Topanga Days

The Topanga Days country fair is tucked away in Topanga Canyon on the property of the Topanga Community House. The fair is surrounded by mountains in an incredibly beautiful setting. It is everything you'd expect it to be for Topanga, like amazing live music and organic & vegan food vendors. Tie-dye shirt vendors, bellydancers, hooping (as in hula hooping), an art walk showcasing local artists and a whole bunch of nice folks having a good time. It is also very family friendly, and they have a whole section just for kids.

First, while this is considered a "small" fair, you'll be amazed at some of the music performers they've lined up over the years. Canned Heat, Ziggy Marley, Meters, Gregg Rolie (original Santana singer), Venice and Billy Idol to name a few. With three stages the chances of seeing some amazing local bands are pretty darn good. Plus they have bellydancers and all kinds of other performances thrown in that any hippie festival should have.

Topanga Days is layed out all over the property on four different sections or levels. The main stage and vendor level, the childrens' level, the food level and the Community House itself with a stage and the "Underground" lower level in back with the third stage, more vendors and artists.

The lower and largest level has the main stage and most of the non-food vendors like hippie clothes, screen printed shirts, sunhats, bellydancing costumes, art, hoops and jewelry. This main area has a huge grassy lawn in front of the stage where people bring blankets and hang out all day. Not much shade here but this area is hoppin' as the sun starts to set.

The next level up is the childrens' area (which is on the site of the Topanga Co-op Preschool's parent built playground) where the preschool offers crafts like tissue paper vases using recycled glass jars. There are a number of booths with games for the little ones and they are all run by volunteers and have a DIY vibe. The spin art machine is a favorite in our family! Plus there is a big sandbox and the regular playstructures that are always there. Face painting and all the classics too!

The top level is where the food is and there is always an eclectic assortment of stuff, like vegan curries and gourmet ice cream and garlic fries. The Community House is here with another stage and is definately the place to sit and eat and cool off during the day when it is hot. There are real bathrooms inside also.

Last, there is the "Underground" which is tucked away behind the Community House and many people probably miss it entirely unless they know to look for it. A third stage is here along with more vendors and an "Art Walk" which is a small trail where local artists display their art - mostly just hanging from the trees. I have no photos of this part, sorry. Was too busy talking to people.

Parking is a bitch and you either have to park in Topanga and take a shuttle or find a spot on Topanga Canyon and walk up. We always park on the road and hop on a shuttle to take us to the top level but we're lazy. It is a hell of a walk up though, especially if you are carring a kid or two. Also, I would skip a stroller if possible because there are so many levels and a lot of the fest is on grass which can be cumbersome.

We attend every year and love Topanga Days, but then again there is a dirty hippie inside of my heart so this place feels close to home.

Oh yeah, tickets (in 2010) are $20 a person but kids under five are free and kids 6-12 and over 65 are half price. Topanga Days usually runs from about 10AM to 7PM with the headlining bands starting around 5PM.

Check the Topanga Days site for current info for the upcoming year!