On October 26, 1916, Carmel voted on whether to become a city. The vote was 113 for and 86 against. Before that, the city's own historic context statement describes Devendorf as an unofficial mayor who settled disputes between residents. The same election chose the first board of trustees: A.P. Fraser as president, Peter Taylor, G.F. Beardsley, E.K. DeSabla and D.W. Johnson.
The city now marks October 31 as its birthday. This year it has merged the 110th celebration with Halloween instead of giving it a separate day. The city's Halloween announcement bills the October 30 parade as a celebration of "Halloween and the City's birthday" and puts the Birthday Bash the next morning in Devendorf Park. In practice, the anniversary runs from Saturday, October 24 through Saturday, October 31. Nearly all of it happens within a few blocks of the park voters agreed to buy in 1921.
A Close Vote, a Small Grid, a Long Memory
Carmel was a planned place well before 1916. Visit Carmel's historical overview traces the town to J. Frank Devendorf and Frank H. Powers, who formed the Carmel Development Company and brought in a young builder named Michael J. Murphy. Murphy built his first house in 1902, around his family's tent. The city says he was 17. The house stood at Lincoln and Sixth, and it is now city-owned and maintained by the Carmel Heritage Society.
In 1921, five years after incorporation, voters approved buying 15 acres of dunes from James Devendorf for $15,000. The purchase included the beach and Block 69, which is now Devendorf Park. For years the block served as a polo field, horseshoe pit, campground and fairground before the city developed the park in 1932. The park is at Junipero and Ocean, and this year it is the base for every big event on the birthday calendar.
The town keeps its old habits, too. Carmel spent most of those 110 years without numbered street addresses. The Carmel Pine Cone reported in late September that the new numbers are now in place, and postal officials described a possible forwarding grace period of three to six months that is neither guaranteed nor automatic. We covered how that change is moving through home sales in our post on Carmel's first street addresses. If you're sending birthday cards to neighbors this month, use the new number.
The Birthday Week, in Order
The City of Carmel lists everything below as free and open to the public.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: the 11th annual Pumpkin Roll. Pick up a city-supplied pumpkin on Ocean Avenue at Santa Fe Street and roll it down the hill. The city calls it one of Carmel's longest-standing traditions and notes that nobody has to steal pumpkins in the dark to do it anymore.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 p.m.: the Howl-o-Ween Pet Parade and Costume Contest. This one belongs to the Carmel Chamber of Commerce and takes place at Carmel Plaza, a short walk from the bottom of the pumpkin run.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 4:30 p.m.: the City Halloween Parade. It stages at Mission Street and Sixth Avenue, on the Farmers' Market footprint, heads south on Junipero, turns right onto Ocean, runs down to Monte Verde Street and loops back up. Trick-or-treating follows in Devendorf Park.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the 110th Birthday Bash in Devendorf Park. Bring a blanket or a chair. The Hovering Breadcat Band plays, with the music sponsored by Sunset Center. The city promises free hot dogs while supplies last, face painting and "other surprises."
The parade loop down Ocean to Monte Verde passes the end of Lincoln Street. Murphy's 1902 house sits one block north of that stretch at Lincoln and Sixth. For a few minutes on Friday evening, the parade comes within a block of the town's oldest surviving story.
What Closes, and When
Two of the four events close streets. The Pumpkin Roll shuts Ocean Avenue far longer than the roll itself lasts.
Event | Date | Closure | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
Pumpkin Roll | Sat., Oct. 24 | Ocean Avenue, Carpenter Street to Junipero Avenue, all traffic | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Halloween Parade | Fri., Oct. 30 | No cross traffic on Ocean, Junipero to Monte Verde | From 4:15 p.m. |
Halloween Parade | Fri., Oct. 30 | Ocean Avenue closed for the parade | 4:30 to about 5 p.m. |
The city adds one plain warning about Friday. If you park on Ocean Avenue, or on the side streets between Ocean and Sixth or Seventh Avenues, "you will be a captive audience for a very fun parade until we get the streets open again." It says the best viewing is anywhere along Ocean, especially at Devendorf Park, and that standing or sitting on the medians is not allowed.
If you need your car Friday evening, park north of Sixth or south of Seventh before 4:15.
Breakfast Before the Roll
The Pumpkin Roll starts at 11 a.m., so there's time for breakfast close by. Café Carmel, on Ocean Avenue between Mission and San Carlos, serves breakfast and lunch. Its kitchen also fed the crowd at the October 10 Meet the Makers event, according to the Carmel Pine Cone. Farther down the hill, Carmel Bakery & Coffee House sits on Ocean between Dolores and Lincoln. Visit Carmel dates the business to 1899, which makes it older than the city it now sells birthday-week coffee in.
The Two Old Buildings Still Changing
Most of the birthday route is settled ground. Two buildings near it are not.
The First Murphy House, 573 Lincoln St. The 124-year-old house is the city's only museum. On October 6, the Carmel City Council directed the city attorney to work with the Carmel Chamber of Commerce and the Carmel Heritage Society on a possible joint lease, the Pine Cone reported. According to the paper, supporters say the arrangement could keep the house open more often, because chamber volunteers could be trained as docents. Opponents worry that combining commercial and historical interests would favor business over history and culture. The same idea went nowhere in spring 2024. This time, the council's direction starts negotiations. It does not approve a lease.
Harrison Memorial Library. The library's $17.5 million renovation has been approved by the Planning Commission and the Historic Resources Board, the Pine Cone reported in September. The plan adds a north entrance, an elevator and an accessible garden path to Ocean Avenue, along with seismic and infrastructure work, and it aims to finish by the library's centennial in 2028.
Taken together, the 110th birthday falls between two other milestones. The library is aiming at its 100th, and the house Murphy built 14 years before the city existed may soon be open more often under a new lease. Both buildings are within a few blocks of Devendorf Park.
One related project is further off. Scenic Road's erosion protection near the Carmel River has received $1.8 million in state funding to finish design. The full project is estimated at $9 million, and permitting was expected to take about two years, per the Pine Cone. Don't expect construction crews on the bluff this year.
After the Hot Dogs Run Out
The October 15 Halloween-themed Third Thursday at Devendorf Park was the last of the series until it returns in March. The rest of the year's calendar is already posted:
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day ceremony, on the city's events calendar
- Nov. 13: David Sedaris at Sunset Center
- Nov. 14: Carmel Art Walk, per Visit Carmel
- Nov. 21: Homecrafters' Marketplace
- Nov. 28: Andy Grammer at Sunset Center
- Dec. 4: the city's annual Holiday Celebration
- Dec. 6: Pink Martini at Sunset Center
- Dec. 11 to 13: The Nutcracker at Sunset Center
- Dec. 12: Carmel Art Walk
- Dec. 18 and 19: Father John Misty with Damien Jurado at Sunset Center
The Sunset Center shows are the same venue paying for the Hovering Breadcat Band on October 31. Its calendar marks which dates still have tickets available.
For more on the village, from Ocean Avenue to the side streets the parade passes, see our Carmel-by-the-Sea neighborhood guide and our late-summer resident's calendar.
David Lyng Real Estate has been part of Monterey Bay life since 1980, and our Carmel-by-the-Sea office is a short walk from the parade route. If you have questions about the village, its history or your own corner of it, come find us during birthday week or contact us anytime.