Laguna Beach saves one of its best moods for the closing days of summer. The canyon is still alive with artists, the evenings remain warm, and the urgency of a final weekend makes every stop feel a little more intentional. This year, the Laguna Beach art festivals offer two different closing windows: Festival of Arts continues through September 3, while the Sawdust Art Festival remains open through September 6.
That gives Labor Day weekend a clear purpose. Instead of trying to fit every summer tradition into one overpacked day, spend the final stretch following the art.
Plan the Laguna Beach Art Festivals Around Festival of Arts
The Festival of Arts is the polished anchor of Laguna’s summer art season. Its 2026 exhibition brings together 120 Orange County artists working across painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry and other mediums. The setting encourages a slower kind of looking: conversations at the booths, a closer study of materials and the chance to notice how often the coast appears without being represented literally.
For the final weekday sessions, the grounds open from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The later start works beautifully in September. Arrive as the afternoon light begins to soften, walk the exhibition before dinner, then return for another pass once the grounds take on their evening atmosphere.
The junior art exhibition is also worth seeking out. With hundreds of works by young artists from kindergarten through 12th grade, it offers a wonderfully direct counterpoint to the professional exhibition. The technical polish may vary, but the confidence and imagination are unmistakable.
Follow the Canyon to Sawdust
If the Festival of Arts feels curated and composed, Sawdust feels tactile, informal and wonderfully immersive. More than 180 Laguna Beach artists show original work within an outdoor village built beneath eucalyptus trees, with sawdust paths connecting studios, demonstrations, workshops, food and live entertainment.
The final weekend is a chance to see the festival at full energy before it closes on September 6. Sawdust is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The longer Friday and Saturday hours make it easy to visit after the beach or stay through the evening.
Do not rush straight toward a specific medium. Part of the pleasure is allowing the pathways to determine the experience. A ceramic vessel might lead to a conversation about glaze, followed by a glass demonstration, a textile piece or a photograph that makes the familiar coastline feel entirely new.
Let One Piece Hold Your Attention
Art festivals can become visual overload when the goal is to see everything. A better approach is to notice what makes you stop. It may be a color you would never choose for your home, a material you have not considered collecting or an image that feels quietly familiar.
Ask the artist about the process rather than price first. Learn what changed between the initial idea and the finished work. Find out whether the piece belongs to a larger series. Those conversations make the day more memorable, even when you leave without buying anything.
If you are considering a purchase, photograph the label or collect the artist’s information before continuing. Then return after you have walked the grounds. The pieces that stay in your mind tend to be the ones worth reconsidering.
Make the Day About More Than the Festivals
The strongest Laguna Beach art festival itinerary leaves room around the main event. Start with coffee in the village, walk the coastline before the crowds settle in and plan a late lunch rather than trying to eat at the most obvious hour. After the festival, let the evening continue with dinner near the water or a quiet walk through town.
The Passport to the Arts remains a useful option for anyone who wants to experience Festival of Arts, Sawdust Art Festival and Laguna Art-A-Fair. The 2026 pass includes one-time admission to all three festivals, one-time parking at the Act V lot and a selection of merchant discounts. Check final availability before arriving, especially during the closing week.
Take a Last Look at Summer
The final weekend is not simply a last chance to enter the festival grounds. It is a chance to see Laguna Beach doing what it has done for generations: bringing art into public life, allowing artists and collectors to meet directly and treating creative work as part of the rhythm of the coast.
Summer will move on. The piece you discover, the artist you remember or the conversation you carry home may last considerably longer.
