Venice Beach's Boardwalk Runs on Longstanding Rituals

Back in July, Windward Avenue closed to traffic from Speedway to Pacific, and a stadium-grade LED screen went up on the sand. Producer George Francisco told Westside Current the event was a primer for what Venice can handle when the world shows up. For two days, July 10 and 11, Venice Beach was an official Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zone, one of nine sites across the county, with quarterfinal broadcasts, DJ headliners, a $25 ticket for the premium viewing area, and a production team that included Jon Cohn, John Besant, and Matt Moreno running the whole operation. It was, by any measure, a lot of infrastructure for a weekend.

It is also, as of this writing, over. The screen came down and the street reopened after the two-day event. The drum circle and Muscle Beach are recurring parts of the boardwalk's weekend life.

The Weekend Drum Circle

Walk to the end of Brooks Avenue where it meets Ocean Front Walk on almost any Saturday or Sunday, and you'll find the Venice Beach Drum Circle on the sand. It typically starts in the early afternoon and runs until sunset, a tradition with roots in the free-spirited scene of the 1960s and 70s. People bring congas, shakers, and other instruments, and the gathering continues on weekends.

The Fan Zone and the drum circle offer different kinds of weekend experiences. The Fan Zone brought broadcast programming and a ticketed viewing area; the drum circle centers on people gathering with instruments. Together, they are part of the boardwalk's activity.

Muscle Beach's Labor Day Tradition

Just south of the drum circle at Muscle Beach, Labor Day has long been associated with a bodybuilding competition. Labor Day lands on September 7 this year, and the outdoor gym has a track record of holding a competition that weekend; in past years, a musician or two has competed alongside the regulars. It is one of the area's recurring events.

Together, the drum circle and Muscle Beach illustrate the boardwalk's range of activities. Some events come with press releases and premium tickets, while others return on a familiar schedule.

A Two-Mile Stretch of Boardwalk Activity

The boardwalk's visitor numbers offer one measure of its everyday activity. The Venice Beach Boardwalk, a two-mile promenade, pulls somewhere around 28,000 to 30,000 visitors on an average day, adding up to roughly 10 million a year, which makes it the second-largest tourist draw in Southern California behind only Disneyland. That traffic reflects the boardwalk's regular attractions: Muscle Beach, the skate park, the Venice Art Walls, and a bike path that doubles as a pedestrian corridor.

That skate park, for what it's worth, has already been marked as a fixture worth protecting on a much bigger stage. LA28's own venue planning materials describe it as the entryway to the beach's iconic recreation area, which means the same skate bowl locals have used for decades is now framed in official Olympic Games documents as one of the boardwalk's anchor points heading into 2028. As the 2028 Games approach, the skate park remains part of the boardwalk's recreational landscape, alongside its place in Olympic planning.

Everyday Rhythms Along the Boardwalk

Teddy's Red Tacos opened a takeout window at 1827 Ocean Front Walk right on the boardwalk, serving Tijuana-style beef birria. The storefront has begun drawing a line, adding another place to eat along the boardwalk.

If you've lived near Venice Beach for a while, you may recognize this rhythm. The boardwalk has both large events and recurring activities. Some events are loud, ticketed, and temporary, while other activities return on a familiar schedule. The drum circle at Brooks Avenue this weekend, the skate park's regular sessions, Muscle Beach's Labor Day gathering, and Teddy's takeout window on Ocean Front Walk are all part of the boardwalk's activity.

What This Means for Anyone Living Nearby

None of this is a knock on the produced side. A World Cup fan zone is a genuinely rare thing to have on your own boardwalk, and Windward Avenue businesses got a weekend of international foot traffic they'll talk about for years. For anyone planning a weekend nearby, recurring activities such as the drum circle and skate sessions are part of the boardwalk's regular life, alongside Muscle Beach's Labor Day gathering.

Those recurring gatherings help shape Venice Beach's everyday character, while larger events add another layer to life along the boardwalk.

If you're weighing what it actually means to live near this stretch of coastline, from the rhythm of the boardwalk to what a property here holds through decades of change, Robert Edie has spent nearly two decades working these blocks between Malibu and Venice. Let's Connect.