SANTA MONICA—On Wednesday, August 26, the city of Santa Monica announced that the sixth annual Americana in the Park returns to Gandara Park, 1819 Stewart St., on Sunday, September 13, 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. This all-ages event features kid-friendly activities, onsite food trucks and more.
Presented by McCabe’s Guitar Shop in partnership with the city of Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs Division and KCRW, the free concert will feature local talent including Albert Lee, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Abby Posner & the Big Fall, Jason Luckett, and the Bob Baker Marionettes playing traditional Americana music, as well as its more modern forms. Attendees are asked to bring a blanket, lawn chair and picnic.
The 2026 concert lineup includes:
Albert Lee – Grammy Award-winning British guitarist Albert Lee is a multiple-time recipient of Guitar Player Magazine’s “Best Country Guitarist” and is celebrated by fans and musicians the world over for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with many notable musicians across a wide range of genres.
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca – Ricardo Lemvo has established himself as a pioneer with his innovative music blending Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles (soukous, Angolan semba and kizomba). He embodies the Afro-Latin Diaspora which connects back to Mother Africa via the Cuban clave rhythm. Truly multi-cultural, he is equally at home singing in Spanish, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Turkish, Lingala and Kikongo.
Abby Posner & the Big Fall – Abby Posner is a genre-defying multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer originally from the mountains of Colorado. Recently featured on NPR’s Mountain Stage, Posner captivates audiences with a dynamic sound that blends haunting folk with high-energy Americana and infectious, foot-stomping anthems.
Jason Luckett – A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Jason Luckett blends jazz, soul and samba influences and his work often engages social justice themes. His lyrics and essays appear in multiple anthologies, and he composes for film and theater. Second Saturdays Jazz Night+ with Jason Luckett & Friends is in its third year in Pasadena, Calif.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater – Bob Baker Marionette Theater is the country’s most iconic nonprofit puppet theater and a Los Angeles Cultural-Historical Monument that has served its community with creativity, joy and imagination since 1963. Their mission is to preserve, educate and innovate at the intersection of puppetry and the allied arts.
Americana in the Park is free and open to the public. Public transportation is encouraged. Big Blue Bus Route 43 serves Gandara Park, with buses running every 45 minutes.
Metro Rail’s E Line serves the nearby 26th St./Bergamot Station, with trains operating between East Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica every 10 minutes.
By Danny Jones