Venice Spring Fling

Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/30/2015
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location
Windward Plaza Park

Categories

• Annual Events
• Arts and culture
• Featured Event
• Kids' events
• Live Music
• Volunteer and networking

VENICE, CA – Back for a fifth year of fun, Venice Spring Fling music and arts festival returns to the beach to rock the heart of Venice with a free, full day of art, music, and dance on Saturday, May 30, 2015, from 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Windward Plaza (1 Windward Avenue, between the boardwalk and the bike trail). The festival features musical entertainment, an art show, food trucks and more. The festival is free and open to the public. 

The annual Venice Spring Fling music and arts festival celebrates its fifth year of totally free music, art, and dance at the beach on Saturday, May 30, 2015, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Windward Plaza Park (1 Windward Avenue, between the boardwalk and the bike trail). The festival, sister to the Venice Beach Music Fest, is and always has been free and open to the public, made possible by local and national businesses.

This year’s celebration is headlined by several bands of international fame. John Norwood Fisher and Angelo Moore, of the influential band Fishbone, bring their bands Trulio Disgracias (Fisher) and Dr. Maddvibe & The Missin’ Links (Moore) for some punk, ska, funk, and more on the Ocean Stage. Each band will perform a set, and the finale will include an all-star jam with members of both bands. Venice Spring Fling 5 is proud to host a special set by return guest Sixties legend Barry “The Fish” Melton, who will perform with an all-star band composed of Roy Blumenfeld of The Blues Project, David Aguilar and Brad Jenkins, who regularly perform with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Greg Douglass of The Steve Miller Band, and Tony Saunders of Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band.

The full day of music and dance entertainment features a multi-genre array of seasoned and talented musicians and dancers. In addition to Trulio Disgracias, Dr. Maddvibe & The Missin’ Links, and Barry Melton with Special Guests, Venice Spring Fling 5 is thrilled to welcome local ska/punk heroes Meet Me at the Pub, back for their third year at the festival; reggae bands Krooked Treez and Jah Faith and the L.A. River Swim Team; the innovative jazz musicians of the Azar Lawrence Quintet; East L.A.’s Casa de Calacas; and dance segments by troupes Ya Harissa Bellydance Theater and Samba Da Mudanca (Samba for Change). The latter will perform a show-opening parade down Ocean Front Walk (arriving at the festival site at 11 a.m.).

Venice Spring Fling 5 is proud to support the arts by hosting an art show that is free for selected independent artists. This year’s lineup of visual artists showing their works include both local and internationally recognized artists Audrey McNamara-Garcia, ART by SKY, Brian Mylius, RaRa SuperStar, Kerma Boyum-Sarmiento, Todd Goddman, and Alex Avila. The festival is still accepting applications from artists to show their art in the art show. Please visit www.venicespringfling.com/participate_artists.php for more information. Also visit www.VeniceSpringFling.com and/or see the end of this press release for the performance schedule and more details on VSF5 musicians, dancers, and artists.

Other special features of this year’s celebration include the return of Dr. Bronner’s “All-One!” Magic Foam Experience foam party truck (offering an outdoor shower with Bronner’s soap products) and Sambazon’s mobile café (offering açai bowls, Amazon superfood juices, and smoothies for purchase). Humboldt county soil producer Royal Gold will be at the festival to educate about their products, and local performance artist Eclectic Hoops will have dance hoops available for play and purchase. The festival is also proud to welcome Westside Food Bank, which will be taking donations of non-perishable food items at the festival. Westside Food Bank is the primary food bank provider for over 70 nonprofit social service agencies with food assistance programs, serving those in need in Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Inglewood, and the LAX area.

Producer Milton Rosenberg, in his tenth year of free festival production in the community, notes that this year’s Venice Spring Fling celebration is a special one. “I couldn’t be prouder of the level of talent we are able to offer the people of Venice this year at the Spring Fling. These musicians and artists are world-class, and we’re able to celebrate them right here in our backyard. This festival was inspired by the original intent of Abbot Kinney: for Venice as a place to celebrate music, art, dance, and life, right here at the Pacific Ocean. Venice Spring Fling 5 celebrates the creative spirit in all of us.”

In addition to celebrating year five for the Venice Spring Fling, Rosenberg looks forward to celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Venice Beach Music Fest, on Saturday, September 12, 2015, in the same location. Both festivals grew out of a desire to showcase music and art on a larger, more unified scale, and now include not only local up-and-coming talent, but nationally-known musicians who want to contribute to the communal vibe and creative spirit that the businesses and artists join together to keep alive. John Norwood Fisher of one of this year’s headliners, Trulio Disgracias, says of his multiple-year participation in the festivals, “I love what the Venice Spring Fling and the Venice Beach Music Fest bring to the community. They provide a clearing for another level of togetherness for all of the community. It’s important and I’m happy to see that the festival moves forward and grows. It represents something positive for all of Venice.”

The free Venice Spring Fling 5 is made possible by generous donations from these local and national sponsors that continue to prove their dedication to arts preservation in our community: Venice Beach Suites & Hotel, Earrigation Mobile Recording Studios, Venice Boardwalk Association, The Sidewalk Cafe, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom, Fresh Brothers, Volcano Tea House, Whole Foods Market Venice, Royal Gold Potting Soil, Maui and Sons Venice Beach, Bartels’ Harley-Davidson, Venice Breeze Suites, Zelda’s Corner, Meridian Database, Effective Realtors, Sambazon, and Venice Paparazzi.

Join the community at www.facebook.com/venicespringfling. Interested sponsors and volunteers are encouraged to contact event organizers at VeniceSpringFling@gmail.com.

View event photos  by Venice Paparazzi here 

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