Love the festival wish it can return in 2023 Games are fun…read morerides are fun and being able to hangout with friends and family during these events makes it a great carnival especially because its so close

Two times out of the year Pacific Blvd. shuts down and the carnival comes to town and every time…read morethis happens I seem to miss it. This time the outcome was different as I finally attended one of these lovely festivals. I came on a Saturday night to spend a lovely time with my community and take in the atmosphere of everyone coming together and enjoying the fixed games and throwing your trash wherever you please. I won a glass cup for making a quarter inside that same cup! I saw everyone else missing completely but not I - I gloated all the way to the bank. Sadly my egocentric world caught up with me as a few games later I embarrassingly missed the basketball game... airballs all the way. On the plus side, I bought a mood ring for $1! The games all seemed entertaining but a wise person once said to me, "I'm not riding anything that takes an hour to build." All in all, I enjoyed my brief stay at the festival and look forward to the next carnival hopefully by fall 2010.

This is the first ever show where Hello Kitty and her friends Dear Daniel, My Melody, Badtz-Maru,…read moreKeroppi, Chococat and Pompom Purin are in one gigantic show/festival! It's a whole North American tour but here in Los Angeles they had at The Forum! When I first heard about this festival a year ago, I was already making plans on going! Being the ultimate Hello Kitty Fan, this was a must for me! i was even more excited to hear that Hello Kitty would be joined by all of her friends. Each session at the festival is about 3 hours long an includes multi-stage live performances, and various exhibits. I really loved how they had various exhibits that featured all the Sanrio characters! They have a Sanrio Friendship Forest showcasing the different Sanrio characters. They have Purin's house, My Melody's bakery, Badtz Maru's car garage, Little Twin Star's soft galaxy. Dear Daniel's Donut Pond and Hello Kitty's house. Guests could get temporary tattoos with their favorite character as well as get face painting. Face paint choices were either Hello Kitty or Keroppi. The multi-stage live performances were a lot of fun and entertaining. They had singing, dance challenges and even a fashion show! It was really like a mini version of Hello Kitty Con. They had the Hello Kitty slippers and giant coin purse for photo ops similar to the con. Missing though was the Hello Kitty Con VIP bags they had at Hello Kitty Con that was packed with kawaii goodies. They had goodie bags here too but not as many goodies but still cute stuff nonetheless with a LA exclusive poster, a lanyard and a light up key chain. Aside from spotting Hello kitty Con decor, i recognized some other items from other Sanrio events. They had the giant character balloons overhead that were also present at the 50th anniversary event at the Barker Hangar. It's nice to see all of that again. This festival was for sure super cute and a must for any Sanrio fun!

If I could give minus stars, I absolutely would. After spending $286.40 each for two VIP Platinum…read moretickets (total $572.80) this was beyond disappointing and a complete, total RIP OFF! The advantage of a VIP ticket was a "private" meet & greet w/Hello Kitty & Friends (which they used your camera and totally rushed you through causing all the pictures to be blurry), a paper HK bow like you'd get at Burger King, a big plastic tote bag, poster, lanyard, and...wait for it...first opportunity on the floor to spend even more money on merch - which was why the bag was so big. DO NOT buy a VIP package! It is not worth it. Just pay regular admission because they have an area with a time schedule where you can get your pic taken with HK and you get a small bag for merch, as well. On the up side, the characters are cute, the performers are as well, but there's not much to do and we saw it all in three hours. Not worth the over-priced VIP admission.

The Carnival of my youth! If you want homemade filipino, mexican, fair, and other foods, come here…read more There is unique entertainment, carnival games, a craft bazaar, vintage items, and rides! Best of all it benefits the parish of St. Anthony of Padua. After a year hiatus (because of safety concerns online, the fair is back and better for 2025. Check them out May 16, 17, 18, 2025

Love the time here at St. Anthony's. Great church, parishioners and community togetherness in all…read morethe volunteers! We are here every year!

Great local cherry Blossum hosted by city of Torrance. Bring a picnic blanket and hang out on the…read moregrass with venders, food trucks and cultural performances throughout the day. Great family fun!

Came here today for the first time to enjoy the festival. Saw NO cherry blossom trees though…read more Picked up some Torrance city related swag and saw some vendor booths. Ate 2 pizzas from the food trucks on site. Picnic under the trees with shade. Kids played in the playground area nearby. Saw a cultural performance. Glad the weather was nice to enjoy this Saturday.

This place is cute for kids. I like the scavenger hunt that they had, but some of the puzzles were…read moresuper hard to find. Decor: 4/5 Boney Island features a lot of displays with various skeleton and spooky themed exhibits. The displays were cute but not very interactive. We were trying to find all the scavenger hunt numbers but that was not very well done because we asked multiple staff members about them, but none of them know what we were talking about. Price: 3/5 This place is $25 per ticket plus about $20 for parking. It took about like an hour or so to walk through the whole exhibit. It was cute to do once, but I don't think I would come back. Food/drink: 3/5 They have food trucks and a bar on site. We got fries and two blacken (charcoal) margaritas. The fries were $10 and the margaritas were $14 but were very small. I recommend eating before you get here.

A great evening for you kids. At first I thought the price was a bit bit high, but you can easily…read morespend 1-2hrs and it does limit the # of folks. Before you go, I would check to see if there are any football games or concerts. We were stuck waiting to park for about 20 mins because of a concert. The parking stated it was $60 for event parking, but if you tell them you're here for the museum they only charge $18. We got there right when it opened and there was already a large crowd. They have 2 shows: magic and water show. I think they run them pretty often so don't worry about lining up. My kid had a fun time looking at all the moving skeletons. I thought we would be done in 30 mins, but we stayed about an hour and we could have stayed longer if we wanted. They had some great picture spots and most people waited in line. There was an idiot mom who just cut in front of us and said it was OK since she only had one kid. Overall, it was a great night.

Watts Towers has been named to the World Monuments Fund's inaugural Irreplaceable America list…read more recognizing 10 U.S. historic sites considered essential to preserving the nation's cultural heritage, officials announced Tuesday. The list was created as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and highlights historic places facing significant preservation challenges. The Watts Towers, created over more than three decades by Italian immigrant Sabato "Simon" Rodia, consist of 17 hand-built reinforced-concrete structures decorated with tile, glass and found objects. The tallest tower rises nearly 100 feet. The Watts Towers are a monumental achievement by one individual, Simon Rodia, yet are of cultural significance and meaning to all of the local community, and its visitors," Daniel Tarica, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, said in a statement. "The conservation and preservation of the Watts Towers ... reinforces a message to the community of investment, value, and stewardship, while also supporting increased cultural tourism and generating economic opportunities that benefit both the immediate Watts community and the wider region."

Decades ago I had only seen the towers by driving past them. This time I went to the Watts Towers…read moreDrum Festival and finally got to see them up close. Since we could only go in with a free guided tour, I learned some things too. Like I didn't know the artist loved ships, reminiscent of the one he came on from Italy, so the towers are actually meant to look like masts of a ship. Also, I asked the docent how the artist made the various shapes on the cement floor and he said the artist used everything from faucet knobs to make the flower imprints to iron gates to make the heart imprints. What I really love is how one artist had such a huge ripple effect on the neighborhood, like his neighbors also started decorating their fences with mosaics and I even saw the backboard of a basketball hoop with a mosaic design. On top of that, decades after his death, there are now art and music programs with generations of people after him becoming artists in their own right. Speaking of music, the towers are located and named after the city they're in, Watts. If you've ever heard the song by 2Pac "California Love", the city is actually mentioned in the lyrics: California knows how to party California knows how to party In the city of L.A. In the city of good ol' Watts In the city, the city of Compton We keep it rockin', we keep it rockin' Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west... The music at the festival was so diverse. I heard and saw musicians and dancers from Mexican Aztecs to Japanese to Cuban to African. Some of the instruments they played I had never seen before, like the Aztec musician blew into a snail-like spiral horn, and it was only until I realized one of the Cuban drums sounded different that I saw it was actually a big piece of bamboo sandwiched between the musician's knees. The food was diverse too. The only vegetarian option I could find was from East Africa. They had something called "makande" and they let me have a free sample. It's made of kidney beans, corn, and various spices and it tasted so good! I ordered that, plantains (bananas), lentils, and half and half yellow and pilaf rice. If I could do it again, I would order just one huge serving of makande and yellow rice because it ended up being my favorite. I'm salivating just remembering it. For dessert, I got a sherbert where I got to pick 3 flavors, so I ordered strawberry, mango, and peach. I really like how the colors came out and it tasted as good as it looked. I was also able to visit 2 of the onsite art galleries and garden which also had sculptures, a turtle pond, and a huge tortoise. My only wish is that they had made it clear there would be free valet parking near 104th and Graham for the festival. It was highly confusing since I was counting on parking by the towers themselves, not knowing the roads leading to them would all be blocked off and I wasn't the only one lost and confused. Otherwise, I enjoyed my visit. It was both educational and fun.

One thing I love about Camp Flog Gnaw is how they prioritize accessibility needs. Each year there…read moreis a well staffed ADA tent as well as nonprofit tents like KultureCity and Camp Counselors who are able to support individuals with disabilities. The lineup is always fun and well stocked too, with plenty of big surprise guests.

I'm a little torn regarding Camp Flog Gnaw. I was super excited coming into this and I have to say…read morethat while I enjoyed it, I can't say I am set on returning. 1. Be prepared to walk A LOT. You enter through Expo/Vermont and you have about a 15-20 minute walk before you actually make it to the security checkpoint. They have winding barricades that are probably purposely put there to make you walk off your alcohol. Wow. I was not expecting this and really annoyed that it took so long just to get into the festival. If you had planned to see somebody perform and thought you could get in within 30 minutes, good luck. You may be sorely disappointed to miss out. 2. Security is either lax or strict, so it really depends on who you get. First day, the lady inspected EVERYTHING and even had the audacity to be suspicious about the wax for my braces. Wow. The second day, the dude did not even open all my pockets and let me walk through. Again, really depends. ID check is seriously, which explains a lot considering this is open to all ages. Had a dude in front of me get grilled about his zip code and that was because he had a fake. Homie, if you are going to have a fake, at least remember the info on that shit. 3. I do appreciate the ample stalls of food, beverages, and entertainment. It's a HUGE venue, so I would be pretty annoyed to walk around vast and far in search of food and beverages. Expect inflated prices, but nothing is really surprising. Expect to dish out $5 for a bottle of water unless you go to the vending machines outside the gates which do not take cash nor accepted my card, so wtf? And water is cheaper at $3 a bottle in the alcohol tents than outside. 4. The set list is what really got me. They had a lot of great artists, but staggered everybody good to be altogether on Saturday. That is annoying if you were trying to see all your favorites and would have to run from one stage to another. You had to make executive decisions as to which artist to skip. More often than not, I was thinking, man I should have gone to the other stage. Bummer. 5. But this is what gets me the most. THE CROWD. Maybe I'm a newb. But wow, this is a young young young crowd. If you are over 21, you felt old. Now I can hang with the young'ns, I can probably outdrink a number of them or have a better sober time than them, but holy shit, these kids were obnoxious and all probably drugged up or drunk out of their mind that their immaturity levels were through the roof. It was not worth standing and fighting a crowd of kids to the front of the stage. I'm used to people bum rushing the stage and get hyped when a special guest comes out, but these kids did not understand the definition of space and allowing one to breathe. Be careful before you get trampled or straight up die. Nobody will give a damn. 6. Take the metro to here. You will not regret it. After a whole day of walking and going hard, the last thing you are going to look forward to is walking hella blocks to get out of the Exposition area to be able to call a Uber/Lyft. Surge prices were also not the business. Better to take the metro and get out of the mess. Last train was past 1am on Saturday and 12:45am on Sunday night. 7. I needed to be really drunk to enjoy this and sure enough I spent more than I should have on alcohol here. I hate that you are restricted to consuming your alcoholic beverage in the designated beer garden areas. You were pretty limited here. I would skip this overall unless you're the type who likes to chill away from the stage and genuinely enjoy Odd Future. While I loved a number of the artists, some of the acts I felt weren't really conducive to the festival environment. Like The Internet would've done much better in an more intimate setting and the DJs weren't too successfully in hyping up the entire crowd.

How many hundreds of times have I driven by the Tarzana Community & Cultural Center? It has been…read moremany years, way back to the time there was a pottery store on the property. I finally had a chance to visit for a Tarzana Music Night last week. What a fun event! Because the weather was being forecasted to be cool with the potential of rain, the event was held indoors. Things were comfortable, but we were in close quarters with the other attendees. The sound was great and the performances were a lot of fun. I was primarily there to see a good friend perform, but I also had the chance to see some other talented musicians. I think each one was a singer songwriter, and I enjoyed each performance. Each one of the people that was working at the venue, which I imagine may have been on a volunteer basis, was friendly and a lot of fun. Normally the music nights are held outdoors, and I can imagine that most of the year, it is a lot of fun being in the open air.

What a cool place I never knew was here! Check out their events on their website! If you write them…read morethey will write you back too. They have a small outdoor stage with string lights hanging beautifully all around, a few picnic tables and fold out chairs for when there's an event to watch. When the chairs aren't there I imagine thats what they use for the outdoor dance floor under the stars, too! A few people brought their dogs on leash. I saw a few people brought in their own food, chilled out and ate while they watched the live band. They do have a very small amount of drinks, chips, and cookies for sale at a stand but thats it so if you don't want junk food def bring what you do want. They do have an indoor bathroom. PARKING - Def uber/LYFT to them. There are only a few spots in the back you can get to from the side street (not from Ventura blvd) and thats it! So do yourself a favor and get a ride. Lyft must know about this place because the driver knew exactly where to meet us in the back when we booked our return. For us it was a calm but fun summer evening hang outside! I don't know what its like without a band playing but hope I get a chance to check that out too.

Haven't been here in over 20 years. It went into a halt during Covid and started running again…read more This is my first time back since a long time ago. I still have the plumeria plant/tree I bought from here, as well as some souvenirs. It's a free event. There were tons of vendors. It almost looked too commercialized and touristy with so many vendors selling souvenirs; clothes, accessories, art, handicrafts, etc. They also have food vendors on the other side. The middle had an activity center where you can learn to make a lei or some sort of handmade item. The vendors imo were too scrunched up against one side of the park and the two isles of tents, people had to squeeze in between which was too hot to navigate around people. Vendor items were too pricey. Items that are made in the Philippines are sold at very high prices. The vendors say it's imported prices, however I think they probably bring these in themselves yearly from a supplier for cheap and resell for really high, because they're there every year. The only thing memorable were the performers and hula dancers on stage which we only saw for a few minutes before leaving due to the heat. The weather was EXTREMELY HOT. It is mid July, but it was SO HOT that I didn't even stay long. It was unbearable. Not much shade except those that have already been taken along the sides. I was in and out of there. People do bring canopies and tents as well as chairs, but there was no wind whatsoever. Got lucky with parking because of someone I knew was a staff next door at the college. They do have street parking if you get there early but it was already very crowded by the time it was 10:30-11a.m. It was packed. Getting in also has a long line if you want to pay for parking to borrow the part of the schools parking lot. Got there within an hour of the event starting, and already a lot of people coming and going. By 11a.m. a lot of people were already leaving and got what they wanted. I think people left due to the heatwave. Overall, too hot of an outdoor event with minimal cover from the sun. No wind, just sweaty and hot weather. Only tents were the vendors, so gotta walk around in hot air. It's a free event (just pay parking if needed). It landed during the 2026 FIFA Finals weekend so not sure how that Sunday turned out.

It's been years since I've attended a ho'olaulea. A spur of the moment visit and well worth the…read moredrive. It brought back so many fond memories of attending with my family and friends every year. As time passes it's hard to get everyone together. Hubby and I went for a peaceful day at the park. We attended the second day of the festival. Lots of merch vendors plenty to see, touch, feel. The hard part was deciding on which color lol. A smaller stage with covered seating area located in the back. Food vendors lined along the pathway. Malasadas! Chocolate filled?! Yes please! We tried all the flavors and chocolate was the favorite. Hot and fresh so good. I did have to dust a little sugar off like a beignet because I wanted that oozing chocolate.. divine! Manapua was aight.. I know they could do better. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. No attitudes at these festivals only kind and caring. You can bring your own water which is so nice especially during the summer. Get there early for a shady spot to set up your chairs, blankets or og bamboo mats. Parking was $10 in the parking structure. Lots of handicap parking spots reserved in the front. It was nice to see these accommodations. The structure is the length of the park so there's lots of space. If you get there early enough you can also park on the sidewalk or at the other end of the park with a little further walk to avoid fees. Mobile bathrooms with outdoor wash station. All of the performances were so beautiful. Listening to the island music and watching the performers brought the ohana vibes with the island spirit of aloha. Live musicians and MC were the cherry on top. Keeping that peaceful harmony flowing throughout the whole day.

*** My love for jazz drove me to Gardena? ***…read more Yup, Gardena! They have a live outdoor concert in summer that's absolutely free. Well, at least it was free until this year. ;( Now it's $10 ... a good deal nonetheless. $50 for a VIP table seat but i like the lawn. Btw there's NO shade over the VIP tables! Gate opened @10am. Show started @12. Show ended @7:30pm after 5 performers. Michael Franks headlined this show and Joyce Cooling was a marvelous guitarist. -3 stars for: NO alcohol available or allowed NO umbrellas or VIP shade LOW cutie:hoochie ratio +2 stars for: Low $10 admission Fenced kid's area +5 stars for Michael Franks live!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ew3BtOb_u8 he's always a good time. *** 90% black crowd ... it felt like Detroit! ;p ***