A new two-day music and culture festival is taking shape along the Venice Beach boardwalk, with organizers eyeing five music stages, more than a dozen bars and a free fan zone along a temporarily closed street. Called 1905 Fest, the event is named for the year Venice was founded and is planned for Venice Beach, California, with organizers targeting fall 2027, though no exact dates have been announced.
The festival describes itself as a two-day celebration of music, art and culture on Venice's coastline, according to 1905fest.com. It will be centered around Windward Plaza and extend toward the Venice Skatepark and Boardwalk, as well as the stretch of sand where Windward Avenue meets the Pacific Ocean. The festival's own site notes that this stretch of coastline was once the gateway to Abbot Kinney's original Venice Pier, home to an auditorium, dancing, attractions and the Ship Café — history organizers say they want to honor as the event pays tribute to Venice's founder, the New York Post reports.
The festival's musical lineup is expected to lean toward indie dance and psychedelic rock, though no performers have been announced, per the same report. Organizers also plan food vendors and say the event will give local businesses a chance to attract festivalgoers, with the stated goal of supporting unhoused neighbors and uplifting local businesses, artists and residents, according to 1905fest.com.
Who's Behind the Festival
1905 Fest was conceived by Sam Meyers, identified in a FestForums speaker biography as festival director at BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach. The Post describes him as a former BeachLife director who has lived on the Westside for nine years and in Venice for eight. Meyers has said the concept reflects his own interpretation of Venice's founding spirit of fun and community, and that he hopes to revive a community spirit he believes has long defined the neighborhood.
Meyers has said he believes Abbot Kinney's original vision still carries a spirit that can feel distant today, and that he wants to unite longtime Venice residents with newcomers — a group the Post notes includes people who have lived there for more than 50 years alongside others there for 20-plus years. Meyers is also asking Venice residents to share ideas and suggestions before the festival takes shape, according to the Post's report.
Permits and Political Backing
According to the Post, Meyers has received support from the offices of LA City Councilwoman Traci Park and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. Per Westside Current, as cited in the Post's reporting, 1905 Fest has secured permits and logistical support from the city, county and local district — though the proposal still has remaining hurdles to clear before it can move forward.
Joining a Crowded Beach Festival Scene
If it comes together, 1905 Fest would join a beach festival landscape that has grown considerably in Southern California. BeachLife, the Redondo Beach festival Meyers previously directed, launched in 2019 and has since become a three-day gathering at King Harbor, according to the Los Angeles Times. Organizers there describe it as built by and for the people of Redondo Beach. BeachLife's 2025 edition ran May 2 to 4 with a capacity of 10,000 people per day across two main stages, plus a new permanent California Surf Club offering full bars and restaurants, according to Pollstar. Its 2026 run was scheduled for May 1 to 3, with organizers telling the Daily Breeze that attendance could exceed the 2025 record of 35,000 attendees.
Closer to home, Venice Fest has also expanded rapidly. The event drew roughly 200 people to about 50 vendor booths when it launched in November 2021, but now typically pulls more than 20,000 attendees across three events a year, the Los Angeles Times reports. Its most recent edition marked the 12th installment held at Venice Beach for the first time, transforming Windward Circle, Windward Plaza and the surrounding boardwalk, per the Santa Monica Daily Press. That free event featured more than 250 vendors, local brands and artists, with the Los Angeles Times noting organizers partnered with music company Breaking Sound to book emerging acts across three stages featuring work from more than 300 local creators.
Councilwoman Park pointed to that momentum when discussing Venice's comeback, telling the Santa Monica Daily Press that programming has been restored up and down Ocean Front Walk, with productions filming again and World Cup activations arriving, all ahead of the 2028 Olympics. Whether 1905 Fest ultimately lands a spot on that calendar remains to be seen, but for now, Meyers and his team are still gathering input from the neighborhood before the festival takes final shape.
