The Venice Beach Drum Circle

Drum Circle never again… I get it. I am getting older and maybe it has just lost its charm unlike riding X2 at Magic Mountain or Tower of Terror at California Adventure. At this point I am unwilling to put myself with a group of misfits who come together as one.
I have never understood why people’s negative energy can outweigh all those in delight at the drum circle but for those of us whom are sensitives… The negativity SCREAMS and I can’t hear the drums.

I am watching it going on right now, from my rooftop spot at work. Pretty interesting, except the whistle guy seems to be a little limited in the variety of beats he chooses; a bit monotonous. I don’t know, maybe the participants can ask for rain to end the current drought we’re in.

Good times visiting Venice Beach. The drumming was the first thing we did and it was fun and very entertaining. Nice to see everyone get together like this. Seems like it used to be a lot more popular. Now the cops rule– circling around in their cars, writing people tickets for drinking openly and smoking, and ending the fun at sunset. I guess it used to get too crazy. People still find a way to drink and smoke tho and they all look out for each other. It was very interesting people watching and enjoying the beats. We had a blast and went a second time with maracas lol. I also enjoyed my diet coke and cigarettes without a problem. Too bad it’s only on the weekends. We were only there a week.

Great place for tourists to visit. I still enjoy riding my bike here to watch everyone get together.

LOling at the the fact that Unilocal reviews from drum circles exist ^_^.
L.A woman born and raised! The drum circles been part of my life since I was old enough to remember things. My mother used to take me to watch them and watch all the wonderful wacky people at Venice beach.
The energy and the vibes are amazing. It’s crazy to hear how easily the drumming starts and stops, how fast the patterns change, and to just listen to the different types of beats going on on each side of the circle.
Primal.
That’s seriously the best way to describe the circle. There’s no conductor and no rules. People just play and it’s amazing.
Dancing is always appreciated and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get in the middle of a bunch of people and dance with no judgement.
Be transported to some crazy jungle, enjoy yelling at the helicopters, and catch mad contact highs!

Since there are so many drum circles all along the boardwalk and up on the beach, I’m not sure which exact group to which this page pertains or if it’s just a general, vague one representing all of them.
The drum circles add that hippie/​free spirit/​got-​nothing-​else-​to-​do element to the ambient noise of Venice along with the clinking of gym machines at Muscle Beach, the bouncing of basketballs, the idle chatter of tourists, arguing vendors, squawking seagulls, and the dispensery workers in neon green scrubs shouting, «The doctor is in! Come get your legal weed, people! Where you going? Get back here! Don’t you want your Mary Jane, man?»
All day, any day, you’ll find groups of people playing djembes, bougarabous, bongos, ashikos, and other percussive instruments for hours on end. You’ll see the homeless woman who was screaming on the boardwalk and harassing people for money attempt to belly dance to their discordant beat and how none of them seem to notice, lost in the rhythm.
Fascinating to behold if you’re up for observing humanity on an aimless Saturday.

Very neat! Middle of the beach, you’ll see a random festive crowd. Walk toward it and you’ll notice its a crowd of jammers and chillers. Seems like a collaboration of musicians that come together here on the wknds to jam together. Very causal, and you can jam or dance with them.
Pretty awesome to see. Venice has such a random nice urban hippy crowd of folks doing what they do for the love of music, art and the beach.
Its not an event, just somethingneat. Don’t expect it to be a concert, or a band. Everyone anyone like you or friends, who has an instrument that are down to just jam nonsense cause its just for the love of jamming with others.
Chillaxers — come with a towel, or come sit to watch, lay down or nap to the drums. Great place to smoke or drink out and chill out here.
Parking $ 15 by venice ale house, or $ 10 parking grand/​riveria, 2block walk, or else theres plenty of private $ 25-​$ 30 parking around too (rip off, watch out for bumps or scratches on your car).

I’m going to give the drum circle a ***** review becuase I used to have so much fun coming here when I was a bit younger. Now it’s a bit over rated and tourist-​zy for me.
OH MY GOD! I used to love coming here on a Sunday afternoon with my foam cup full of booze, sitting on the sideline drinking with my friends, getting trashed and listening to the drums:) Yes, it was one hell of a good time for us. Lol. Yes, you do see your typical beach bums shooting up in a circle and you also see your stoners smoking a spliff in their circle. Everyone is just there to have fun. I’ve never seen anyone get seriously hurt.
You get to take your own instrument and jam out with the rest if you’d like. But of course, no one likes anyone off beat. You get to meet a lot of awesome people too. People traveling and locals too.
If you’ve never been, you should give it a try after walking the boardwalk. It’s a fun spot to visit at least once.

There are a few things I would qualify as quintessentially LA and the Venice Drum Circle is on the list.
It’s not everybody’s scene but the circle does not discriminate and all who come are welcome.
The only time I would recommend going is Sundays right before sunset. The circle gets pretty big (if I had to guess I’d say its over 100 people gathered) and the music intensifies and gets really heady as the sun goes down and peaks right when the last bit of sun sinks below the horizon line. The energy is really indescribable, its best to go and experience for yourself.

If you’re out on the Venice boardwalk, it’s hard not to notice the drumming sounds radiating from a large circle of people. The drum circle is very inviting and don’t be surprised if you are somehow persuaded to dance inside the circle, or even play a bizarre instrument as well. There’s every type of drum imaginable there, in addition to a wide range of percussion instruments.
It’s definitely an intriguing experience at first, but once you look around and realize that you are one of the very few people that probably isn’t on some sort of substance, it’s time to move on…

My girl friends were voluntarily sucked into this drum circle, they hunted it down. I’m somewhat of a party pooper and decided to stay tangent to the circumference, but there was this one drummer who followed me around with his drum, it was scary at first and even scarier when he wouldn’t leave me alone. I shook my head and waved him off… to no avail. (sighs) I jumped in, shook my hands in the air, jumped out and hid from the drum man, beside a palm tree. I’d much rather enjoy all the smiling faces and happy vibrant crowd at a distance.

Hakuna matata.
Get sucked into the Venice Drum Circle, the land of no worries, and just take it all in. The energy, the environment, the vibe… it’s all there. Just stare. Or dance. Or walk around it, but take it all in.
You’ll see people from all walks of life, all socioeconimial statuses, just dancing and grooving together. Nobody cares what you’re wearing or judges you for where you sleep at night. It’s a sight to be seen AND experience.
I danced a little around the outside of the circle, exchanging happy glances with other euphoric people. There were hula hoopers, a man dressed as an eagle, families, tourists, dogs, teens, everyday peddlers and everyone in between within 30 yards of each other. Smiling. Dancing. Drumming.
Spend ten minutes there. You’ll thank me.

I’ve been pretty much every sunday since moving here and in general it’s a great experience. It seems a little too cliquish and hard to break into though, but with something this size that’s understandable. Sometimes the vibe can be awesome, though last weekend it was very aggressive… though it didn’t help that I almost got into a fistfight with a homeless dude who tried to steal my hula hoop (i don’t think that’s a sentence I ever thought I’d write)
I’ve been on a Saturday, and that felt more inclusive and friendly, and no one tried to beat me up and/​or steal my hoop so that was a plus.

I wanted to like The Venice Beach Drum Circle – I really did – but it seems that my ears are untrained in the art of finding music in sound. Perhaps this is a shame; perhaps, if I cared about liking it more, I’d give The Venice Beach Drum Circle a second chance.
Unfortunately, I didn’t and still don’t, and it was all too loud for me, anyway, so I shan’t be returning. Yes, I am a curmudgeon, but at least I won’t have hearing damage when I’m old!
Two stars.

I’ve lived in LA for almost 3 years now, and I’ve never been to Venice Beach. So as I strolled along the beach with my bf, taking in the abundance of sights and sounds at dusk, I hear drums. The beats are coming from a massive group of people in the middle of the sand. Some are standing and watching, some are beating exuberantly on the drums, some are swaying to the sound, and some are dancing frantically. The spectators and drummers were from every walk of life, but they all had the same positive, joyful energy. I could see that my bf was a tad weirded out, but I was ecstatic! I was entranced. What a spontaneous, serendipitous thing.

Wait, really? Do people go on Unilocal to research drum circles?
Incredulity and confusion aside, in the event that you are trying to decide whether to commit to attending this gathering of strangers who come together for a few hours on Sunday afternoons to make music with drums and empty Arrowhead water coolers: yes. It is likely to be one of the most fascinating groups of people you will ever encounter and one of the most beautiful music experiences of your life, especially as the sun is setting or, as another Unilocaler mentioned, a storm is brewing. The energy of this event is undeniable. Whether you’re standing uncomfortably outside the circle with your shoes still on or drumming your fingers to shreds on a djembe that you brought or that some crazy-​eyed man in a poncho thrust into your lap, the experience will be memorable and slightly addictive.
But if you find yourself at the drum circle composing a Unilocal review of it in your head, be it positive or negative, you need to breathe the air a little deeper, man.

Events like this remind me why i’m so lucky to live in california.
I would recommend it just for the experence. Your surrounded by locals, weirdos, tourist, pot smoking teens, and overall uniquie people…
Fun. I ended up dancing that night and really you can do whatever you want and its ok. I wouldn’t recommend this for kids tho.

The Mother Ship Has Landed.
If you have not been to this, you HAVE to go. This Sunday night drum circle has got to be the most accurate mix of Venice people ever. Having said that, people from all over the city come to play here and there are tons of tourists too.
There will be dancers in the middle, candles, incense, people selling and smoking drugs, people totally blasted on booze, kids, families, the god squad and tons and tons of drums.
The cross street to the beach where this happens is Brooks. Also, don’t bring a hand drum since you won’t be heard. This is a stick or mallet drum circle for sure.
My two cents, as a drummer, is that this place is the biggest mess because none of the drummers play together. EVER. As a beach and culture lover, this place is the best.
Don’t half step. Bring a camera since there will be so many great photo opportunities.

Oh man… what fine memories.
I moved to LA in spring of 2000. I landed on Venice Beach by accident.
I came from the Midwest, where drum circles are about as common as pink flamingos.
So…Easter arrived shortly after I did, and I happened upon the drum circle at sunset on the beach, that day.
I threw caution to the wind, kicked off my shoes and danced in the sand, became one with the beat of the drums, lost in the magic of the moment.
I will never forget it.
Dylan’s lyrics rang true to me from that day on:
«Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.»
If you march to the beat of a different drummer, this gathering might capture you, too.
LA is home now, and I hold Venice Beach forever dear in my heart.

One of the most eclectic bunch of people in the universe or maybe just the state. But when the sun sets, these people come together as one.
The drumming begins a few hours before sunset. Peruvian wooden boxes, plastic buckets, bongo drums and even percussion instruments sound off to the same palpitation. When the sky kisses the horizon orange and blue, the euphoria ensues! Dancers and drummers in all states of bliss – narcotic or otherwise – writhe to the palpitation like the early hippies of Haight. And as the sun slowly sinks itself in the abyss of the ocean, the ecstasy intensifies, and then… explodes.
I’ve never been here on Sunday. If not for this late trip, I would have never found this lively bunch. I’ve been to a few before, but never with such an eclectic bunch.
People in ties? Check. Cholos? Check. Kids? Check. Families? Check. Every shade of brown? Check. Check. Check.
What’s that smell? I don’t know, but it’s going around.
I’ll be back next Sunday after church.