At some point on Sunday afternoons, the drummers start arriving at the south end of the Venice Beach Boardwalk. There is no organizer. No stage. No permit for the drums. No schedule. The circle forms around whoever arrives first. By the time sunset gets close, there are usually a hundred people playing and several hundred standing around the edges.
The Venice Beach Drum Circle has been happening since the early 1970s. It is not a performance — it is an invitation. Anyone who brings an instrument plays. Anyone who wants to dance, dances. The sound builds toward sunset and carries down the beach in both directions.
The circle runs every Sunday regardless of weather, which in Venice means it runs every Sunday. It lasts until dark. There is no encore. The drums just gradually stop, and the crowd disperses into the evening.
South end of the Venice Beach Boardwalk, Venice, Los Angeles, CA 90291. Free. Every Sunday, late afternoon through sunset.