El Porto Gears Up for 'First Thursday' Neighborhood Event
Sep 03, 2026 08:36AM ● By MB News Staff
El Porto Surf Shop is gearing up for another "First Thursday" event, featuring a live performance by local South Bay band DaSEED.
The free monthly event turns the longtime neighborhood surf shop at 38th and
Highland into an informal music venue and community gathering place, bringing
together residents, surfers, visitors, musicians and neighboring businesses.
"A lot of our success and continued momentum is due
to the people who reside and cherish this place. Being it's a melting pot
itself, we can relate and feel right at home here," said band member Nick
Glonek.
The First Thursday event is becoming increasingly popular: In July, more than 100 neighbors, surfers and
visitors gathered for a live performance by San Diego recording
artist Sir Daniel. (MB News first reported on the new event series in mid-July. See "El Porto Surf Shop Transforms Into Vibrant Community Space.")
“We want this to be the neighborhood living room; a place
where the people who surf here, live here, work here and visit here can
actually meet each other," said Landfair.
El Porto Surf Shop opened in 1996 and will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.
First Thursday is held monthly and is free to attend. The event features live
music and is intended to provide working musicians with an audience while
giving residents and visitors another reason to gather in El Porto. Tonight's event starts at 6:00PM, with the band starting at 7:30PM.
Landfair, an author, musician and American road storyteller, has increasingly incorporated live music and storytelling into the shop’s community programming. His newest book, Road Journals: 48 States by Motorcycle, has returned him to touring – now at bookstore and coffee shops – in coastal towns throughout the world.
