Fiesta La Ballona survey released to public

A survey to gauge the reception and gather feedback on the 2025 Fiesta La Ballona has been released by the City of Culver City. It aims to gather community input on the annual event — held August 22 to 24 at Veterans Memorial Park this year — and will be open to responses until Sunday.

One of the longest-running city events, Fiesta La Ballona once had its own commission that served as a forum for residents and members of the public to share their input on the event. However, that commission was dissolved in 2023, leading the city to seek alternative means to consider the public's opinion for future iterations.

Fiesta La Ballona operates as a fair similar to larger undertakings like the Orange County Fair, and was started in 1951 as a partnership between the City of Culver City and its Chamber of Commerce. Today, the Fiesta is a 3-day outdoor event traditionally scheduled for the last weekend in August, featuring amusement park rides and activities, fair games, and an assortment of food stands for attendees.

One of the most popular long-standing features of the Fiesta is its Beer and Wine Garden, which is overseen by a non-profit chosen by the city each year. The Culver City Exchange Club was selected to host the 2025 Beer and Wine Garden, with the proceeds donated to various local groups and initiatives, including Feed Culver, Culver City Backpacks for Kids, and Culver Park High School.

This survey serves as one of the primary avenues through which the city gathers input from the event since the dissolution of the specialized commission. PRCS staff also receive direct emails from constituents and solicit feedback directly from attendees during the event, relaying comments at staff meetings. However, they do not conduct any large-scale outreach efforts aside from this post-event survey.

While many of the questions are open-ended, allowing participants to express their opinions freely, several questions were multiple-choice, designed to gather information about specific aspects of the event. These questions gauged views about the number of bathrooms and the security provisions implemented at the event.

According to Communications and Public Information Manager Dustin Klemann, the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department has traditionally sought input on the bathroom situation after each event. Security — which included metal detectors at each point of entrance to the Fiesta — is a new feature introduced at the Fiesta last year.

"We made some minor changes this year," Klemann said of the security, "so we are just trying to see how the public feels about it."

Security and police monitoring at large public venues in Culver City has become more common following the concentrated deployment of ICE throughout Southern California. The main entry points of the event were lined with metal detectors, and security staff were on site to monitor the event. A Culver City Police Department trailer was also parked directly outside the venue.

While the event itself is free, the attractions and rides require tickets or a wristband to participate in, which generates a small amount of revenue for the city. Fiesta La Ballona's revenue declined last year, with a decrease in carnival wristband and food truck purchases being considered the primary driver. PRCS staff did not confirm when or where revenue numbers from the 2025 Fiesta will be available publicly.

This survey will be open to respondents until September 7.