Hollywood Theme Helps National Night Out Shine In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — Tuesday night saw National Night Out return to the streets outside Santa Monica City Hall as Main Street was once again closed between Colorado Avenue and Olympic Drive. This year's theme, "Lights, Camera, Community," transformed the event into a Hollywood-inspired celebration, complete with movie references, two giant Oscar statuettes on a red carpet outside City Hall and digitally altered film posters featuring Santa Monica's civic stars.

The theme worked because it was instantly familiar and easy for almost anyone to take part in. Whether it was a homemade costume, a spoof movie poster or a favorite film reference, participants could embrace the spirit of the evening without spending a fortune. To that end, members of the Santa Monica Police Department Dive Team wore "Team Zissou"-branded shirts and Jacques Cousteau-style red beanies inspired by "The Life Aquatic," while other officers sported "Mean Machine" football jerseys, a nod to Burt Reynolds' "The Longest Yard." Other cinematic callbacks included "Up," "Grease," "Home Alone" and "Jaws."

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The event also attracted a cross-section of Santa Monica civic leaders, business owners and longtime community figures.

"This is my first ever, so this is really exciting for me to see how they've set it up, how big it is, how many people attend, all the different stations and opportunities for the community to interact with the department and other city departments and divisions," former city Councilmember Christine Parra told Patch.

"At the end of the day, it's all about the community, making sure people feel safe and making sure our police and fire departments have all the resources they need to do their jobs," she continued.

"This is probably the best one I remember, and I've been coming for decades," said Jim Harris, executive director of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation. "The posters are amazing. They add so much fun to the entire event, and seeing people dressed up in costume is fantastic."

This year certainly felt bigger and better than the previous few. It's also worth remembering how much Santa Monica has been through over the past 12 months, from the aftermath of the Palisades Fire to welcoming a new city manager and chief of police. Former Mayor Lana Negrete believes those changes have helped foster a stronger sense of collaboration within City Hall.

"We also got a new city manager, and I think that's a huge part of it. We also have a new chief, and the relationship between the city manager, the chief and pretty much everybody inside City Hall seems to be shifting to a more cohesive, non-siloed place," Negrete told Patch.

"We're investing in events in a different way. It really speaks to the staff and the leadership. If you have a good leader who's bringing everyone together, and there's one message, I think everybody's kind of on the same path now."

Not only was the Hollywood-inspired theme instantly recognizable and easy to embrace, but several smaller changes also helped improve the experience. Food trucks, for example, had been moved onto Main Street rather than remaining beneath the solar panel-covered parking structure, allowing long lines for popular vendors such as Habit Burger & Grill to form without creating bottlenecks elsewhere on the site.

Jon Farzam, owner and CEO of The Shore Hotel, one of this year's event sponsors, said he believed the evening reflected a renewed sense of community.

"It's a beautiful event to see. It's amazing to see so many people come together, and community is what this is all about," Farzam told Patch.

"The numbers feel bigger, but the energy feels positive as well, which is a nice sight to see around the city. We've been through a lot, not only through COVID but through the fires. It's really nice for everyone to be out together, put the phones away, put the technology down, and be able to see familiar faces and handshakes and smiles and hugs."