The 2018 Abbot Kinney Street Festival - O.G.'s And Babies!

The 34th Annual Abbot Kinney Festival was yesterday, and we could not have asked for a more perfect day. To the point where it was a main talking point all day, like, "Can you believe how gorgeous out it is?!" It really was. Warm sunshine and white fluffy clouds, with just enough light breeze to cool things off and keep it delightful. A picture perfect day, which was great because people were taking pictures all day long.

The street was already jam packed by the time I got there, and everyone was in an awesome mood. It was hard to get anywhere very quickly, because every few feet you'd see someone else you knew and loved - and most likely hadn't seen around Abbot Kinney in a while. The AK Fest is like Venice Homecoming, I always say, as the folks who tend to avoid the tourist trap that AK Boulevard has become still do come out for this annual event. It's great because you get the reassurance that your People are still here.

To that end, it seemed like a lot more of the booths were from locals this year vs. all the realtors and politicians and junk like that of recent years. Things like the Venice Oceanarium, Venice Resistance, Hecho En Venice, and the Free Venice Beachhead were all there, showing off what the real Venice is still all about.

There was a lot of shopping to be done, but who really has time for that when there are so many friends and neighbors to see? But if you did want to get some new gear, there were a ton of unique to Venice places who also set up shop. Burro, Ananda (who hooked me up with some new glasses as the sun was so bright it really did hurt your eyes), Principessa, and Amiga Wild were all there to offer things that really are still Mom and Pop places around here.

There was a lot of art, a lot of jewelry, and a lot of things that really only make sense for a street fair or a festival ... like the giant rainbow headdress that I found myself wanting (just have no place to put it!). I was happy to see this also because I missed the Brazilian samba dancers going by earlier in the day, and I love that.

A large Kid Zone was there for the youngsters, with games and inflatable things to jump on. Faces could be painted, temporary tattoos could be applied, and there were a ton of opportunities to get your kids sugar high.

I really missed the chalk art mandala this year, but by them not being included, it's given us the inspiration to create our own street art/chalk art festival - stay tuned!

Long lines for beer gardens are always avoided by me, and the same goes for food, so you tend to get starving by the end of the day. I always like to check out the Outdoor Grill stand, but they had closed down by the time I made my way back over there, but it sure smelled great earlier in the day.

The "Locals" stage at Andalusia was again our headquarters this year, where you knew you'd see friends, because many of them were performing. Paul Chesne got people dancing in his afternoon set, and we all lounged around in the backstage area enjoying our airplane bottles of booze and lemonade (it's no secret).

It was especially exciting this year for the Festival, as it was the very first one for several little babies I know.

When Matt Ellis and his wife Vavine got up to play the Andalusia stage, it was also the first time on stage for their little daughter, Magnolia. They sang, "Oh, My Magnolia" together (well, Maggie kind of just observed), and it was extra special. Baby Magnolia handled show biz like a champion, and I'm sure it was the first of many family gigs. Love!

There is always so much to see and do at the AK Fest, but again, my favorite part is seeing my friends in real life, and not just on social media - as that medium has only made us all more anti-social.

I caught up with my friends in the band NOCONA before they played, and was once again so inspired and grateful by all of the supercool people that make Venice their home (or are still trying to).

The sun started to set and that meant that soon you began to hear the clanking of poles that signals the end of another AK Fest as all the booths start getting dismantled.

The sky was as beautiful in the evening as it was during the day, and the bright pink clouds escorted everyone on to their next adventure (seemingly either super crowded bars or house parties). Another Abbot Kinney Festival on the books! I hope everyone has as fun as I did, and got to once again appreciate all that we have and all that we are here in Venice.

Happy Homecoming!

The 32nd Annual Abbot Kinney Festival - FUN In The Sun!

Yesterday was the 32nd Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice, and it was SO. FUN. You never know what kind of day you'll get for the Festival ... we've had totally socked in foggy days, perfectly crisp Autumn days, but yesterday might have been the hottest one I can remember. It was sweltering out, and that just meant that people got all the crazier. Like less clothes, more drinks. One had to stay hydrated, after all.

We had Vikings football in the morning, so that got the party day started, but also meant that we were a bit tardy in getting to the Festival. After a solid Minnesota victory, we raced over to my Abbot Kinney adjacent pad to create a headquarters, and then jumped out into it all. There were so many booths to visit and already half the day was gone, so it was pretty much speed-looking at it all, but not all that speedy because you kept running into longtime Venice folks that you hadn't seen in a while - the best part of the whole affair.

I always call the Abbot Kinney Festival the Venice Homecoming, because it's on this day that all the locals who have been avoiding Abbot Kinney the rest of the year, come out to see each other and celebrate together. It's so fun, and you're guaranteed to run into some of your very favorite Venice characters. I LOVE these people!

Speaking of people I love, my BFF Brigette came down with her darling kids. Newborn baby, Dawsen, showed up for her very first Abbot Kinney Festival! This meant more frequent trips back to headquarters, but that was a welcome reprieve in the crazy heat. Yay babies!

I was happy to see my good friends from Turquoise and Tobacco with a great booth full of the jewelry I was wearing all day ...

My friend Darren Pattanumotana had a booth serving up  her handmade Venice products, from cards to tote bags (that if you missed are also available at Burro!) ...

Another friend, Erica Silverman, had a booth full of her art products, and added to the family affair vibe with her parents visiting from Michigan helping her to man the booth ... Special.

Trim had an all-day Western themed party that was going off so hard that we never even made it inside. It was super hot so we opted for the fresh air partying, but I heard it was extra fun in there, as one would expect!

There was another festival piggy-backing on to the AK Fest this year, and the Venice-Brooks Festival was happening down near the beach where Abbot Kinney turns into Brooks. There were more booths, more food, more drinks, and more people having all kinds of fun in the sun ... so much that it was almost overwhelming. I couldn't stay long because the bulk of my friends were all back at the "Locals" stage at Andalusia, having too much to leave for another festival. It was fun and cool and great reggae beats were spinning all day, and I wish I'd had more time to enjoy it.

Zooming back to Andalusia, I saw all the kids having fun at the Westminster school Kid's Zone, and took in a few more booths that I also wish I'd more time to peruse. There is SO much good stuff going on all day, it's truly hard to get it all in ... but it sure is fun trying!

After baby farewells, I was walking down the sidewalk back to the Locals stage when I heard the end chorus to my friend Matt Ellis' song "Hey, Mister!", a number we all sang back up to on its original recording. I got there to see my pals up on the stage belting it out, so I jumped up there along with them and welcomed kids in the crowd to join us in the anthem protesting all the political injustice going on. As we do. It was a blast, and by now our whole gang was there soaking up all the fun.

Tom Freund and Venice friends/ultra musicians  (David Ralicke, Adam Topol, Steve McCormick, Stan Behrens, etc_!) played us out of the Festival as golden hour set in, and it was sublime. Paul Chesne and Matt Ellis joined the Freund players for a finale of "With A Little Help From My Friends" that pretty much summed up the feeling and the day. All of us really are getting by with a little help from our friends, and it's days like this that let us both remember that, and treasure it. It doesn't really even matter if you're Old or New Venice either ... the vibe is obvious, and the love of Venice is real. And true.

This is where my phone went fully dead, so there could be no more photos ... which might be a good thing. The after-party spread over to Big Red Sun on Rose, with more music from friends, spreading icing on the cake of an already fully great day. I think probably everyone in town went to bed with smiles on their faces last night, as a good time was had by all. Phew!

See you next year, Everybody! (but I hope it's not that long).

*Backup singers photo courtesy of Kelly Rush Frazier