What does Santa Cruz Avenue look like at seven o'clock on a Friday? Until this summer, one downtown merchant had a short answer. LeVant Dessert owner Maya Fezzani told The Almanac that Friday nights in Menlo Park are typically a "ghost town."
Three months after Fourth Fridays debuted, the last weekend of October fills three days in a row on and around Santa Cruz Avenue. There's live music up and down the avenue on Friday, October 23, the city's Halloween parade on Saturday, and the year-round farmers market on Sunday. Saturday and Sunday are long-running traditions. Friday is the new piece, and merchants have the most riding on it, because the street it fills is still trying to refill its storefronts.
Friday Was the Missing Night
Fourth Fridays is a free monthly music series produced by the Downtown Menlo Fund, a nonprofit founded in 2025 to support downtown. Before the pandemic, the city hosted a summer block party that closed a stretch of Santa Cruz Avenue to cars. According to The Almanac, Fourth Fridays is meant to bring that energy back.
The money comes from businesses and neighbors. The series' own page lists the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Menlo Church among its sponsors, along with individual donors at levels it calls Fan, Groupie, Rock Star and Off the Charts. Gitane, one of the stores that hosts a performer, also appears on the supporter list.
The July 24 debut drew hundreds of people downtown, The Almanac reported. Shops stayed open late, and musicians played at several locations from 6 to 9 p.m. The paper also gave a restaurant count from that night.
Bistro Vida and Bar Loretta owner Ali El Safy said his restaurants had 40 to 50 more patrons than on a typical Friday night.
That figure comes from the same Almanac report, along with El Safy's comment that "the whole community is now coming out to support the restaurants and other businesses too." Gallery House, a downtown gallery that can go a whole day with only a couple of visitors, had more than 30 people come through in the first hour of music, photographer Steve Shpall told the paper. Mademoiselle Colette manager Barbara Sampaio said longtime clients came in for desserts, and so did new ones.
Where the Music Lands on October 23
The October edition is the series' fourth, after July, August and September. The downtown events calendar gives 643 Santa Cruz Ave. as the starting point, with music up and down Santa Cruz Avenue and El Camino Real. Here's the posted lineup:
- Feldman's Books, 5 to 6 p.m.: Diego Ortiz plays inside the store on Curtis Street, a family-friendly set before the main program begins.
- Plaza Stage, 6 to 8 p.m.: Pinki Martini at the center of the 600 block plaza.
- Borrone Plaza, 6 to 8 p.m.: Clint Baker & The All Stars in the plaza shared by Cafe Borrone and the British Bankers Club off El Camino Real.
- Crane Stage, 6 to 8 p.m.: Sean Biggar outside Mademoiselle Colette, near Roma.
- Chestnut Stage, 6 to 8 p.m.: Riekestra Band at the Wells Fargo entrance at Santa Cruz Avenue and Chestnut Street.
- Kids Stage, 6 to 8 p.m.: Balloon artist Steven Koehler in the corridor near Chase Bank, Aveda, Susie Cakes and Cheeky Monkey.
- Gallery House, 6 to 9 p.m.: Rick Sanders inside the gallery at 826 Santa Cruz Ave.
- Gitane, 6 to 9 p.m.: A performer to be announced inside the clothing store at 855 Santa Cruz Ave.
Every set on the list is marked family-friendly. No Fourth Fridays date after October 23 is posted yet. The downtown calendar moves straight on to other November and December events. For now, this is the last one on the schedule.
Dinner doesn't have to be on Santa Cruz Avenue. Springline, on Oak Grove Avenue, added two restaurants this year. Causwells, an American bistro that started in San Francisco, was set to open at 550 Oak Grove Ave. on April 2. Owners Adam Rosenblum and Elmer Mejicanos say about 75% of the Menlo menu is new, Palo Alto Online reported. On June 11, Burma Food Group, the team behind Burma Superstar, Burma Love, Teakwood and Kayah, opened Alisios Mexican Cocina at 550E Oak Grove Ave. Executive chef Carlos Villegas draws on family recipes and the flavors of Oaxaca and Baja.
Saturday Morning, the Same Blocks Fill Again
Fourteen hours after the last Friday sets end at 9 p.m., the city's Halloween Hoopla starts. It runs Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parade participants should arrive by 10:45 a.m. at Parking Lot #1 on Maloney Street. The costume parade goes down Santa Cruz Avenue and ends at Fremont Park for a free carnival.
The city's listing includes games, jumpers, prizes, candy, artists, school-band performances and crafts at the carnival. Parade trick-or-treat bags are for use at participating downtown stores. So the shops that kept their lights on for Friday's music get a second round of foot traffic on Saturday, this time mostly families in costume.
Sunday Closes It Out on Chestnut Street
The Menlo Park Farmers Market runs year-round on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Chestnut Street between Santa Cruz and Menlo avenues. Downtown Menlo's calendar lists California-grown and organic produce, fresh fish, eggs, mushrooms, flowers, honey and live music. It's on the calendar for October 25 like any other Sunday.
The same afternoon, Pumpkin Splash takes over Burgess Pool. Tickets are $12, and you have to reserve in advance.
The Street Under the Weekend
Merchants care about these three days because of what Santa Cruz Avenue lost this year. Left Bank Brasserie at 635 Santa Cruz Ave., a few doors from the Fourth Fridays starting point, announced in June that it would close after 28 years, The Almanac reported. As of this writing, no new tenant for that space has been reported.
A day after that report, the City Council voted on June 23 to address what The Almanac described as a growing vacancy problem on the city's main commercial corridor. Spas, salons and similar personal-service businesses can now open on the ground floor without a conditional use permit. Gyms and arcades, which were previously prohibited, can apply for use permits. Banks can now seek permits too, under a 30,000-square-foot cap for the whole street, and existing financial institutions already take up about 28,000 square feet of it. The changes took effect immediately. No business has been publicly reported as the first to use them.
Some storefronts are moving the other way. On September 17, Anthem celebrated a third location on Santa Cruz Avenue, so the retailer now runs three doors a few steps apart:
| Address | Store | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| 871 Santa Cruz Ave. | Anthem Home | Furniture, tabletop, baby |
| 887 Santa Cruz Ave. | Anthem Bed and Bath | Bedding, bath, sleepwear |
| 889 Santa Cruz Ave. | Anthem Edit | Fashion, jewelry, fine gifts |
The space where Pinki Martini plays on October 23 is also part of the longer plan. The city is designing a permanent public plaza in part of the 600 block between Curtis and Doyle, where the eastbound lane is closed. Right now the block has temporary picnic tables and planters, and about 2,500 square feet is available for programming. A monthly music night is the kind of programming that space was set aside for, and it's already happening there before the permanent design is done.
After the Last Weekend of October
The city's fall calendar moves to other parts of town after that weekend. Belle Haven Community Campus at 100 Terminal Ave. hosts a free Trunk-or-Treat on Wednesday, October 28, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The same campus has Cocoa at the Campus on Monday, November 30, from 6 to 7 p.m., with youth performances, cocoa, mini-churros and a small tree lighting. Downtown gets its holiday turn on Friday, December 4, when Light Up the Season lights the oak tree at Fremont Park from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Light Up the Season falls on a Friday, but it isn't a Fourth Friday. Whether a fifth Fourth Friday joins it is still unannounced. Questions about performers, sponsorships and dates go to the Downtown Menlo Fund at [email protected].
If you own a home within walking distance of Santa Cruz Avenue and want to know how its new Friday nights and changing storefronts show up in today's buyer conversations, Melanie Kemp offers a discreet, senior-led perspective drawn from more than 40 years in the local market. Request a Confidential Home Valuation and we can start with what's happening on your street.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
