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Fiesta Hermosa
Rating Details »
Category: Local Flavor [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hermosa BeachPier Ave at Hermosa Ave
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
21 reviews for Fiesta Hermosa
Good food, good music, arts & crafts.. and free stuff. what more can you ask for?
This street festival was blessed with abundant sunshine this year. I'm pretty sure I'll be coming back for more!
I thought Fiesta Hermosa was a great festival!
Plenty of booths with crafts, jewelry, art, etc...there was always something to look at (or buy!). And I always love it when vendors give away free stuff (Yay lara bars). They even had a few booths with pet adoptions (great idea...it was really popular, hopefully some people adopted!) The food area had a good selection of foods and there was a beer and wine section where proceeds went to charity. The live bands were also great!
It was super convenient to park at the Northrup Grumman parking lot and shuttle in (for free!). I'd go again~
Fiesta Hermosa is an semi-annual gathering of people at the Hermosa Pier district.
Yes, there is a lot of fair crap being sold. Yes, there is a mass of humanity. But it is the party atmosphere that brings me back every year.
The beer garden is small, but has some great music going on. Lots of people sitting, watching and dancing. The plaza this year had a lot of cover bands doing Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc.
Always a great way to kick off the summer season.
Fiesta Hermosa is a cheap way to spend a long weekend. Held twice a year, it offers crowds, vendors, crowds, food stalls, crowds, cover bands, more crowds and sometimes freebies. Last year it was nail polish and makeup along with energy drinks. This year, it was Coke Zero.
There are two stages, the main stage near the pier and another at the beer garden. The cover bands perform long sets. This year we caught the acts performing between 3-6PM. Long Run, an Eagles tribute band was pretty good. The tribute bands covering the Rolling Stones and Journey were something to be desired. If you are lucky enough to secure a seat in front of the stage, do not forget your sunscreen and hat. There is no shade anywhere and the sun is merciless. It is the best place to people watch too - there are always those old, die hard fans that rush the front of the stage and start dancing and screaming out requests for their favorite tunes. They dance like they were 18 again, but they are not and sometimes it is more entertaining to watch the crowd than it is to watch the stage act itself.
The beer garden is small and crowded. There is a large variety of food being served at the various booths but who wants to wait in line and jockey for one of the few available tables afterwards balancing plates, silverware, drinks, etc.? We usually opt for one of the less crowded restaurants nearby.
The vendors are the same vendors year after year but sometimes you will find something new.
As others have commented earlier, parking is a royal pain throughout the year let alone during the Fiesta. People generally opt for the shuttle bus that picks up and drops off at Northrup Gruman. The pier is within walking distance from our place so we prefer the exercise.
If you don't want to fight the traffic during Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and do not care to spend tons of cash, Fiesta Hermosa is a nice alternative.
For those of us who live in town, it's Rookie Weekend. For all of the rookies coming in to town for the event, it's party time.
Fiesta Hermosa is held every Memorial Day weekend and every Labor Day weekend.
Large arts and craft area covering at least five street blocks. Large food court of extremely overpriced festival food (hint, try any of the area restaurants for something cheaper, larger quantity, and better tasting).
A main stage on the pier that boasts some really good cover bands all weekend. The best ones that have been there for a few years are the Journey band, Heart, and Stevie Nicks. The beer garden also has a stage with not-so-great cover bands. But that's where the beer is flowing for $5 a red-plastic cup and the people watching is phenomenal.
Also around for the kids are rides, games, and a petting zoo.
Parking is ridiculous this weekend so try to cab or bus it in. I also think there should be a mandatory no dogs, no strollers, no kids rule and a minimum height requirement of at least 5 feet to enter the festival. That would avoid a lot of the people gridlock.
Free to go to the festival and walk around but everything else you need to pay for is overpriced.
Not my vibe.
It is the gathering spot for the south bay happening twice a year. Everyone seems to spend one day of Memorial or Labor Day there.
The concert areas are what I go there for now. The rest is the same stuff from years gone by.
I avoid this place twice yearly. It used to be called "Fiesta de los Artes" for all the art booths they had open but now just shortened it to Fiesta Hermosa.
It's the same fair crap being sold at another average fair without the small town charm the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair has. The beer garden sucks. Being close to the beach, you'd think there'd be a nice breeze to cool you down, but the black top the whole fair is on makes it hot and unenjoyable.
Fair food is the only reason I gave it more than one star. I'll swoop down on my bike, stop in for some food to go, and take it to the strand to eat.
Wow! I got super lucky with parking! That in itself is worth 5 stars. I turned right onto Hermosa Avenue with my fingers crossed hoping to get parking on the main street only a block from the festivities and wallah... it worked! Some lady was pulling out and I pulled right in. Awesome. In went 7.5 hours of quarters! Yeah, I think we're good.
Burp.
I think I've had too much to eat.
First came the food. Ooooh the food. We did a lap around the huge food area and finally decided on the philly cheese steak samiches... YUM - at $9 a pop, they better be good! Then came the funnel cake. YUM! Then Amy B had the steamed artichokes and I passed the guac stand a few more times for their 'samples'... ha! Oh yeah... some older man who was sitting at the same table asked Amy and me if our parents dropped us off and what high school we went to... that was comedy!!! I know I don't look my age... but I also don't look like I'm still in high school! So funny!
Then came the shopping. Eh... nothing really interested me... maybe cuz I was looking forward to the next stop...
Hiccup.
On to the drinking. Oooooh the drinking. We were going to start at Mermaids but when we looked inside, there was no one with regular colored hair... they were either gray or white, so we by-passed it and headed to the Poopdeck. Had a drink there. Then headed to the Lighthouse where we found a Ska / Rock band playing... stayed for a cocktail and then headed to Patrick Molloy's, ran into some friends and then had more cocktails while they played awesome 80s music in the background.
Then I was hungry again. Fritto Misto, here we come! Here we went, trudging up the hill in our drunken stupers. Grubbed out on lots of carbs to sober myself up before we headed back to the westside... but not before stopping by Patrick Molloy's one last time.
Buh-bye Fiesta Hermosa... see you on Labor Day!
Twice a year, the Chamber of Commerce in Hermosa Beach hosts Fiesta Hermosa, on Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends. I've had some of the funnest times in HB during these long weekends, so much fun that I still go down there just to be able to hang out during Fiesta Hermosa.
The fair is for everyone, children to grandparents. There is a petting zoo, kiddie rides, and lots of junk food for the kids. Arts & crafts, live music, great food, and the beer garden for the adults.
You typically find the same vendors during the fair. It might sound like it should get old, but my friends and I are creatures of habit. We love Charla's Tri-Tip. We're only able to devour this meal during Fiesta Hermosa. We have become such good friends with the proprietor, that Vance LOOKS for us in the beer garden every night before they close to give us a deal on the left over tri tip.
Another place we frequent is Chrevan's booth. This lovely couple make the most unique blown glass jewelry you can find.
The Fiesta is a party for all of Hermosa, but people from all over the South Bay (of LA) stop by to do a little shopping, eat great fair (but not always healthy) food, and hang out in the beer garden.
If you're into celebrity sightings, the one and only Wee Man of Jackass is a longtime HB resident. I've hung out and partied with him, too!
Twice a year during the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends parts of Hermosa Ave and Pier Ave are closed to traffic and hundreds of vendors set up various booths. There's a food court area where you'll most definately have trouble deciding what to get because there are so many choices. There's a beer garden (I've never understood the hype or the lure of beer gardens) play areas for kids, and a stage with awful cover bands that are so bad they're good
Personally these are my two favorite weekends of the year because there's so much going on in little Hermosa.. people are bussed in during the day, but the crowds pretty much subside by nightfall the vendors go home for the night and it's a great time to hit the local bars for some fun!
I haven't lived in HB for very long, but I'm really falling in love with this little beach community and the cool community events like Fiesta Hermosa magnify its charm. I normally hate battling crowds at events like these but for some reason, I didn't mind the first time I went this past Labor Day. It's actually kinda cool that they close down Pier and Hermosa Ave. for this twice-a-year event. Makes you feel like something really special's going on in town. =)
I tried the famous Charla's tri-tip sandwich that everyone who's reviewed seems to swear by, but I just didn't think the $8 or $9 for a hot dog bun with a few slices of bland beef was justified. It wasn't bad but I found myself engulfing the thing with their self-pump BBQ sauce as it definitely wasn't flavorful and juicy. The bf got his with potato salad and baked beans for an extra $2 or so and those were even more disappointing. There are a number of other food options, like hot dogs, Thai food, BBQ, Mexican, even CPK, but it's all overpriced and nothing spectacular. Next time, we are heading over to Mickey's.
There's the beer and wine garden everyone talks about, carnival rides, games, cotton candy, popcorn, and live music. The novelty of the beer garden seemed appealing but for some reason I could not bring myself to go in. Most likely because the food was so pricey, I was expecting the alcohol to be ridiculously overpriced as well. It's fun to peruse the vendors for unique one-of-a-kind crap you probably don't need but might buy anyway. I saw some great art pieces, cute clothing, and even stopped by the pet adoption booth to ogle at the baby kittens and pups.
There are ATMs sprinkled about but be sure to bring lots of cash as most, if not all, vendors do not accept credit cards.
Okay guys, don't kill me...
it must have been the time of day that I went or something because I had a miserable Fiesta Hermosa experience!!
I rode my bike from my place in Redondo and got there on Monday at about 4:30 ish to find the place SO crowded that I could hardly even walk through! not to mention I had my bike and that was a no no because I got nasty looks and even some nasty comments about how I had my bike in the crowd. I didn't feel comfortable locking it up because of all the people mulling through the place. The lines for everything were about 30 people deep so eating something quick wasn't really much of an option.
Maybe next time I'll do what Cheri said and park in the high school and get a shuttle down there. I really wanted to have fun!! ugh!
What's cool about the fiesta is - it's a FIESTA!!!
What sucks about it is it's pretty much the same twice a year, every year.. the same stalls selling the same stuff - although that is useful if you remember something you need like we did - a picnic hamper - and you are cool with waiting for the next one to roll around to buy it.
It gets super busy and ends up being like a 'bad tattoo' convention, so if you get at claustrophobic or are a tattoo snob like me, you should stay away.
If you want to go check it out then you should take plenty of cash (ATMS have a massive queue) and sunblock and walk, shuttle, or cycle and park up just slightly out of the main area but forget the car unless you are going at the crack of dawn.
I usually go to Fiesta Hermosa twice each time it is in town. We ALWAYS eat at Charla's Tri-Tip for their fantastic tri tip sandwiches.
There are two different stages with bands one near the pier and one in the beer garden (no kids allowed).
There is free shuttle service from Mira Costa High School on Artesia Blvd if you are not within walking distance because parking is impossible.
With all of the booths, music, rides for kids, a petting zoo, added to the beach, volleyball, and bar life that happens in Hermosa anyway, if you don't have fun at Fiesta Hermosa, you must seriously not want to have fun.
Yeah, it's crowded. Yeah, the parking sucks. But if you're not speed-walking, and if you take advantage of the remote parking/shuttle (or don't mind walking a little), it's a ton of fun for free (not counting the kids rides and food).
And then there's a higher than average percentage of beautiful people mixed in. It is at the beach after all.
And also there's the weather. As I said, it's at the beach.
We always check out all of the booths and usually end up buying a rugboard (a rug in the shape of a surfboard). There was also some jewelry made out of seashells that took care of a xmas present challenge.
We had the tritip sandwich and corn on the cob. The funnel cake was calling my name but I successfully walked the other way.
According to the website Fiesta Hermosa is the largest arts and crafts fair in Southern California featuring 270 vendors. The 2007 Memorial Day Fiesta is MAY 26, 27, 28 2007 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Fiesta Hermosa is so much fun! The crowd around all the vendor booths is a little bit too much for me, but there are 2 stages with live music all day and a charity beer & wine garden (drinking for charity...doesn't get much better than that). I would recommend parking in satellite lot and taking the free shuttle down to the pier b/c the traffic/parking is madness and also check to see which bands are playing...some of them suck (according to my taste) but others were really awesome (neil deal!). There are tons of food booths and all the regular stuff down at the pier is open as usual. I absolutely love living in southbay LA.
I really like this festival for many reasons. The fact that they really take care of parking and transportation is a HUGE plus. This location hosts a St. Patrick's Day Festival also, but the parking/transportation is horrible. The food is like a sensory overload for me. I was like a kid in a candy store. The booths are a mixture of food, local businesses, arts, crafts and just random things. The size is good, the environment is great and I plan to make this a Memorial Weekend/Labor Day Weekend tradition for years to come!
This annual event is great fun, now in its 33rd year. The weekend festival completely takes over downtown Hermosa Beach. Streets are closed to make way for vendors & if you don't arrive in the morning, good luck finding parking at any price. ( I did notice shuttle buses but am unsure from where they came.) The many local shops are having sidewalk sales, and street vendors set up almost 300 booths, selling just about everything you can think of........original art, handmade clothes, jewelry, glass, shoes, food, paper goods, hats, surfwear, you name it. Every year I do find something I just can't live without. This year it was handmade pants, baggy & beachy, twenty bucks. Last year a well-designed handmade sunhat. I really wanted a huge rattan palm tree lamp, but managed to control myself. It wouldn't fit in my car. The Fiesta has live music all day on two stages, all free. (The rock bands seem to excite the vivid-green wild parrots who populate all the palm trees in the area - they were really making noise.) For the kids - carnival rides, petting zoo, junkfood galore. There is beach volleyball to watch & a doggy frisbee exhibition that was adorable. All the passerby dogs stopped to gawk in admiration. Hundreds of happy smiling people can't be wrong - this is a great way to spend a California day.
one of those perfect things to do on a great sunny day. the fiesta hermosa had something for everyone. vendors even gave sammy the beagle a doggie bag full of great treats to keep him occupied while we walked around and looked at the fantastic photography booths and jewelry (of course!). although there were a lot of people at the festival, it didnt feel ridiculously crowded and you could still maneuver the streets with ease. the festival also had a ton of interesting food and a ride section for the kiddies. just a very pleasant thing to do in such good weather.
