Manhattan Beach Holiday Fireworks Show

One of the top events of the entire year in the beautiful seaside community of Manhattan Beach, CA, is the annual Christmas fireworks show.

There’s not many places to view fireworks through palm trees in December.

Held the second Sunday of December it brings in thousands of people from the area.

Those people fill the city’s blocked-off main street, Manhattan Beach Blvd., the Strand, beach and waterfront homes to watch a spectacular fireworks show – one of the best in the nation, topping many Fourth of July shows, in fact – over the pier with palm trees silhouetted by the show.

Manhattan Beach Holiday Fireworks Details

The festivities starts at 4 p.m., at the Pier with Santa’s arrival, Joe’s Band plays until 7, and then it’s the fireworks!

All during the evening, there are people on the street, on the Strand, standing on balconies of houses, in the beachside parking lots and even on the beach itself.

People treat it as an evening picnic under the stars. They come with blankets, beach chairs and coolers, picking a spot on the sloped street. Many arrive by foot, taking casual strolls through the neighborhood to arrive just past dusk.

And in this neighborhood, which sits right on the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles County, that stroll is along the Strand, a walk/run/bike/rollerblade sidewalk of sorts that runs along ocean between the houses and the sand.

Many of those houses have social gatherings of a few or several dozen, making the Manhattan Beach fireworks one the city’s third biggest party events of the year (the Hometown Fair beer garden and the Holiday Open House are two other great singles events).

With many “young and single” people ready to mingle at all times in Manhattan, these house parties often lead to fireworks of another kind.

Even a light shower a couple of years ago hardly damped the spirit(s) as the city went ahead and painted the Manhattan Beach sky with another spectacular show. In fact, the raindrops quit falling during the fireworks, only to resume almost immediately afterward.

Several bars and restaurants downtown do a, well, booming business. Two bars face out to the shore – Shellback Tavern and Strand House – and are packed well before the show begins. Several other spots fill up afterward along Highland and MB Blvd.

Of course, there are many former partiers who now have families and come with strollers, as well as couples who use the occasion as an ideal romantic date.

The event caters to all. It starts at dusk with Christmas music at the pier, creating the festive atmosphere. With Christmas just around the corner, and many people headed back to visit families in snowy, cold climates, the Manhattan Beach Fireworks provide an ideal combination of the holiday and beach spirits.