The South Bay sits in the middle of a busy coastal festival calendar that runs from Long Beach to Venice, and two of the biggest festivals happen in Redondo Beach. Below is the year, roughly in order, and how each one affects the streets around it.
What are the biggest festivals in the South Bay?
BeachLife in early May and the Southern California Slack Key Festival in January, both in Redondo Beach, and Fiesta Hermosa, held twice a year over Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends in downtown Hermosa Beach. The International Surf Festival runs in late July and early August, the Redondo Beach Lobster Festival is usually held in late September, and South Coast Botanic Garden has hosted GLOW through the holidays.
The year’s festivals on a twelve-month track, so you can see which months are busiest. Fiesta Hermosa runs twice a year.
Positions are approximate and follow the month each festival usually falls in. Several are tied to a holiday weekend, so they move year to year. Confirm with the organizer before making plans.
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What is BeachLife Festival?
BeachLife is a three-day music festival on the Redondo Beach waterfront in early May. The 2026 edition ran May 1 to 3 with a lineup including Duran Duran, The Chainsmokers, The Offspring, Slightly Stoopid and James Taylor. It pairs the music with a culinary program and an art component, with the main stage close to the water.
Practically, it changes Redondo for a weekend. Parking near the waterfront becomes difficult, harbor access changes, and the surrounding streets carry considerably more traffic than usual. If you live nearby you plan around it. If you are visiting, stay within walking distance or plan a drop-off.
Which festivals happen twice a year?
Fiesta Hermosa is the one that runs twice, over Memorial Day weekend and again over Labor Day weekend. Three days each time, free to attend, on and around the pier in downtown Hermosa Beach, with live music, vendors, food and a carnival. On both weekends Pier Avenue and parts of Hermosa Avenue close and the middle of that neighborhood becomes a festival.
In some years the BeachLife organization has also run a separate autumn event. That pattern has varied, so check the organizer’s current calendar for a second date.
What is worth the drive between Long Beach and Venice?
Everything below is within an hour’s drive.
- Long Beach. The Grand Prix of Long Beach in April closes the downtown street circuit for a weekend and is one of the longest running street races in North America. The city also runs a substantial summer festival and waterfront event calendar.
- San Pedro. Los Angeles Fleet Week over Memorial Day weekend at the LA Waterfront, centered on Battleship IOWA, plus the monthly First Thursday ArtWalk downtown.
- Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey. Summer waterfront events and the holiday boat parade in December.
- Venice. Abbot Kinney First Fridays each month, plus a dense year-round street and beach event calendar.
- El Segundo. The annual El Segundo Art Walk, a smaller and more manageable version of the format.
The big ticketed music festivals are in Redondo Beach, the free community festivals in Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, and the monthly art walks in San Pedro and Venice. You can build a year out of the free ones alone.
What should you know before going to any of them?
Three things apply across the whole calendar. Start with the dates: as of September 17, 2026, the Redondo Beach Lobster Festival had not published dates for this year. The festival’s own site says only that it will return, the Redondo Beach Chamber calendar for September 2026 does not list it, and the dates circulating on ticket aggregators fall Tuesday through Thursday, which does not match a weekend pass event. Check the organizer before you plan a weekend around it. The Original Lobster Festival is a separate event in Fountain Valley, in Orange County.
- Parking is the constraint. Every coastal festival here overwhelms local parking. Arrive early, park in a structure, or plan a drop-off.
- Beach rules still apply during festivals. Alcohol is prohibited on the beach and pier in Hermosa Beach, and smoking, including vaping, is prohibited on the beach, the pier, Pier Plaza, the Strand and all parks and public spaces there.
- If you live nearby, plan around the dates. Memorial Day, Labor Day, the first weekend in May and late September are the weekends when the middle of a beach city becomes an event site.
Festival dates move year to year and lineups are announced on the organizer’s own schedule. Dates above are the most recent confirmed editions, verified September 2026. Confirm with the organizer before booking travel or tickets.
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