Community Corner

Triathlon and Abbot Kinney Fest Mean Traffic Issues for Venice on Sunday

The Los Angeles Triathlon and the Abbot Kinney Festival fall on the same day this year, Sept. 25. Eastbound Venice Boulevard will be closed from 5 a.m. to around 10 a.m. Abbot Kinney Boulevard will be closed from 2 a.m. on.

Venice's roads will be busy Sunday morning.

Hundreds of exhibitors will be setting up along Abbot Kinney Boulevard between Venice Boulevard and Main Street for the 27th annual Abbot Kinney Festival, which starts at 10 a.m., while thousands of triathletes will be cycling from the beach down Venice Boulevard for the second leg of the .

The triathlon begins at Venice Beach on Sunday morning at 7:15 a.m. when competitors will start the race with a .9 mile swim, followed by a bike ride towards downtown. The last group is expected to start its course at 8:50 a.m.

Find out what's happening in Venice-Mar Vistawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Eastbound Venice Boulevard will be closed, with no crossing points west of the 405 Freeway, starting at 6 a.m. Sunday. The first section of the bicycle course, from the beach to Fairfax Avenue, is scheduled to be open by 11 a.m., but in Venice it could be passable earlier. 

"As soon as the team leaves the parking lot, as soon as that last cyclist clears, they open up the street," said Jan Fambro, a spokeswoman for LA Speedworks, the triathlon organizer. "The streets in Venice could be open as soon as 9 or 9:30," she said.

Find out what's happening in Venice-Mar Vistawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Separately, Abbot Kinney Boulevard will be closed all day, starting at 2 a.m. At 3 a.m., cars will be towed from the street to make way for set up, said Abbot Kinney Festival organizer Kim Sharp. 

Sharp is not concerned about the closing of Venice Boulevard, and all the exhibitors will have been notified by Tuesday, she said.

"We just created a detour, and it's very easy," Sharp said. "All entrances are remaining the same."

Festival organizers, as always, suggest people use public transport, walk or bicycle to the event. Still, for anyone not attending the festival, keep in mind that Abbot Kinney Boulevard will be closed all day, and Venice Boulevard will be unpassable in the morning.

Be sure to fan Venice Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more local news, including an upcoming preview on the Abbot Kinney Festival highlights.


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