The annual Venice Beach Music Fest music and arts festival celebrates a decade of totally free music, art, literature, and dance at the beach on Saturday, September 12, 2015, from 11:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. in Windward Plaza Park (1 Windward Avenue, between the boardwalk and the bike trail). The festival, sister to the Venice Spring Fling, is and always has been free and open to the public, made possible by local and national businesses. The free music will continue at an after-show at Danny’s Venice from 8:00 P.M. – 1:00 A.M.
The full day of arts, music, and dance entertainment is composed of a multi-genre array of seasoned and talented performers. Venice Beach Music Fest 10 is thrilled to welcome violin virtuoso Lili Haydn, seasoned rock-and-roll guitarist Greg Douglass of the Greg Douglass Band (with Steve Miller Band, he wrote the #1 hit “Jungle Love”), local punk/ska heroes Meet Me at the Pub, experimental band Spiel (a collaboration of musicians from Venice bands Sugar Bitch, Golden Buddha, and The Aliens), reggae band Jah Faith and the Hashishans, psychedelic funksters Jojo Stella, a special literary reading by Ann Cohen, and dance performances by Ya Harissa Bellydance Theatre and Samba Da Mudanca (Samba for Change). This year’s lineup also includes a performance by the ArtQueen ensemble of Sweden, which brings the “Go Wild N’ Crazy” art and fashion stage show, featuring the music of Black Diamond. The festival opens with a parade down Ocean Front Walk (arriving at the festival site at 11 A.M.). After the full day of music and arts, there will be an after-show at Danny’s Venice, which will feature even more musical entertainment, including a set by local guitarist Vinny Caggiano, and a reprise by Jojo Stella.
Venice Beach Music Fest 10 is proud to support the arts by hosting an art show that is free for selected independent artists. This year’s lineup of visual artists showing their works include both local and internationally recognized artists Ra Ra Superstar, Art by Sky, Carissa Weber (ArtLab23), Elza Queen, Audrey McNamara, Noah Sturm, Ann Cohen, and F’n Obscure artists James Norman Breier, Ryan Christopher Bugarin (Righteous Amusement Designs), Ellen Norden, and Nature’s Lane Photography. Authors onsite for book signings include Carlos Allende (Love, or The Witches of Windward Circle; set in Venice in the early 20th century), and Linda Kelly (Deadheads: Stories from Fellow Artists, Friends, and Followers of the Grateful Dead). Other special features of this year’s celebration include Sambazon’s mobile café (offering açai bowls, Amazon superfood juices, and smoothies for purchase), Humboldt county soil producer Royal Gold, Mystic Rainbow tie-dyes, and local performance artist (and fun-bringer!) Eclectic Hoops.
Producer Milton Rosenberg, in his tenth year of free festival production in the community, notes that this year’s Venice Beach Music Fest celebration is a special one. “I couldn’t be prouder of the world-class level of talent we are able to offer the people of Venice, right here in our backyard. This festival was inspired by the original intent of Abbot Kinney: for Venice as a place to celebrate music, art, dance, and life, right here at the Pacific Ocean. Venice Beach Music Fest celebrates the creative spirit in all of us.” Previous festivals have included incredible live performances by Barry “The Fish” Melton (Country Joe and The Fish); Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag); John Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, and Walter Kibby (Fishbone); Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns); Matt Abts (Gov’t Mule); and Michael Hinton (Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band), to name some of the international talent over the years. John Norwood Fisher, one of Venice Spring Fling 5’s headliners earlier this year, says of his multi-year participation in the festivals, “I love what the Venice Spring Fling and the Venice Beach Music Fest bring to the community. They provide a clearing for another level of togetherness for all of the community. It’s important and I’m happy to see that the festivals move forward and grow. It represents something positive for all of Venice.”
The free Venice Beach Music Fest 10 is made possible by generous donations from these local and national sponsors that continue to prove their dedication to arts preservation in our community: Venice Beach Suites & Hotel, Sambazon, Earrigation Mobile Recording Studios, Venice Boardwalk Association, The Sidewalk Café, Danny’s Venice, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom, Fresh Brothers, Volcano Tea House (Los Angeles), Whole Foods Market Venice, Maui and Sons Venice Beach, Royal Gold Potting Soil, Venice Breeze Suites, Zelda’s Corner, Venice Paparazzi, Animal House, Free Venice Beachhead, Roadie Inc., Green Festival Expo, and Meridian Database.
