A free street painting fest will soon festoon Ventura Harbor Village

A SCENIC SUMMER GOODBYE: There's so much vibrancy in the ocean, with all sorts of colorful coral, eye-catching anemone, and glorious gill-rocking fishies, the sort of swimmers that flash and dazzle as they pass by, to admire. It's not a place that's "fishing" about for a fabulous art festival, the kind that involves bright chalk and blank pavement, because adding artworks to the ocean is really a case of gilding the lily. But admiring such whimsical artworks on land, just steps from the water? Humans love it, understandably so, and regularly seek out those street painting events that have a bit of briny flair. And one of California's most venerable chalk festivals returns to Ventura Harbor Village on the final full weekend of summer for art-fun viewing, breezy strolling, and sunny good times.

SEPT. 14 AND 15... are the 2024 dates for the Ventura Art and Street Painting Festival, and you won't need a ticket to enter the art-filled area. Just stop by, saunter in the vicinity of shops and restaurants, and admire the madonnari as they create memorable chalkworks on the sidewalks skimming the water. Past themes have included pets, boats, and mermaids, too (which makes lovely sense, as Ventura Harbor Village celebrates mermaids and mermen every March with several splashy events). Artists will also have artwork for sale — this will be of the take-home variety, not on-the-ground pastel pieces — so make time to stroll by those displays, too.