LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — The nonprofit Sawdust Festival Corporation closed the curtain Aug. 31 on the 59th Annual Sawdust Art Festival, a two-month summer run that supported more than 180 artists and drew tens of thousands of visitors to its eucalyptus-grove grounds. The 2025 edition, held June 27–Aug. 31, featured live music, daily art demonstrations, and free classes designed to introduce Laguna Beach’s arts and culture to newcomers while offering hands-on learning for all ages.
Organizers emphasized education alongside entertainment, expanding workshop offerings and continuing the festival’s tradition of live, process-focused demos. Families, students, and collectors rotated through stations that covered everything from ceramics and glass to painting and mixed media.
Founded in 1965 amid Southern California’s countercultural art movement, the festival moved in 1968 to a three-acre eucalyptus grove that has since become part of its identity. Rapid growth in the 1970s swelled the roster to more than 160 artists; the organization purchased the property in 1976 and began adding permanent infrastructure by 1979. The 1980s brought year-round staff and additional facilities to manage increasing attendance and programming.
Programming diversified again in the 1990s with the launch of Winter Fantasy, a holiday edition, and the establishment of the Sawdust Benevolence Fund to aid artists affected by disasters, including firestorms and mudslides that damaged homes and studios. In the 2000s, the festival deepened its community footprint, offering year-round classes and creating the Sawdust Art Enrichment Fund to support arts education in local schools.
Nearly six decades on, the eucalyptus trees still frame the summer fair, which continues to function as both marketplace and classroom for working artists across Laguna Beach and Orange County. Organizers say the event remains a regional draw and a seasonal boost for the city’s visitor economy.
While the summer run has concluded, the festival’s holiday counterpart returns this fall. Winter Fantasy is scheduled to open Nov. 21 and run through Dec. 21, 2025, with makers, music, and hands-on activities planned across multiple weekends. Further details are expected closer to opening day.