Most of Carmel-by-the-Sea's public calendar for November 2026 sits on one block. Sunset Center, at San Carlos Street and Ninth Avenue, has nine event dates this month. The 55th Homecrafters' Marketplace sets up in its north lot. PacRep's family musical opens at the Outdoor Forest Theater on the last Saturday.
Meanwhile, two of the village's older public rooms are preparing to change. Harrison Memorial Library is getting ready to move its services out for a two-year restoration. The city's only museum, the First Murphy House, may soon share its space so it can stay open more often. So the Sunset Center block is busy at the same moment the Lincoln Street rooms are changing hands or moving out.
Sunset Center carries most of the month
All four headline shows are presented by Sunset Presents. The listed prices below are before applicable fees.
| Date | Event | Time | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Super Scientific Circus | 4:30 p.m. | $34–$55 |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Chamber Music Monterey Bay season opener | See calendar | See calendar |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Perla Batalla: A Letter to Leonard Cohen, Studio 105 | 7 p.m. | $75 general admission |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | An Evening with David Sedaris | 7 p.m. | $55–$115 |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Time for Three | See calendar | See calendar |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Screening of Killers of the Flower Moon | See calendar | See calendar |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 21–22 | Monterey Symphony, Slavonic Dances + Two Pianos | See calendar | See calendar |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Andy Grammer: One Man Show | 7 p.m. | $65–$95 |
Two of these fall on back-to-back weeknights. The Perla Batalla cabaret is a cabaret performance in Studio 105, with general admission seating. David Sedaris follows the next night. The Friday, Nov. 6 circus is billed as a science-and-comedy show and starts at 4:30 p.m. Andy Grammer's Nov. 28 date is billed as an intimate acoustic and storytelling performance. For times and tickets on the dates marked "see calendar," the Sunset Center event calendar has the details.
Veterans Day comes first
Before the busy weekends comes the month's one civic ceremony. The city's 2026 events calendar lists the Annual Veterans Day Ceremony for Wednesday, Nov. 11. The listing gives the date but not the time or place.
The traditional format is described in the city's 2021 announcement. It started at 11 a.m. with a rededication at the World War I Memorial Arch at Ocean and San Carlos, then moved on foot to Devendorf Park. American Legion Post 512 and the city hosted. If you plan to attend, check the city calendar closer to the date to confirm the 2026 program.
Saturday, Nov. 21: the north lot by day, the hall by night
The 55th Homecrafters' Marketplace sets up in the Sunset Center north lot on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Monterey Symphony's Slavonic Dances + Two Pianos plays inside the building that weekend, on Nov. 21 and 22.
These are separate events with separate uses of the property. Still, the market occupies the north lot on the same day the symphony brings its audience to the building. If you're going to both, or just driving past San Carlos and Ninth that Saturday, plan for one block carrying two crowds. The city's parking and locations page is the place to check before you head out.
Saturday, Nov. 28 spreads across three venues
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the one day this month when the calendar spreads past the Sunset Center block. Three events stagger through the afternoon and evening:
- 2 to 3 p.m. Creatorspace at the Park Branch library, on the city's library calendar.
- 3 p.m. Opening matinee of Pacific Repertory Theatre's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr. at the Outdoor Forest Theater. The gate is at Mountain View and Santa Rita avenues.
- 7 p.m. Andy Grammer at Sunset Center.
PacRep's Rudolph is a family musical based on the TV special. It runs about 90 minutes and is recommended for ages 4 and up. After the Nov. 28 and 29 openers, it plays weekend matinees at 3 p.m. on Dec. 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20. The Dec. 19 performance is ASL-interpreted. Tickets are sold through the PacRep page.
The run carries the Forest Theater past the city's Annual Holiday Celebration, which the city calendar lists for Friday, Dec. 4. The city hasn't described that event as a tree lighting, so check the calendar for its program.
The library is preparing to move two blocks
The Sunset Center block matters more this fall because the library at Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Street is preparing to go quiet. On Sept. 9, the Historic Resources Board and the Planning Commission approved exterior rehabilitation plans for Harrison Memorial Library at a joint special meeting. The Carmel Tribune reported that the boards found the work consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
The Tribune also summarized a March 2026 staff report. It describes a two-year restoration starting in late 2026, with about 6,000 books, magazines, newspapers and other materials moving out. Interim library services would run from the Church of the Wayfarer, two blocks away. The Carmel Public Library Foundation is leading the fundraising. Its stated goal is to finish construction by the library's centennial year, 2028.
According to the Tribune's account, which cites Carmel Pine Cone coverage by way of LocalWiki, the approved plans include these changes.
- A new north entrance
- An elevator
- A new path leading to Ocean Avenue
The boards attached conditions meant to keep the Bernard Maybeck design readable. New work gets differentiated plaster so it reads as new, the window frames will be burnished brass, and a code-compliant balcony rail must wrap fully around the south and west sides.
The last day at Harrison and the first day at the Church of the Wayfarer had not been announced as of mid-October. The city's library page is where those dates will appear. The Park Branch already has November children's programs on the calendar. Babytime runs 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 17 and 24, and 123 Sing with Me runs 10:15 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 25.
The museum on Lincoln Street may get more open hours
Farther along Lincoln Street, a smaller change is taking shape. The Carmel Pine Cone's Oct. 9 issue reported that the City Council told the city attorney on Oct. 6 to work with the Carmel Chamber of Commerce and the Carmel Heritage Society on a joint lease. The lease covers the First Murphy House, in the park at 573 Lincoln St.
The 124-year-old house is the city's only museum. Supporters, as the Pine Cone summarized them, said the arrangement would let it open more often because chamber volunteers could be trained as docents. Acting city administrator Brandon Swanson framed the request to the council simply, according to the Pine Cone:
"What we need is basically a thumbs-up or thumbs-down."
The proposal was presented by chamber president and CEO Kati Enea and Carmel Heritage Society executive director Leah Beets. It revives an idea that, in the Pine Cone's words, "went nowhere in spring 2024." The same story reported opposition from people concerned that mixing commercial and historical interests would favor business over history and culture. The council's direction was to negotiate a lease. No signed lease has been reported.
Putting the month on one page
For a Carmel household, November breaks down into a few fixed points:
- Sunset Center shows on Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22 and 28
- Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11; confirm the time on the city calendar
- Homecrafters' Marketplace on Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Sunset Center north lot
- Three staggered events on Nov. 28 at the Park Branch, the Forest Theater and Sunset Center
- Library transition dates to come on the city library page
The two civic stories will keep going after November. Neither the library's interim move nor the First Murphy House lease has a fixed date yet.
If you live near Ocean and Lincoln and are wondering what a two-year library restoration means for your block, Mark Cohan is glad to walk through it calmly, with the facts in front of you. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
