Tourism Bond and Friendship City Pact Santa Monica, USA and Brighton, England

Santa Monica to mark official Friendship City Pact with Brighton & Hove with a series of events and collaborations throughout the month of July

SANTA MONICA, Calif., (July 7, 2022) – The Mayors of Santa Monica and Brighton & Hove have joined forces this month as part of a new Friendship City Pact to collaborate, support each other and exchange ideas between the pier cities and their citizens. What drives this synergy is the two cities share iconic piers, beautiful coastlines, rich cultures, and vibrant communities offering a natural fit for this partnership. Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) will host a series of Santa Monica-inspired events and experiences at key locations around Brighton throughout the month to help boost coast-to-coast tourism from the Brighton, U.K. to Santa Monica, CA.

The pact aims to deepen the relationship between the two cities promoting cultural understanding between their citizens and offering an exchange of ideas and activities through school curriculum, event series and in-market tourism experiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

On Friday, July 29, the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Lizzie Deane and the Mayor Pro-Tem of Santa Monica, Kristin McCowan will each sign the official Friendship City Partnership Agreement in person (following a virtual signing this past May by Mayor, Lizzie Deane, and the Mayor of Santa Monica, Sue Himmelrich) with Santa Monica Sister City Assoc. President Jeff Jarow, with senior representatives of Visit Brighton and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism in attendance. The mayors will then unveil a dedicated street art mural to mark the collaboration by Santa Monica artist, Ruben Rojas, on Brighton’s Palace Pier before it moves to its permanent home in the city.

This partnership marks a new chapter for the tourism industries of Santa Monica and Brighton as they partner to celebrate the parallels between the culture, history, food scenes and creative communities of the respective cities, and of course their iconic piers, both over 100 years old, opening a decade apart in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

As part of the scheduled events, SMTT representatives will take part in several key events, which included the Visit USA Summer Affair in London on July 6, a sales mission as well as hosting an event for industry partners, trade, and media to share what’s new and encourage visitation to Santa Monica.

Brighton’s seaside Shelter Hall will play a key role in the collaboration with the launch of a Santa Monica-inspired menu on July 7 as part of a partnership between Mark Rush, the Hall’s chef, who visited Santa Monica in May, and the highly acclaimed, two-starred Michelin chef Josiah Citrin and Govind Armstrong, who will be in Brighton this month showcasing their culinary talents.

SMTT is offering one lucky winner and a guest from the U.K., the chance to win a four-night trip to Santa Monica. The giveaway went live on July 1 at SantaMonicaLovesBrighton.com.

“As two of the worlds most beloved coastal cities we are excited to form this partnership. Having two of our talented and award-winning chefs join us in sharing a flavour of what Santa Monica has to offer and creating memorable experiences for the public throughout July, we hope to give locals and visitors a true taste of the Santa Monica vibe while in Brighton to inspire them to visit our city,” said Misti Kerns, President and CEO of Santa Monica Travel & Tourism.

“We look forward to welcoming the Santa Monica Travel & Tourism team to our shores and supporting this fully immersive cultural experience for our residents and visitors throughout July. It is a sign of the exciting times that lie ahead for both destinations and we look forward to collaborating on further activations as part of our Friendship City Partnership,” said Howard Barden, Head of VisitBrighton.

Santa Monica x Brighton events calendar highlights:  

• Yellowave Volleyball on the Beach from July 2 – Visitors to Yellowave Beach Sports Club can take part in a Santa Monica Vibes volleyball tournament, free open court Beach Volleyball practice sessions with a qualified coach and a beach sunset BBQ and music evening (on July 29).
• Paddle Round the Pier on July 3 – Santa Monica Travel & Tourism was the title sponsor of The Big Paddle race as part of the annual Paddle Round the Pier event which raises much needed funds for local charities.
• Shelter Hall Takeover throughout July and August – Visitors will purchase and enjoy the tastes and sounds of Santa Monica with cocktails in the Skylark Bar and fresh juices in Zest (from July 1- 31) plus Californian cuisine at “Sol” the Santa Monica inspired kitchen at Shelter Hall (from July 7- August 31) and Sunday Music Sessions (from July 10).
• Live Santa Monica cooking demonstrations at One Market Brighton on July 9 & 16 – Gain some insider tips on how to cook a Santa Monica style dish from two top chefs, Govind Armstrong and Josiah Citrin.
• The Set Santa Monica-inspired Menu Collaboration from July 13 – Foodies can take their culinary experience to glittering heights with a special tasting menu to celebrate the pier cities partnership featuring dishes by two special guest chefs from Santa Monica, Govind Armstrong and Josiah Citrin.
• Friendship City mural unveiling on July 29 – The pier cities’ Mayors will join forces to unveil Santa Monica artist, Ruben Rojas’, dedicated mural in honor of the partnership.

About Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) works to strengthen our local economy by enhancing and promoting our communities as a distinctive, compelling and welcoming travel destination. For more information visit santamonica.com, email info@santamonica.com, or follow SMTT on Instagram (@SeeSantaMonica), Twitter (@GoSantaMonica) or Facebook (@VisitSantaMonica).