Downtown Laguna Beach

How downtown is laid out

Downtown Laguna Beach, called the Village, centers on Main Beach, where the city says Broadway and Ocean Avenue meet Coast Highway. The Coastal Commission places the beach at the west end of Broadway, and the city calls it a short walk from the restaurants and shops downtown. Lower Forest Avenue, now the Promenade on Forest, runs inland from Coast Highway to Glenneyre Street. This page is a visitor’s guide. If you want the residential side of the Village, see the Village neighborhood page.

Main Beach

Main Beach is the town’s central beach. The city names the white lifeguard tower as its best-known landmark and says a boardwalk runs the length of the sand, with restrooms and showers at both ends. It has four sand volleyball courts. The Coastal Commission lists a fee for parking. The city also warns that the surf can be large and dangerous, and the beach is part of the marine protected area, so look and take nothing.

The Promenade on Forest

The city says the Promenade on Forest opened September 25, 2026, as a permanent pedestrian-only outdoor dining, shopping and art performance area. It replaces the temporary pedestrian plaza the city first set up on the street in June 2020. A city permit describes the closed stretch as lower Forest Avenue, from Coast Highway to Glenneyre Street. The city said at opening that it would build the remaining elements over the following weeks, and it posts construction updates on its project page.

The promenade has been a work site this year. The city removed trees there in April 2026 for safety reasons and said it would plant replacements; its project page lists two specimen oaks, scheduled for planting on May 21, among the completed work. In summer 2026 the city put live music on the promenade on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, July 10 through August 30. Ask the city whether the program returns.

One way to see the Village in a few hours: park in a city lot, walk down Broadway to the sand, come back through the Promenade on Forest and end at a gallery or a table. The one day in Laguna page builds a full itinerary.

Galleries, the museum and art

The art galleries page lists the town’s galleries. On the first Thursday of each month the free First Thursdays Art Walk runs from 6 to 9 p.m., according to its organizer, with member galleries among its funders.

Laguna Art Museum is at 307 Cliff Drive, and its phone is 949-494-8971. Its page covers hours and admission. The public art guide covers sculptures and murals, and it notes that the city planned to remove some art on Forest Avenue for the promenade work, so a piece may have moved.

Festivals nearby

The Festival of Arts, one of the summer art festivals, is on Laguna Canyon Road; the city’s parking page puts bus parking in front of the tennis courts next to it. The events guide has the festivals’ dates and details.

Parking and the trolley

The city runs paid lots around the Village. In the off-season, September 8, 2026 to June 25, 2027, it lists these:

• Lot 1, Broadway Lot: 234 Broadway, 25 spaces.
• Lot 2, Peppertree Lot: 322 Forest Avenue, 36 spaces.
• Lots 3 and 4, Ocean Avenue: 243 and 225 Ocean Avenue, 22 and 17 spaces.
• Lot 5, Mermaid Lot: 348 Glenneyre Street, 14 spaces.
• Lot 6, Glenneyre Structure: 501 Glenneyre Street, 208 spaces.

The lots page lists enforcement from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for these lots, while the city’s main parking page lists enforcement hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Meters and pay stations take cards, and you can also pay with the Laguna Beach Parking App or a QR code on the meter. The parking guide covers permits, meters and summer lots.

The Coastal Route trolley is free and serves downtown along Coast Highway. On weekends in the off-season, the Canyon Route trolley runs downtown from Lot 16 on Laguna Canyon Road. The trolley page has current hours.

Eating and shopping

For restaurants by street, see restaurants in the Village. The Orange County Farm Bureau runs the Laguna Beach Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at 521 Forest Avenue, the address the city gives for its Lot 12. The Farm Bureau lists it as closed on the Fourth of July. The farmers market page has more. For stores, see the shopping guide, and for a full day, see one day in Laguna.