In the coming year, the Hermosa Beach Chamber and the Chamber Foundation will produce the Memorial Day Weekend Fiesta, the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, and seasonal sidewalk sales, under a one year agreement approved by a 4 to 1 vote of the City Council at its Tuesday, January 27 council meeting.
The agreement also calls for resumption of the Labor Day Weekend Fiesta, which the chamber discontinued in 2023. The Chamber’s Oktoberfest, which replaced the Labor Day Weekend Fiesta, will not be held this year,
The returning Labor Day Weekend Fiesta will have a footprint smaller than the Memorial Day Weekend Fiesta, and similar to the Oktoberfest, using Hermosa Avenue and Parking Lot A, behind Bank of America.
Hermosa Chamber Michelle Crispin said the decision to resume the end of summer fiesta was driven by business feedback and finances.
“This recommendation is based on financial data and direct feedback from our businesses,” she said. “Fiesta Hermosa has a proven track record, it aligns with Hermosa’s brand, and offers a more sustainable foundation for the Chamber.”
The Chamber projects the Memorial Day Fiesta will generate approximately $130,000 in net revenue, while the smaller Labor Day event is expected to produce a $53,000 in profit. Last year’s Memorial Day Fiesta netted approximately $176,000.
“Over the past year, the Chamber has been in what I would describe as a hard reset,” Crispin said. “We’ve taken a hard look at how we operate, how we spend our time and resources, and whether what we’re doing truly aligns with our mission and is financially sustainable.”
Erika Newman, the Chamber’s newly appointed Vice Chair of Finance, told the Council, “I look at every single transaction through every single financial platform we use. There is nothing to hide.”
Newman said she has reviewed all of the Chamber finances, including Square accounts, Stripe accounts, and QuickBooks, and is completing an audit of 2025 activities for both the Chamber and the Chamber Foundation.
Mayor Saemann cast the lone dissenting vote on the agreement. He advocated a revenue-sharing model for events the city contributes to financially.
“Moving forward, our goal is to focus on two tentpole events, Fiesta Hermosa on Memorial Day and on Labor Day, while scaling back on other large, high-risk events,” Crispin said. ER
