Sherman Oaks Street Fair Will Be Bigger Than Ever

“The Sounds of Sherman Oaks” will be the theme for this year’s Sherman Oaks Street Fair, set for Oct. 16.

With a month to go before the fair, the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, unveiled the fair’s colorful poster during a presentation by chamber President Robert Cohen.

“The Street Fair gives everyone the opportunity to spend the day together and enjoy the life of Sherman Oaks,” said Cohen, who called it “the chamber’s signature event.”

As it has for the past 20 years, the street fair will stretch along Ventura Boulevard from Van Nuys Boulevard to Kester Avenue. Last year, 160 vendors participated, including nonprofits, food providers and craft vendors. The fair will begin at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. More than 75,000 people are expected to attend the free event.

Cohen said two stages for entertainment will be provided: one, starting at 10 a.m., features entertainment by school children, and a main stage will showcase bands playing jazz, rock, surf music and other styles. The street fair includes a beer garden this year, he added.

Since it began in 1990, the Sherman Oaks Street Fair has drawn crowds, said Connie Chashin, who served on the chamber’s first street fair committee. In the beginning, the street fair worked with five area elementary schools and their PTAs to help raise money for the schools, she said. 

That same objective remains. The street fair has raised more than $400,000 over the years for Sherman Oaks public schools, Cohen said. Street fair profits also help the chamber support the business community and the neighborhood as a whole. The money comes from fees charged vendors and sponsors.

“It’s the largest, one-day, community event in the whole San Fernando Valley,” Cohen said. “It’s officially recognized by the city of Los Angeles as a regional event.”