Santa Monica Festival

Commemorating its twentieth year in 2015, the Santa Monica Festival evolved into a celebration of the unique intersection of art and the environment, while highlighting the amazing diversity that is representative of the city itself. Annually located in Clover Park in early May, the festival presented an eclectic mix of live music and dance, DIY art workshops utilizing recycled and repurposed materials, guilt-free shopping from vendors featuring earth-friendly artistic wares, and local resources offered by a variety of City and local non-profit organizations.

Every year since 1992, Community Arts Resources produced and marketed the Santa Monica Festival, which grew into the city's largest celebration of its civic identity. As one of the greenest festivals in Southern California, the event employed solar-powered stages, carbon offsets, waste diversion, product replacement, and free bike valet to be a near zero-waste festival. Environmental organizations were also on-site to share their wealth of knowledge and tips about living sustainably.

Fresh and local foods were always in abundance. From an assortment of food trucks to Santa Monica Farmer's Market-inspired cooking demonstrations, the Santa Monica Festival accentuated the enviable foodie nature of the city, while satisfying festival-goers' cravings.

From 1996-2006, CARS consulted and implemented the Santa Monica Festival's educational initiative which brought environmental specialists, artists and choreographers together in the classroom. Students from local elementary, middle and high schools participate in a program which provides a week of environmental presentations followed by six weeks of hands-on training with artists to create three-dimensional art pieces which are featured at the opening procession the day of the Santa Monica Festival. The projects are inspired by the Festival's yearly theme of the environment and the arts.

The Santa Monica Festival is presented by the City of Santa Monica's Cultural Affairs Division and Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE) and is produced by Community Arts Resources.