Fiesta Hermosa began in the 1970's as Fiesta de las Artes, a one-day event held on the stretch of Pier Avenue between Hermosa Avenue and The Strand.

The festival expanded to three days in 1979. By the early 1980's, the event had expanded north along Hermosa Avenue to 14th Street. The Fiesta went from 20 booths to over 400 in as little as eight years.

In more recent years, prior to the 2020 shutdown, it had become very commercial. Many booths were selling home improvement items, chiropractic services etc. Very few arts and crafts were left.

I went down there this year just to see if they were getting back to arts and crafts as they claimed.
The home improvement stuff was gone but there was a plethora of jewelry booths. The artists selling photography and paintings were moved to the top of Pier Ave in an area by themselves.
There was live music, a beer garden and a place just for the children with rides etc.

All and all, it was nice to see this event back in action.