The Arepa Stand got its start at the Mar Vista Farmers Market. Siblings Mercedes Rojas and Zeus Ferrini, who were born and raised in Venezuela, started the business with help from their mother, Belinda, and from California farmers and friends. According to Yo! Venice, it grew to five farmers market locations and became known for appearances at Venice Fest and local pop-ups. In August it soft-opened its first restaurant at 12906 Venice Blvd.
That path, from a Sunday market stall to a festival booth to a permanent address on the same boulevard, is what Mar Vista's stretch of Venice Boulevard has been doing for small businesses since 2021. The festival that helped build it moved its spring edition to the beach this year. On Saturday, December 5, the winter edition is scheduled back on Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista, and it has been rebuilt as a smaller version of the original idea.
A block party that started between a boutique and a gym
Venice Fest began in Mar Vista with two neighboring storefronts. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that founder Sarah Nicole had opened a boutique on Venice Boulevard during the pandemic. A neighboring gym owner then asked her to help him throw a New York-style block party that would get businesses back out on the street. The Argonaut identifies that co-founder as Kris Herbert of The Gym Venice.
"He wanted businesses to set up outside, bring people together, just create energy on the street," she told the Santa Monica Daily Press. "Someone told him to find me because I had been doing small pop ups; and that's how it all started."
The first event was in November 2021, according to the same paper. It kept coming back to the same street. By November 22, 2025, the Winter Fest filled Venice Boulevard between Centinela and Inglewood avenues and centered on 12257 Venice Blvd. The Santa Monica Mirror reported more than 300 local artists, designers and makers, plus food trucks, hot cocoa, Santa photos at a Venice Paparazzi booth, winter-themed games, live music and DJ sets. NBC Los Angeles listed the location simply as "Venice Boulevard in downtown Mar Vista."
Then the spring edition moved to Windward Plaza
The same week as that 2025 winter event, Venice Paparazzi announced the next step: "next year, the festival will debut in a brand-new, iconic location: the Venice Beach Sign."
That is where the spring edition went. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that on March 21, 2026, Venice Fest would hold its 12th edition, and its first at Venice Beach, filling Windward Circle, Windward Plaza and the surrounding boardwalk beneath the Venice sign. Organizers expected more than 20,000 people. "I honestly thought we were just going to throw one event," Sarah Nicole told the paper. "Now we're on our twelfth festival in five years, and it's at Venice Beach, a dream come true."
In the same article, Councilwoman Traci Park described the move as part of a larger push to bring events back to Venice. "Locals will remember that just three short years ago, Venice was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons," she said.
The event that started outside two Mar Vista storefronts had become a beachfront festival with a five-figure expected crowd.
| Edition | Date | Location | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Venice Fest | November 2021 | Venice Boulevard, Mar Vista | Pandemic-era block party |
| Venice Winter Fest | November 22, 2025 | Venice Blvd between Centinela and Inglewood | 300+ makers, food trucks, music, DJs |
| Venice Love Fest | March 21, 2026 | Windward Circle and Windward Plaza, Venice Beach | 12th edition, 20,000+ expected |
| Venice Winter Fest | December 5, 2026 | Venice Blvd from Centinela to Grand View | Curated holiday shopping market |
December comes back to Mar Vista, and it is smaller on purpose
The official Venice Fest site lists Venice Winter Fest for Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Venice Boulevard from Centinela to Grand View Boulevard. It is a free community event. The Eventbrite listing puts the address at 12257 Venice Blvd., the same address the 2025 edition was centered on, and it describes a different kind of day than last year's block party.
"We're doing things differently this year and putting the focus entirely on what we love most about the holidays: discovering thoughtful gifts and supporting the people and businesses within our community."
Organizers call the event "reimagined this year as a curated holiday shopping experience" for local makers, artists, creators and small businesses. The listing names these categories:
- Art and home goods
- Jewelry, accessories and clothing
- Gifts for kids
- Wellness and beauty
- Pet goods and holiday finds
The listing also says "bring your pup." The official site adds photos with Santa and frames the day around the line "Shop small. Gift thoughtfully. Celebrate locally." The festival's nonprofit partners are Nourish LA, which rescues surplus food for Angelenos in need, and Safe Place for Youth, which serves young people experiencing homelessness in West Los Angeles.
Last year's winter edition had food trucks, music, DJ sets and games. This year's material puts the shopping first. The big festival format went to the beach in March, and Mar Vista gets back the format the event started with: neighbors selling to neighbors on Venice Boulevard. Admission is free, and the Eventbrite page has an RSVP.
A Saturday and Sunday on the same few blocks
The Winter Fest falls on a Saturday, and the boulevard already has a Sunday tradition a short walk from its Grand View end. That puts both of the places where The Arepa Stand started within one weekend.
- Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Venice Winter Fest. Venice Boulevard from Centinela to Grand View, with the listed address at 12257 Venice Blvd. Free and all ages.
- Saturday lunch, The Arepa Stand. The restaurant at 12906 Venice Blvd serves Venezuelan-style arepas. Yo! Venice lists The Cheester, made with queso de mano; The 405, with braised beef, black bean purée, fried plantains, cotija and cilantro; and The Hills, with black bean purée, market greens, sofrito, plantains and avocado. Eater LA lists its hours as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., so plan lunch rather than dinner.
- Saturday dinner, Electric Bleu. This California-French bistro sits on a corner at 3523 Centinela Ave., near the Centinela end of the festival. In an August 12 review, Eater LA said chef Craig Hopson and partner Mai Sakai had "quickly become a community darling" about a year after opening. The review also noted prices a notch above everyday weeknight dining.
- Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mar Vista Farmers Market. It runs at Grand View and Venice Boulevard every Sunday, rain or shine, except on major holidays, according to the market's own site. December 6 is the morning after the festival.
Alana's Coffee Roasters, which Yo! Venice placed at 12511 Venice Blvd. in its 2025 coverage, is on the same stretch.
The Winter Fest listing calls for makers and small businesses, and the market a block away is where The Arepa Stand first showed up before it grew into a restaurant. Some of the vendors at 12257 Venice Blvd on December 5 may be where The Arepa Stand was a few years ago.
If you're shopping the Winter Fest on December 5 and want to talk about how this stretch of Venice Boulevard keeps changing, from new storefronts to new restaurants, the Megan Whalen team is glad to share what we're seeing around Mar Vista. Let's Connect.
