follow these neighborhood developments closely because understanding the local market goes beyond comparable sales. If you own a home in Santa Monica and are curious about its current value or how the neighborhood's evolution may affect its appeal, we'd be happy to share our insights and provide a personalized property valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.