If you live in Martinez, you have probably already noticed the small changes. A new row of trees along Alhambra Avenue. A utility box on Marina Vista that stopped being beige. A city website URL, cityofmartinez.org/150, that keeps showing up on flyers at the coffee shop. None of it is random. The city officially turned 150 on April 1, 2026, and rather than throw one party and call it a year, Martinez is using the Sesquicentennial as an excuse to quietly refresh the streetscape you walk through every day.
That is the story worth knowing. The August 29 festival is the visible payoff, but the more interesting move is what has been happening on the corridors between now and then.
The one-line version, for neighbors who missed the memo
Martinez was incorporated on April 1, 1876, which makes 2026 the sesquicentennial year. The City is honoring 150 years under the theme "Past, Present, Future, Together," with recognition running across the entire 2026 calendar year through special events, community projects, and opportunities for residents to help shape the next chapter. The mayor, Brianne Zorn, has been the public face of the program.
"Past, Present, Future, Together" — Sesquicentennial theme adopted by the City of Martinez for 2026
Three official events anchor the year. One has already happened. One is coming up fast. And the third runs quietly in the background of every walk you take through downtown.
The three milestone dates
1. April 1 — the actual birthday
The kickoff was low-key on purpose. The City invited residents to the 150th Anniversary of Incorporation at Martinez City Hall on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, with festivities beginning at 6:00 PM featuring live music from the Martinez Junior High Jazz Band, a Flower Bouquet Bar where attendees could create their own bouquets, and a selection of appetizers and a celebratory dessert, followed at 7:00 PM by a commemorative City Council Meeting. If you missed it, you missed it. That was the point. It was a neighbors-and-council night, not a spectacle.
2. Early-year district community sessions
These are the ones that flew under the radar for most residents. The City hosted Community Sessions in each district early in the year, giving residents a chance to learn about current City initiatives preparing Martinez for the future, offer input and ask questions, and connect with neighbors and City leaders. If you have opinions about parks, streets, or where the next round of trees should go, these were the venue. Watch for the fall follow-ups.
3. August 29 — the actual party
This is the one to put on the fridge. The Sesquicentennial Festival on August 29, 2026 is a one-day, waterfront-wide community celebration honoring the City's history, identity, and spirit, set throughout Waterfront Park, Joe DiMaggio Field, the marina, and nearby EBRPD spaces, bringing together local organizations, families, and neighbors for a full day of music, food, activities, and shared community pride. The event is being planned collaboratively with Downtown Martinez & Co., including a partnership with the Bay Area Craft Beer Festival, and runs from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Practical note for anyone who has been to Beer Fest in April: the two are teaming up this year, which means the August 29 crowd will be larger than a typical Waterfront Saturday. Bike down if you can.
The quieter part: what is changing on your block
Here is where the Sesquicentennial stops being a calendar and starts being physical.
150 Trees for 150 Years. More than 150 trees have been planted across the City in advance of the Sesquicentennial year along Alhambra Avenue, Marina Vista, Arnold Drive, and other key corridors throughout Martinez, and residents will see these new trees begin to flourish as part of the Sesquicentennial year. If you drive Alhambra between the John Muir site and downtown regularly, you have already been driving past the change. The trees were planted small on purpose. They are the version of the city your kids will remember.
Utility Box Art Program. A creative beautification project is transforming utility boxes throughout the City into works of public art celebrating Martinez's culture, history, and community. Downtown residents have started spotting these on Main and Escobar. If you know a local artist, or you are one, this is the program that has been actively soliciting submissions.
Park System Master Plan Update. A comprehensive effort to re-envision Martinez's parks, open spaces, and recreation facilities for generations to come. Less immediately visible than the trees, but this is the document that will govern what happens at Rankin, Hidden Valley, Nancy Boyd, and the rest for the next twenty years. If you care about a specific park, the community sessions were the input point, and future workshops are the follow-up.
The rest of the 2026 calendar, in one place
The Sesquicentennial is a spine, not the whole body. The signature events you already know are still running, and they read differently in an anniversary year.
| Event | When | Where | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Muir Birthday & Earth Day Celebration | April 18, 2026, 10 AM–4 PM | John Muir National Historic Site, 4202 Alhambra Ave | John Muir Association & NPS |
| Fourth of July Parade & Fireworks | July 4 | Main Street parade, 9 PM fireworks at Waterfront | City of Martinez |
| Beaver Festival | Summer | Susana Park | Worth a Dam |
| Art in the Park | Summer | Susana Park | Martinez Arts Association |
| Martinez Pride | Summer | Downtown | City of Martinez |
| Sesquicentennial Festival | Aug 29, 2026, 11 AM–7 PM | Waterfront Park, Joe DiMaggio Field, marina | City + Downtown Martinez & Co. |
A few of these are worth calling out for people who have not been in a while:
- The John Muir Birthday & Earth Day Celebration is a free-admission event organized by the John Muir Association and National Park Service at the John Muir National Historic Site, located at 4202 Alhambra Avenue. You can read the park's own visitor guidance at nps.gov/jomu before you go.
- Beaver Fest highlights urban beavers and brings together friends and nature enthusiasts, underscores the importance of beavers and their positive environmental impact, and features live music, education and nature exhibits from all over the Bay Area, and children's activities. If you are new to town and wondering why there is a beaver on so much local merchandise, the short version is that a family of North American beavers has been living in Alhambra Creek in downtown Martinez since 2006, and the city has become a national example of urban stream restoration using beavers as ecosystem engineers.
- The July 4 fireworks show dazzles spectators at the Waterfront Park Martinez Shoreline at 9pm, promising a 20-minute display of lights and colors.
Where to eat on festival day (without a two-hour wait)
The one thing every 150-year celebration reliably breaks is dinner plans. A few downtown notes from residents who have been through past Waterfront weekends.
Roxx on Main at 627 Main Street is the reservation to make early. Roxx on Main was named 2026 East Bay Times Readers' Choice Winner and inducted into the Readers' Choice Hall of Fame after winning four years in a row from 2023 to 2026. On festival Saturday, plan on booking at least two weeks out.
Beyond that, downtown Martinez has quietly built a deeper bench in the last two years. Brother Sister, Bella's Spot, Brix & Craft, Six Eleven, Sumo Grill, Kim Phong Vietnamese Bistro, Kyoto Ramen Hawaiian BBQ, Troy, and JP's Bistro all sit within a short walk of Main Street. If the festival crowd swamps Main, the side streets north of Escobar tend to clear first.
What to actually do this month
If you only do one Sesquicentennial thing:
- Walk Alhambra Avenue between the John Muir site and Marina Vista and count how many young trees you can spot. That is your 150.
- Look up at the utility boxes on your next downtown coffee run. The program is rolling, so the box you saw plain in June may be painted by September.
- Block off August 29, 11 AM to 7 PM. Bring the kids, bring the out-of-town relatives, bring the dog. This is the one that happens once.
Martinez is a small city that has spent 150 years being underestimated by the rest of the East Bay. The Sesquicentennial year is a reasonable moment to notice, out loud, that a lot of what makes the town good is the work of neighbors who kept showing up. Trees do not plant themselves. Beavers do not defend themselves. Utility boxes do not paint themselves.
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