Hey, Where'd Those Manhattan Beach Pier Lights Go? MB Patch Knows

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Sometime before Thanksgiving, locals started to wonder about the missing lights on the Manhattan Beach Pier. No, they weren't talking about the holiday lights that annually adorn the pier this time of year. They were addressing the iconic lights that light the pier year round.

In 1992, those lights, which are made using the same design of the 1920 original pier lights, replaced the gooseneck style lighting that had previously been in use. And when the historically accurate lamps disappeared, local photographers and residents began to wonder why.

"With the holiday lights up over December, we took this opportunity to refurbish the globes and cages with minimal lighting disruption to users of the pier," explained Stephanie Katsouleas, the public works director for the City of Manhattan Beach. "The cages are due back from being powder coated soon and they will be reinstalled before the other [holiday] lights come down."

So, you could just say that the city's seemingly great planning didn't entirely achieve their objective. "We were hoping their absence would just blend in with all the other decorations," said Katsouleas.

Photo by Cathy Hough

Below: The lights on the Manhattan Beach Pier have been missing during holiday season 2020. Here they are during a previous holiday season.