Happy New Year to all our Jewish friends. Our Pick of the week…is the 30th anniversary of the Abbot Kinney Festival, which takes place this Sunday. Always a fun event for us locals, each year the event has been attracting more and more people from all over the LA area and of course tourists (both national and international). This year, this fantastic poster (below) by John Laddie Dill is available for purchase. In fact, there are three different commemorative posters this year! The posters feature works by renowned Venice artists Ed Moses, Laddie John Dill and Tom Everhart.

2014 Poster – John Laddie Dill

I have been attending since I first arrived in LA (1999). I even performed at the event (and got my photo on the cover of the Argonaut….funny…now I am writing for the local paper). As always there will be bands…(though there seems to be way more DJs this year than ever before (boohoo) and a spoken word stage….really?? Sorry sometimes the noise from the festival is too loud for acoustic music…not sure how that is going to go.

My favorite part of the festival is the shopping. Vendors from all over come to participate in the event. There are some truly original vendors. Art, ceramics, clothing, accessories, jewelry, shoes, and lots more. Lets not forget all the food trucks located in several food court areas and of course the beer gardens. This year, you can reserve a Beer & Spirit Garden Early Bird Fast Pass – visit the website for more info.

As always, art will be part of the festival. artist Gary Palmer This year the Abbot Kinney Festival will host a mini chalk art festival on Westminster Ave, between AK and Electric Ave. Come by and see internationally recognized chalk artists plying their skills on our streets. Local artists such as Gary Palmer, Rob Dew, and more will participate. The European tradition of street art goes back hundreds of years and we think Venice is ripe for such a festival. A kid’s section will also be featured.

Remember….this is Venice. if you live close by bike there. Otherwise try to car pool or  leave the car at home and use a car service.

If you have to drive…Official Festival Parking Lots are located off Electric Ave at Brooks, Santa Clara, Milwood & Venice. Festival parking is valet for $25 (ouch). But be aware…part of your parking fee at an official lot goes back into the festival coffers that go back into the Venice community!

What: Abbot Kinney Festival
Where: Venice Blvd to Brooks Ave.
When: Sunday, September 28, 2014, 10:00 am till 6:00 pm
Website: http://abbotkinney.org/