Greer's OC

Where to Eat Around the Newport Beach Film Festival

By Greer Wylder

October 01, 2026

Film lovers, mark your calendars for Oct. 15-22, when the 27th annual Newport Beach Film Festival returns to Triangle Square in Costa Mesa. Starlight Triangle Cinemas will screen feature films, documentaries, animated shorts, action sports films and international entries throughout the festival.

Round up your friends and book a brunch, lunch or dinner reservation at one of Triangle Square's popular restaurants before or after a screening. Options include elevated Southern comfort food at the recently opened LJ's Lounge, Tulum-inspired fare at Casa de Onda, traditional tapas at Cafe Sevilla and casual steakhouse favorites at Westwood Coast.

Sushi fans can make a night of it at Oji Sushi & Sake Bar before the 9 p.m. Oct. 21 screening of "California Roll: The Rise of American Sushi." For a full day out, reserve a lane at Tavern + Bowl to bowl and grab a bite before or after the movie.

Tickets and the full lineup of films showing at Starlight Triangle Cinemas are available on the festival website.

One of Orange County's premier dining and entertainment destinations, Triangle Square sits in the heart of downtown Costa Mesa, where Newport Boulevard meets Harbor Boulevard. The center offers seven levels of free parking.

For more information, visit go2triangle.com.

Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’ to Close Newport Beach Film Festival

By Greer Wylder

October 01, 2026

Mark your calendars, film lovers. The Newport Beach Film Festival announced Thursday that Oscar-nominated director and writer Tony Gilroy's "Behemoth!," starring Pedro Pascal, will close the 27th annual festival on Thursday, Oct. 22. The festival runs Oct. 15-22.

In "Behemoth!," Pascal plays Alex Serian, a gifted cellist who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Music, the constant, all-consuming river that has carried Alex his entire life, pulls him into an adventure that will change him forever. Featuring an unprecedented nine composers, the film is a love letter to movie scoring and to the dizzying power music holds over our memories and imaginations. Gilroy and production designer Jade Healy will attend Closing Night and join a conversation before the screening.

"We couldn't have picked a better way to celebrate 27 years of Newport than closing with a filmmaker as exciting as Tony Gilroy," said Gregg Schwenk, CEO and executive director of the festival. "This film has a deeply personal story about what music demands of the people who live inside it, and having Tony and Jade here in person for Q&A is exactly the kind of up-close experience that makes Newport unlike any other festival in the country."

Other highlights of this year's lineup include "A Talent for Murder," "Ink," "Josephine," "La Bola Negra," "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," "Paper Tiger" and "Wild Horse Nine."

Drawing more than 50,000 attendees to Orange County, the Newport Beach Film Festival is the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, connecting audiences with the best in independent and international films. Beyond the screenings, the festival hosts nightly parties and events featuring more than 60 culinary partners serving up their finest tastings.

For the full lineup and tickets, visit newportbeachfilmfest.com. Festival honors and additional films will be announced at a later date.

Surfing Heritage & Culture Center Opens New Laguna Beach Home

By Greer Wylder

September 28, 2026

Visit Laguna Beach is celebrating the opening of the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center (SHACC), one of the world's most respected surfing museums, in its new home in the heart of downtown Laguna Beach. Located just 200 yards from the shoreline at Main Beach, the center honors Laguna Beach's place as one of California's earliest surf towns while preserving the stories, craftsmanship and culture that shaped the sport around the world.

SHACC was founded by legendary surfer, explorer and Laguna Beach native Dick Metz, and its move from San Clemente to downtown Laguna Beach marks a new chapter for the institution. For more than two decades, the museum has preserved surfing's history through an unmatched collection of historic surfboards, rare photography, artwork, literature, films, memorabilia and archival materials. Now, it returns to the community where Metz's vision began. Often called the "Smithsonian of Surfing," SHACC holds the world's largest collection of historic surfboards, making it a go to resource for surfers, historians and enthusiasts everywhere.

The move is a homecoming for Metz, who grew up in Laguna Beach in the 1930s and came of age alongside the town's early surf culture. Inspired by Olympic champion and surfing pioneer Duke Kahanamoku, he spent a lifetime collecting and preserving surfing's history, so bringing the museum back to Laguna Beach brings his story full circle.

Visitors can expect immersive exhibits tracing surfing's evolution through iconic boards, rare photography, original artwork, historical archives and interactive storytelling that dives into the sport's cultural impact across generations. SHACC will also host rotating exhibitions, educational programs, lectures and community events as part of its ongoing mission to preserve, educate and celebrate surf heritage.

The timing couldn't be better for Laguna Beach, which is gearing up for its centennial celebration in 2027. Known for its artistic spirit, stunning coastline and deep ties to California surf culture, Laguna Beach only strengthens its reputation as a place where history, creativity and coastal living meet with SHACC now calling it home.

For more information about the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center, visit shacc.org. For information on planning a visit to Laguna Beach, visit visitlagunabeach.com.

Where to Eat Around the Newport Beach Film Festival

Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’ to Close Newport Beach Film Festival

Surfing Heritage & Culture Center Opens New Laguna Beach Home

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