From disco and ’80s music on Abbot Kinney to live bands, Brazilian music, poetry, film and a massive beach cleanup, Venice has a packed lineup of events heading into the weekend.
VENICE, Calif. — September 16, 2026 — Venice is heading into another busy September weekend with live music, nightlife, arts and culture, environmental events and plenty happening near the beach.
Whether you’re looking for a Friday night out, live music, something cultural or a reason to spend Saturday on the sand, here are some events happening around Venice from Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20.
As always, schedules, admission and event details can change, so visitors should confirm directly with organizers before heading out.
Friday Night: Alex Behnke Brings Disco, Balearic and the ’80s to Abbot Kinney
Friday night starts on Abbot Kinney Boulevard at Only The Wild Ones, where Alex Behnke (@Behnkonme) is scheduled to play a mix of disco, Balearic and ’80s music.
For visitors looking to start the weekend with drinks and music without immediately heading toward a larger concert venue, the Friday-night set offers a more neighborhood-focused option along one of Venice’s best-known commercial corridors.
The mix of disco, Balearic sounds and music from the 1980s also fits naturally into a Venice night out before heading elsewhere in the neighborhood.
Friday, Sept. 18 — Only The Wild Ones, Venice
Beyond Baroque Celebrates Poetry in Four Languages
For something completely different Friday evening, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center is hosting “Beyond Spanish: Poetry in Basque, Catalan, Galician & Spanish” from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The multilingual poetry reading will feature work in four of Spain’s languages alongside English translations.
The program includes readings by Lourdes Orueta, Josu Baque, Jordi Solsona, Juan Lago, William Archila and Liz Camfiord and is being presented in collaboration with the Education Office of the Consulate General of Spain.
The event takes place at Beyond Baroque, 681 N. Venice Blvd.
Rock Takes Over The Venice West Friday Night
Another Friday-night option comes from The Venice West, where The Halloween Jack is scheduled to perform beginning at 8 p.m.
The show features musicians associated with Guns N’ Roses, Jane’s Addiction, Garbage and Alice Cooper.
The Venice West lists admission at $25 for the Friday performance.
For people looking to make a full night of Venice, Friday offers several very different
Saturday Morning: Help Clean Up Venice Beach
Saturday is a particularly big day for the beach.
The 42nd annual California Coastal Cleanup Day takes place statewide on September 19, with official Venice Beach cleanup locations scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon.
California Volunteers lists Venice cleanup locations around the Venice Pier, Rose Avenue and Tower 19, giving residents and visitors several opportunities to participate.
The statewide event is organized around removing trash from beaches and waterways before it can contribute to plastic pollution and other environmental problems. The California Coastal Commission describes Coastal Cleanup Day as California’s largest annual volunteer event.
For anyone who regularly enjoys Venice Beach, Saturday morning provides an opportunity to spend time at the coast while helping take care of it.
A Second Major Beach Cleanup Arrives Saturday Afternoon
The environmental activity continues later Saturday with an ambitious event at Lifeguard Tower 18, across from the Venice Skate Park.
Organizers are promoting the gathering as an attempt to create the World’s Largest Beach Cleanup, scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public, with organizers combining the cleanup with music and additional programming on the beach.
That means visitors could potentially spend Saturday morning participating in California Coastal Cleanup Day, explore Venice during the afternoon and return to the sand for another community cleanup later in the day.
Puro Suco Brings a Brazilian Summer Experience to Venice
Venice will also take on a Brazilian soundtrack this weekend.
Puro Suco Weekend begins Saturday and continues Sunday, bringing together beach activities, live music, DJs and dancing in what organizers describe as a two-day Brazilian summer experience.
The program incorporates six styles of Brazilian music, including MPB, samba, forró, samba rock, rap nacional and funk carioca.
Saturday begins with a beach gathering and early check-in from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by programming at Baja Cantina beginning in the afternoon. The event is for guests 21 and older.
Rather than focusing on a single concert, Puro Suco is designed as a weekend-long cultural experience moving between the beach and Venice venues.
Saturday Afternoon: An L.A. Film Premiere at Beyond Baroque
Beyond Baroque returns to the weekend schedule Saturday with the Los Angeles premiere of “The Figures, An Abstract on Geoffrey Young.”
The documentary screening is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on September 19.
Beyond Baroque is also hosting other Saturday programming, including a generative writing workshop and a table reading earlier in the day.
Saturday Night Is Packed With Live Music
Saturday offers several options at The Venice West.
The day begins with Grateful Brunch with Cats on the Bandstand at 11 a.m.
Later that evening, Boogaloo Assassins take the stage at 8 p.m., followed by Pulse Theory at 10:30 p.m.
With daytime beach events happening nearby, the lineup gives visitors an easy way to transition from a Saturday on the coast into a night of live music.
Sunday: Brunch, Brazilian Music and The Meditations
The weekend doesn’t stop Saturday night.
The Venice West starts Sunday with a Rolling Stones Boozy Bingo Brunch at 11 a.m., followed later in the day by The Meditations at 8 p.m.
Puro Suco Weekend also continues Sunday, extending the Brazilian music and cultural programming through the second day of the event.
That gives visitors several ways to close out the weekend without leaving Venice.
One Weekend, Several Different Versions of Venice
Part of what makes Venice unusual is how many different experiences can exist within a relatively small neighborhood.
On the same weekend, someone can listen to multilingual poetry, dance to disco and ’80s music on Abbot Kinney, volunteer on the beach, experience Brazilian music and culture, attend a documentary premiere or spend the night watching live bands.
For visitors, the weekend of September 18–20 provides a particularly broad snapshot of that mix.
And for locals, it may simply be another reminder that there is usually something happening somewhere in Venice.
Event schedules, ticket availability, admission requirements and locations are subject to change. Readers should confirm details with individual venues and organizers before attending.
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