The Riviera Village Summer Festival is nice intimate and fun not very many things for the kids to…read moredo. It is more shopping and beer garden and more than anything else. There are a lot of vendors that sells clothes jewelry knickknacks a little pricey because they are considered crafted go early parking is hard to find even if there's a lot of it.

The Riviera Village Summer Festival occurs annually during the month of June. I nearly forgot to…read moreattend until I was driving to the Village to have breakfast. Luckily, I found free street parking, but there's plenty of metered parking nearby. They close the middle of the street to pedestrian traffic only, so those metered spots are unavailable. It's great. Dogs are allowed, so people bring them and the rest of the family for games, dining, music, and shopping. The vendors are lined up in the middle of the street. Vendors are selling clothing, jewelry, hats, and art, just to name a few. The main stage is usually set up near HT Grill. All the restaurants and shops that are normally open on Saturdays are open during the festival.

[UPDATE 1: Review #32]…read more Went back to the Festival on Sunday to purchase another piece of Ms. Michiko Miyazaki's 3D artwork. She was so nice... gave my daughter a mini blue crane origami. H immediately headed for the Arts & Crafts booth to color a fish & fan. Then we wandered over to a display of plants, flowers, & bonsai trees. Our second to the last stop (we were planning to watch the Taiko Drums) was an origami table with a "grumpy, old man" (he wasn't, just looked like it). ;-) My l'il one wanted to make a flower that kinda looks like a tulip but the instructor was teaching everyone how to make a box. Needless to say... it was an interesting session with a 3 year old who skipped her nap & was somewhat cranky for having to wait. H kept chatting & mumbling through the instructions, then all of a sudden he shouts "HEY!" & shocks H to sit up straight & focus. LOL He also jokes in between the folds to "take our time but hurry up." What a contradictory man. =D Anyway, we got it done but it took awhile (see photo for finished product). We ended the afternoon with a couple of performances by the Taiko Center of L.A. (their most viewed YouTube performance was in the Princess of China music video). Cool! This Festival is definitely an enjoyable family-friendly event that supports the local community.

It's 40th Annual Bunka-Sai Japanese Cultural Festival in Torrance. Proceeds to benefit the Student…read moreCultural Exchange Program at the Miller Recreation Center on April 21(Sat) and 22(Sun) from 11am to 5pm. The admission and parking were free. The festival included all types of Japanese arts and crafts with performances and food. They featured Sumi-e paintings done by students from Kawai Sumi-e Club of Gardena. I was happy to see the tradition carries on with these type of clubs in our digital world. I just wish there were more choices on the food and snack to try and explore.

I could not wait to drive down to San Pedro to see the World's Largest Rubber Duck!…read more There was a Tall Ships Festival a couple weeks before and I kept seeing friends post selfies on Facebook. I was dying to get one my own and it is displayed as my Facebook and Yelp profile right now. I also have the World's Largest Duck as my cover photo. My husband sings the Rubber Ducky song every morning to my dog. He would not be thrilled if he knew I wrote about this, but he never reads my reviews or goes on Yelp so my secret is safe. This is how it goes: Tucker buddy you're the one. You make walk time lots of fun. I really love the World's Largest Rubber Duck. Please don't tell my husband or dog. They might get jealous.

Garbage. Droce 2hrs to see the duck and it was taken down 4hrs before it was suppose to come down…read moredue to high winds. Nothing on their facebook page about it coming down early and when I tried to call their google voice number on their website that didnt work eithe. They want to spread happiness but they are just spreading anger and frustration

Went to Fiesta Hermosa yesterday afternoon mainly to catch Pine Mountain Logs and ended up staying…read morefor hours. It really is one of those classic South Bay events that feels like the unofficial kickoff to summer. The entire downtown area of Hermosa Beach turns into a huge street fair with live music, food, drinks, carnival rides, artists, and hundreds of vendors spread throughout the closed streets. There were families everywhere, groups of friends hanging out in the beer garden, people walking around with dogs, and just a really fun community vibe overall. Pine Mountain Logs were great live and the Garden area had a relaxed energy with music going most of the afternoon. The vendor mix was exactly what you would expect from a big festival like this. Some really cool local makers and artists mixed in with a little random street fair chaos, which honestly is part of the charm. You can grab food from local Hermosa spots or festival booths, stop for a drink, wander the Makers Mercado, listen to music at different stages, or just people-watch for a few hours. It is busy, loud, and crowded in the best possible way. Really impressive that this has been going for more than 50 years. Events like this are part of what makes Hermosa feel like Hermosa. 5 stars

I have grown up in the South Bay but this was my first year going to Fiesta Hermosa. We arrived…read morepretty early and walked around until everything officially opened at 11am. The weather was chilly and overcast but did warm up . My LO enjoyed the carnival rides. There are two ticket booths were you can purchase tickets. No cash accepted. Lots of vendors but I didn't really go look for anything in particular. Food - Yes, food is pricey but it's a festival so that's the norm. The food vendors do take cash, credit card, Venmo or Zelle. Parking - you can park at Northrop and take. Shuttle of there are numerous paid parking really close to the festival off of Pier Avenue. $25 to support Hermosa Schools for our parking lot and I felt it was worth it. There was a free succulent potting craft which was so fun There's lots of music and is definitely a fun way to spend a few hours over Memorial weekend.

Fun street fair to check out vendors and community services. There is free parking at Kinecta…read moreCredit Union, and there is a bus that takes you to the fair.

I love going to the MB Old Hometown Fair. I am not much into the arts and crafts booths but I like…read moreto look through at everything. Most of the booth including the beer garden and wine garden's proceeds go to the Manhattan Beach school's soccer, football, tennis, baseball, lacrosse...teams. Last year I volunteered at the wine garden and we had a very nice selection of wines and all the proceeds went to the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation. Parking is impossible so I recommend riding a bike or taking a free shuttle from the Northrop Grumman parking lot located on Aviation Blvd just North of Manhattan Beach Blvd. www.mbfair.org/

It was today! You missed it! I didn't!…read more But there's always next year...because this event is held annually, on Sunday, around the weekend before Halloween, in front of Lunada Bay Plaza (Via Anacapa & Yarmouth Road, adjacent to Palos Verdes Drive West). Signs are posted in Malaga Cove & Lunada Bay on PV Drive West before the event. The festival is small, mostly locals who walk there from home. If you drive, park on surrounding residential streets (free). Via Anacapa is shut down between the hardware store & Yarmouth Road for the festival. There's a concert in Lunada Bay Park, right in front of the plaza. The event is put on by Lunada Bay Homeowners Association for Lunada Bay residents but open to all. Leashed dogs apparently OK, I saw several (who didn't know quite what to think of the critters in the petting zoo). No charge for entry to the festival or concert but you might want to bring a pumpkin on wheels & register to enter the pumpkin race. Great fun! Pumpkins go every which way, rarely in a straight line. People chase their pumpkins down the hill on the practice runs to keep them from smashing into whatever's in their path. I saw one wipe out against a car tire. Adults were having at least as much fun as kids with those pumpkins. There was also a petting zoo, a climbing wall, food booths, balloon artist, face painting & more. Some kids wore their Halloween costumes. The owners of Lunada Market & Deli cooked up burgers, brats, corn on the cob, sides, all reasonably priced. Delicious cheeseburger with all the trimmings ($7)! I shoulda had two. I got sunburned watching the pumpkin races! They race in groups of 5, then the winners of each race compete, assuming their pumpkins survive the first round. Family fun at its finest. I wanna enter the pumpkin race next year! I'll borrow a neighbor kid to bring with me so I don't look stupid. In my Halloween costume....

It was a great competition. I won peoples choice. I would definitely do it again so many great…read morebooths, food, things to do. It was a wonderful experience.

Every year we go it seems like it gets a little more boring…read more For first times.. You can expect the regular carnival games. The vendor booths who sell shirts, hats, dresses, toys .. Etc They also have food booths for shrimp, hotdogs, kettle corn, clam chowder, Thai food... Etc. What I recommend is coming early so you won't have a problem with parking. You won't have a problem with finding a seat, and the lobster line will be short. Entrance fee $10 with online coupon is $9 You can buy 2 lobsters for $34 or one for $20. They do not allow outside food or drinks. You cannot bring your own chairs. Which is kind of silly because they have a picnic area. They have live bands. Some are good. They have a pirate show for the kids. And this year they had a lot of alcoholsamples for the adults. Now about the lobster. It's steamed it comes with potatoes and a side of butter. Coleslaw too! They have an area where they can cut it open for you. Less work you know. Overall I stay about 4-5 hours max. Best deal for yummy Maine lobsters!

Large outdoor Greek festival that has been highly recommended to me by the locals who attend every…read moreyear. Yes, everything is expensive, but seeing as how it is located in a church, I'm assuming this is the church's way to have a fun fundraiser. There is an admission fee on top of the premium you pay for the food, but if you go to their website, you can get a coupon for one free admission. Parking: They have dedicated handicap spots on the curb right in front. Everyone else either did street parking, or parked in the empty elementary school lot across the street. Kids: They have a bouncy house and an inflatable slide, but you need to get a wristband for each child. Wristbands cost $10 and I believe they are unlimited for the day. They also sell candy in the area where they sell the wristbands. Food: It was cool to also see them roast the lamb off in one corner. I just wish they didn't use such a skinny lamb. The fries on the lamb plate were nice and crispy, and you get 3 pieces of lamb. They had a large pastry & cookie selection with a sampler deal. As someone who is not an expert in Greek desserts, I wish they made it clear on the menu which ones are the pastries by having it on one side of the menu and cookies on the other side. The items I wanted to try were all pastries and unfortunately they don't have a pastry sampler deal. Prices reflect per pastry or for cookies, you get 2. It wasn't until we were ready to go that I stumbled upon their indoor dining hall. It was packed in there as well as the shaded umbrella tables, so I guess I would have had to roast in the sun anyways. In the dining hall, they have pretty much the same offerings as outside, except there is rice pudding as well. While they did have the hot foods in a warm buffet server, the only way to get to it is by standing in line and waiting patiently to get to the last station, slowly scooting through each section since the line is roped off single file. Bathrooms: They have a bathroom inside the dining hall as well as across the outdoor tables. Inside the dining hall, the women's bathroom had 3 stalls and thankfully the line wasn't ridiculously long as they tend to be at festivals. They had live music, but it was too loud for my comfort. They also sold water ($2) and the bottle says that they donate a portion to mental health, which we really do need in America. Cool event, especially to go with friends. I'm really glad I came but this is a one-time experience for me. For me, the heat, the price, and the loud atmosphere is just not worth coming back - I much prefer going to an indoor artisanal specialty shop. Now I just really want to make a trip to Greece, lol.

Great food prepared by the loving Greek community. Every volunteer we came into contact with at the…read morefestival was very friendly and helpful. We tried many of the foods and loved them ALL! LOL. We come yearly and are never disappointed. Thank you!