November might be the most generous month on the Morro Bay calendar.
Nearly everything worth circling this month, the swing dance at the Veterans Hall, the surf films downtown, the Monday night movies, the Friday show at The Siren, is raising money for something local: the high school surf team, the basketball program, the food bank, the people keeping the town’s history alive. For locals, that makes November a month of showing up for each other. For visitors, it’s a rare kind of invitation: buy a ticket, take a seat, and you’re not watching the town, you’re pitching in.
The fog schedule helps too. November days here tend to open soft and finish clear; the summer crowds are long gone, and the bay fills back up with wintering birds. It’s a good month to be here on purpose.
Why November Works in Morro Bay
The anniversary of a piece of history most people have never heard of, a film festival built from amateur surf footage, five different features at the Bay Theatre, a farewell show, a comedy night, and a live music calendar that doesn’t take a single week off. Short days, full rooms. Every date below, plus everything added after this post goes up, lives on the Morro Bay events calendar.
The Navy Base Turns 85: A Sock Hop and Living History Fair
In 1941, the Navy opened the Morro Bay Naval Amphibious Training Base, and tens of thousands of troops passed through this harbor on their way to the landings in Europe and the Pacific. On Saturday, November 7, from 1 to 4 PM, the Sock Hop and Living History Fair marks the base’s 85th anniversary at the Veterans Memorial Building, 209 Surf Street, and admission is free.
Riptide Big Band plays swing for the dance floor, with live dance performances through the afternoon. World War II reenactors in period-accurate 1941 to 1945 attire work the room, historic military vehicles park outside for a close look, and local museums, historical societies, and civic groups fill the hall with exhibits on the region’s wartime years. The Central California Coast Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America hosts with Rising Phoenix Community Organization. Dress 1940s if the spirit moves you.
The same organizers follow it up on Monday, November 16 with Spielberg’s 1941 at the Bay Theatre; details in the Monday Specials below.
Stay Salty: Surf and Skate Films for the Home Team
The team behind Salty, the award-winning locally made short comedy about a cranky aging surfer, turns the Bay Theatre over to everybody else’s footage for one night. The Stay Salty Surf and Skate Short Film Festival screens amateur surf and skate films from around the coast on Monday, November 2 at 5:30 PM, with proceeds going to the Morro Bay High School Surf Team. Tickets are $12. Surf films in a surf town, on a Monday, for the kids who’ll be in the lineup Saturday morning. Hard to spend $12 better.
Monday Specials: Four Weeks, Four Reasons to Love a Monday
The Bay Theatre’s one-night fundraiser series runs the table this month:
- November 2: The Stay Salty Surf and Skate Short Film Festival, above.
- November 9: Hoosiers, Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper in the 1986 small-town basketball classic, a benefit for Morro Bay High men’s basketball. Doors 4:30 PM, show 5:30. $12 students, $15 general.
- November 16: 1941, Spielberg’s 1979 war comedy about the post-Pearl Harbor panic on the California coast, screened 85 years after the real thing reshaped this town. Proceeds benefit the local MOAA chapter and the nonprofits preserving the region’s history, from the Historical Society of Morro Bay to the Maritime Museum. Doors 5 PM, show 5:30. $15 general, or $25 VIP with 4:30 early admission and a wine and cheese social.
- November 23: Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Steve Martin and John Candy grinding home for Thanksgiving, right on schedule. Doors 5 PM, show 5:30, $10.
And for the holiday weekend, a bonus: the Weekend Special screening of Beethoven on Saturday, November 28 at 1 PM, the 1992 St. Bernard family comedy, $10 and rated PG, built for the cousins who are still in town.
Live Music: The Siren Doesn’t Slow Down
The Main Street room runs deep this month. Southern Culture on the Skids opens it on Wednesday, November 4 at 7 PM, three decades of surf, swamp, and rockabilly from the North Carolina cult institution, and yes, the fried chicken toss is real. Tickets $25 to $30.
Friday, November 6 is the one to circle for the cause: Friendsgiving By The Bay pairs Moonshiner Collective with Carbon City Lights, with a portion of proceeds going to the SLO County Food Bank. Tickets run $15 to $20, multi-ticket orders save $5 each, and a nonperishable donation at the door is welcome.
Then comes a goodbye. After more than ten years on Central Coast stages, Back Pages Band plays its final show ever on Saturday, November 7, 2 to 5 PM, free. The five-piece built its run on three-part harmonies and covers from Tom Petty to the Beatles to Brothers Osborne, and the last dance party will fill fast; the venue suggests arriving by noon if you want a table. Ultra takes the same stage that night at 8 PM ($7).
A genuine rarity follows: The Tannahill Weavers, direct from Scotland, play a seated show on Monday, November 9 at 6:30 PM. Five decades of pipes, fiddle, and strings from one of the world’s premier traditional Celtic bands, with chairs across the dance floor, first come, first served. $15 advance, $20 at the door.
The weekend before Thanksgiving stacks up all on its own. Big Richard, the all-female Colorado bluegrass quartet with four-part harmonies and stage banter that earns the name, headlines Thursday, November 19 with Miss Leo opening ($17 advance, $20 door). Roots reggae artist Nick Sefakis, formerly of Iya Terra, follows Friday, November 20 ($15 advance, $20 door). Then The Spanky Paul Band brings retro rock, blues, and soul to a free afternoon set Saturday, November 21 before Johnny Franco and His Real Brother Dom with Sol Arc take the evening ($9).
The rest of the month, quick and in order: Nashville country artist Tyler Rich plays Sunday, November 8 ($20 to $25). Rock Lord lands Friday, November 13 ($10). Saturday, November 14 is a doubleheader: Jane’s Gang plays a free afternoon dance set from 2 to 5, then The Sweet Spots with IMVA take the evening ($7). The free monthly Open Blues Jam returns Tuesday, November 24 with Ted Waterhouse hosting; bring an instrument and sign up early. And Nick Hames closes the month free on Friday, November 27. Count them up and that’s three straight Saturdays with a free afternoon dance floor. Evening shows are 21 and over.
Up on the north end of town, Taco Temple keeps doing what it does best: big plates, a line that moves, and a room that stays warm no matter what the fog is doing. Worth building a show night around.
Around the rest of town, the music keeps its daily habit. Tognazzini’s Dockside Too runs free waterfront sets most days at lunch and mid-afternoon. In Cayucos, Schooners sends off its outdoor season with the Beachside Live Season Finale on Sunday, November 1 from 5 to 8 PM, keeps its Wednesday open mic going, hosts Kam’s Jams on November 24, and starts something new: Irish Pub Night, a free evening of Celtic music and dance with Emerald Hills and Friends and the Cal Poly Irish Dance Club, debuts Thursday, November 19 from 6 to 9 PM and settles in every third Thursday after. Sammy J’s holds down jukebox bingo Wednesdays and karaoke Thursdays, and The Nauti Anchor covers karaoke Tuesdays and trivia Wednesdays.
At the Bay Theatre: Five Features in One Month
Beyond the Monday Specials, the Bay Theatre turns over its main feature almost weekly in November, every showing $10, with matinee and evening screenings:
- The Social Reckoning finishes its run through Wednesday, November 4.
- Klara & The Sun, the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, runs November 6 through 11.
- Wildwood runs November 13 through 18.
- Heart of the Beast runs November 20 through 24.
- Focker-in-Law opens Wednesday, November 25 and plays right through Thanksgiving Day, which settles the age-old question of what to do with the family between the meal and the leftovers.
Check each listing for exact showtimes; Sunday screenings run earlier.
Around the Calendar
The month opens at a run, literally: the Morro Bay Triathlon stages on the waterfront Sunday morning, November 1, with the swim inside the protected bay, the Rock standing over the start, and one of the most spectator-friendly finish lines in the sport. Advance registration at morrobaytriathlon.com; everyone else just needs coffee and a spot on the Embarcadero.
That same Sunday is your last call for two October favorites: the final performance of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at By the Sea Productions, 3 PM, $30, and the last days of the free Love of Nature exhibit at Art Center Morro Bay, which closes Monday, November 2.
Saturday, November 7 is a full day up and down the coast: the 35th Annual Cayucos Car Show fills the town with classics from 8 AM to 4 PM, free to walk and running rain or shine, the sock hop swings at the Veterans Hall that afternoon, and Back Pages Band says goodbye up Main Street.
Something new for a Friday night: the Comedy All Stars Fall Fun Fest turns The Savory Palette into a comedy club on Friday, November 13 at 7 PM. Trent Babb headlines with seven-plus comics in the Embarcadero wine and tea house’s small room, and admission includes one of Tammy’s tasting bites. Seating is limited; reserve at (805) 772-8388.
Later in the month: Paint Nite at La Katrina on Thursday, November 12 ($45, 5:30 PM). The Kayak and Oyster Tasting Tour with Central Coast Outdoors and Grassy Bar Oyster Company paddles out Sunday, November 15 at 9 AM ($95, beginner friendly, gear provided), fresh oysters shucked at the farm. Saturday, November 21 belongs to the walkers: Morro Coast Audubon leads a guided bird walk through Montaña de Oro and Islay Creek from 9 AM to noon (registration required), and in Los Osos the Potions and Poisons Walk explores the stranger side of the Elfin Forest’s plant life at 9:30 AM.
Thanksgiving week opens with the estuary showing off: Morro Coast Audubon sets up spotting scopes on the Marina Boardwalk for the year’s first King Tide Stop and Scope, Wednesday, November 25, 8:30 to 11 AM, with the tide peaking at 9:13 AM and winter shorebirds pushed in close. It’s a drop-in, no registration, come for ten minutes or the whole morning; a built-in break from the pie prep.
Through it all, the farmers markets hold their ground: Thursdays at 2 PM in the Spencer’s lot and Saturdays at 2:30 PM on Main Street.
Leave Time for Morro Bay Itself
The events are the excuse. The bay in November is the reason: wintering birds arriving by the thousand, otters working the kelp line off the Rock, tide pools at their best on the month’s low tides, and the kind of quiet mornings on the Embarcadero that summer never allows. Our wildlife guide covers where to look.
And December is already warming up: the Crab Pot Tree lights the Embarcadero starting December 1, and the Morro Bay Bird Festival returns January 14 through 18 for its 30th year. New events land all month, so when you’re making plans, start with the full Morro Bay events calendar; it’s where the whole month lives.
About the Author
About the HelloMorroBay Editorial Team
HelloMorroBay is a locally driven guide to Morro Bay, California (plus Cayucos and Los Osos / Baywood Park under Nearby Happenings). Our editorial team is passionate about sharing the people, events, businesses, and experiences that make this working harbor town one of the most distinctive places on California’s Central Coast. We focus on thoughtful storytelling, local insight, and helping both visitors and residents discover the best of Morro Bay at every pace, from live music nights and harbor sunsets to slow mornings on the Embarcadero.
