Santa Monica Arts Festival

New and seasoned visitors to Santa Monica should mark their calendars for the Santa Monica Arts Festival, the latest addition to LA's active arts culture. This under-the-radar gem is relatively new to the festival scene: It celebrated its first year in 2006. However, the art you'll find there ranges from innovative to distinguished.

Over 200 artists from LA and all over the nation flock to this three-day festival to showcase their extraordinary works in the fields of sculpture, photography, fine art, contemporary crafts, woodworking, jewelry, and blown glass, among others.

Attendees are encouraged to meet the artists, examine their wares up close, purchase wonderful and unique art, and partake in a generous selection of food and wines. For a creative twist, each hour the festival features Art Alive!, where selected artists demonstrate their creative process before a rapt audience.

This fun family festival is held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open to the general public. (Children under 12 are free.)