Del Mar’s 2026 Summer Racing Season Opens July 17

Summer at the track is back. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club just released details on its 2026 Summer Racing Season, and tickets are on sale now at dmtc.com/tickets. The season runs from Opening Day on Friday, July 17, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

Founded more than 80 years ago by Bing Crosby, Del Mar remains the only seaside racetrack in the country, and this year's lineup includes 37 stakes races plus a packed calendar of trackside events.

Opening Day presented by Caesars Sportsbook brings back the annual Hats Contest and the Opening Day Party presented by Pacifico, with live DJs and specialty cocktails. New for 2026 is the Seabiscuit Society VIP Party, a ticketed event in the Grandstand's sixth-floor Skyroom with ocean views, hosted food and drink, and serious see-and-be-seen energy.

Fridays got a refresh too. First post time moves up to 2 p.m. (it was 4 p.m.), with closing weekend, Sept. 5-7, starting at 1:30 p.m. New Friday perks include 25% off signature drinks and select beer until 4 p.m., a ticketed Turf Club happy hour with two drinks and two appetizers, and weekly complimentary spirits tastings from brands like Bulleit Bourbon.

The trackside event calendar mixes old favorites with new additions:

• July 18: Tacos & Tequila
• July 26: Family Fun Day (new)
• Aug. 1: Uncorked: Del Mar Wine Fest
• Aug. 8: Turf & Surf Fest (new)
• Aug. 15: Taste of New Orleans
• Aug. 22: The $1 million Pacific Classic, now moved off Labor Day weekend
• Aug. 29: College Day
• Sept. 5: BBQ & Beer Fest (new)
• Sept. 6: Family Fun Day

On the food and drink front, chef Bryn McArthur of Amaya at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar is back curating Taste of the Turf Club, one of the only ways to experience the Turf Club without a membership. Sunday brunch gets a refreshed menu with bottomless beverages, and local pop-ups return to Plaza de Mexico every Sunday.

Diamond Club members should mark Free & Easy Thursdays: free admission, $5 Brandt Beef hot dogs, $5 16-ounce Michelob Ultra drafts and $5 refillable sodas at select concessions.

General admission starts at $10, with options that scale all the way up to trackside tables. Full details and tickets at dmtc.com.

Sherman Library & Gardens Introduces Hazeltine’s and New Afternoon Tea Experience

Sherman Library & Gardens is preparing to welcome Hazeltine’s, a new restaurant overlooking the gardens and Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. The restaurant will be operated by Damian Orozco, owner of the historic Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano, and will focus on seasonal purveyor-to-table cuisine, thoughtful hospitality, and an expanded dining experience for Sherman guests.

Named after Moses Hazeltine Sherman and his daughter, Hazeltine’s will feature brunch, lunch, dinner, a full-service bar, and catering for Sherman events. The new two-story restaurant space also returns dining to the garden’s original roots, when light lunches were once served from the Tea Garden to visitors decades ago.

Before the restaurant officially opens, Sherman is offering a preview through the new Hazeltine’s Afternoon Tea Experience, held select Sundays throughout the summer and fall during seasonal garden exhibitions and installations.

The curated tea service includes loose leaf organic tea, seasonal scones with preserves and clotted cream, tea sandwiches, petit fours, strawberries and cream, and optional Champagne service. Vegetarian and gluten-free accommodations are available with advance notice.

Upcoming tea dates include July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 13 and Oct. 18 at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar. Reservations and advance payment are required here, and space is limited.

Sherman Library & Gardens is located at 2647 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar.

Pageant of the Masters Returns to Laguna Beach With ‘The Greatest of All Time’

Laguna Beach's Festival of Arts is bringing back one of the most unique theatrical experiences in the world this summer with the 2026 Pageant of the Masters production, "The Greatest of All Time."

The show runs nightly from July 9 through Sept. 4, transforming famous works of art into living pictures, real people posed on stage to recreate masterpieces with remarkable precision. This year's theme digs into some of the most influential artists, artworks and creative achievements in history, and gives audiences a chance to think about the stories and innovation behind some of the world's greatest artistic accomplishments.

The lineup includes Rome's Trevi Fountain, designed by architect Nicola Salvi, and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., home to Daniel Chester French's sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. The production also recreates work from artists including Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Norman Rockwell, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Pablo Picasso. Beyond the art history lesson, "The Greatest of All Time" invites the audience to weigh in on their own picks for the G.O.A.T.s of the art world as these influential pieces come to life on stage.

A ticket to the Pageant of the Masters also gets you into the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show, which USA Today recently named one of the top 10 art festivals in the country. Arrive early and spend the day browsing work from more than 100 award winning Orange County artists, catch some live music, watch demonstrations, take a class or pick up an original piece directly from the artist who made it.

The Pageant of the Masters only runs for eight weeks each summer, and that's part of what makes it special. Once the curtain closes on Sept. 4, this particular production is gone for good.

The Festival of Arts is sponsored in part by Volvo Cars, City of Hope Orange County, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club, and KOST Radio 103.5. A separate ticket is required to attend the Pageant of the Masters and may be purchased at PageantTickets.com.