A Fiesta of a Memorial Day

A crowd of thousands of people packed the streets of downtown Hermosa Beach this Memorial Day weekend for Fiesta Hermosa, the city's annual arts and crafts fair.

Called the largest fair of its kind in Southern California, the event was organized by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and included more than 200 vendors selling such items as paintings and handcrafted jewelry.

Conversation, laughter, music and the smell of barbequed corn permeated the warm, salty air as visitors traversed the rows of canopied booths.

Live bands blasted classic rock through giant speakers that carried the tunes for blocks. Children enjoyed a petting zoo while carnival rides and games whirled  nearby.

In the past, the fiesta has hosted about 120,000 sunshine-loving locals and tourists. This weekend's figures have not yet been released.