The Venice Fest Moved Spring to the Beach. Its Holiday Season Is Staying in Mar Vista.

The group behind The Venice Fest spent 2026 moving part of its calendar out of Mar Vista. Its holiday season went the other way. Between now and Dec. 20 it runs on two tracks on Venice Boulevard. One is a free indoor market every Sunday in a permanent space the founders opened next door to the Mar Vista Farmers Market. The other is a single Saturday on the boulevard, Dec. 5, which has been rebuilt from a street party into a holiday shopping day. Both now run on the same format, a curated market of local makers.

Spring left, summer and winter stayed

The first move came in February. Yo! Venice reported that Venice Love Fest would move from Mar Vista to Windward Plaza, beneath the Venice Beach Sign, for its March 21 date. Late last year, NBC Los Angeles reported that organizers expected the series' outdoor events to take place near the sign starting in 2026.

The summer edition didn't follow. Venice Summer Fest ran on June 20 at Venice Boulevard and Grand View Boulevard, according to the festival's ticket page. On July 6 the Mar Vista Community Council posted that it had tabled at Venice Fest "a couple Saturdays ago," calling it a "fun and sunny day with the community." The winter edition is also staying. The Venice Fest's site lists Venice Winter Fest for Saturday, Dec. 5, on Venice Blvd. from Centinela to Grand View Blvd.

So the beach got one festival out of three. The other two stayed in Mar Vista, and so did the founders, who opened a permanent space here.

The room the founders opened at 12204 Venice Blvd.

rèunion sits at 12204 Venice Blvd., right next to the farmers market. Its About page describes it as "a local, family-owned Mar Vista business" run by "the founders of The Venice Fest." The page says that "after years of creating large-scale celebrations," they were "inspired to open a permanent home where that same spirit of connection could continue in a more intimate way." The name comes from the French word for a gathering, and the page describes the space as a place for morning movement, creative workshops, private celebrations and shared meals.

The scale has changed a lot. The festival's site describes Venice Fest as a one-day event that spans four blocks of Venice Boulevard. In NBC Los Angeles' 2025 coverage, organizers said more than 20,000 Angelenos come together each year for their events. rèunion lists its space at 1,354 square feet, with room for up to 100 people standing or 70 seated. The same group that closes four blocks of the boulevard now also runs a room about the size of a small house.

That room hosts a weekly market. rèunion's homepage lists a Sunday Social Market every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., described as "a thoughtfully curated indoor market featuring independent designers, emerging brands and local makers." The holiday version starts from that weekly market.

Seven Sundays left, three with Santa

Holiday House by The Venice Fest runs every Sunday from Nov. 1 through Dec. 20, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at rèunion. Admission is free. The event listing promises a rotating lineup of local makers, artists and independent brands selling handmade goods, jewelry and homewares. It also offers free gift wrapping through November and December and free photos with Santa every Sunday in December from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Nov. 1 opener is behind us. Here is what's left:

The hours are set around the farmers market. The Mar Vista Farmers Market runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grand View and Venice Boulevard, rain or shine, except on major holidays. Holiday House opens at the same time and stays open an hour longer, so a late market run can still end indoors with a gift wrapped on the spot. Discover Los Angeles lists the market at 12198 Venice Blvd. and notes street parking. Holiday House's address is 12204, so the two are close enough to treat as one stop.

Santa's December hours, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., also fall inside the market's hours. A family can do produce, Santa and shopping on one Grand View Sunday without moving the car.

Dec. 5 is a different event than last year's Winter Fest

Last year's Venice Winter Fest was a street festival. NBC Los Angeles' preview of the Nov. 22, 2025 event in "downtown Mar Vista" listed live music, yoga, artisan shopping and art-making, plus food trucks, Westside restaurants and a free fitness class from The Gym Venice. It also mentioned a "retro ski lodge" theme. The Argonaut called it a Venice Boulevard block party with live music, food, artists and fitness classes.

The 2026 edition is billed differently. The Eventbrite listing says the holiday edition has been "reimagined this year as a curated holiday shopping experience." The organizers write that they are "doing things differently this year," putting the focus "entirely" on finding gifts and supporting local businesses. It runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's free and open to all ages, and dogs are welcome. The listing says shoppers can expect:

• Art, home goods and jewelry
• Accessories and clothing
• Gifts for kids
• Wellness and beauty
• Pet goods and other holiday finds

The festival's own site adds photos with Santa to the day and puts the event on Venice Blvd. from Centinela to Grand View.

Compare that list with the Holiday House listing and they look very similar. Both feature local makers, independent brands, gifts with a story behind them and Santa. The Dec. 5 event now works like the Sunday market inside rèunion, spread along the boulevard for a day. Last year's Winter Fest was a block party where some people shopped. This year's is a shopping day on the street.

The weekend of Dec. 5 and 6

The two tracks meet on the first weekend of December. Winter Fest falls on a Saturday, and the first Santa Sunday at Holiday House is the next day. For anyone in Mar Vista, it's one long weekend on the same stretch of Venice Boulevard:

1. Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Venice Winter Fest on Venice Blvd. between Centinela and Grand View. The listing invites guests to bring their pups and includes pet goods among what shoppers can expect.
2. Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. The Mar Vista Farmers Market on Grand View at Venice, open until 2 p.m.
3. Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Santa photos at Holiday House inside rèunion, which offers complimentary gift wrapping for holiday finds throughout November and December.

For breakfast before either day, The Arepa Stand opened its first brick-and-mortar location farther west at 12906 Venice Blvd. this year. Yo! Venice covered the soft opening in August and named founders Mercedes Rojas and Zeus Ferrini. Eater LA's October update lists the restaurant as open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for breakfast through late lunch. Those hours start before Winter Fest opens at 10 and before Santa arrives at Holiday House.

After Dec. 20, Holiday House is done for the season. The space keeps its regular Sunday Social Market on rèunion's calendar, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., next to the farmers market.

Seeing a neighborhood up close on a Sunday morning on Grand View tells you more than a listing sheet does. If you've been wondering what your Mar Vista home would sell for on blocks like these, Lauren Morelli is happy to walk through it with you, calmly and with real local numbers. Get a free home valuation whenever you're ready, even if it's between Santa photos.