Renegade at Santa Monica Airport: A Makers Market Near Me Outdoors

The westside's biggest handmade weekend of the fall lands on a stretch of tarmac most Angelenos have only seen from the 10. Renegade Craft Fair Los Angeles runs Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2026, from 10am to 4pm, on the Santa Monica Airport Interim Open Space at 3233 Donald Douglas Loop South. More than 275 curated artists fill the lot, parking is free on site, and leashed dogs can come along. If you type makers market near me anywhere between Venice and Westwood that weekend, this is the answer.

Renegade started in Chicago in 2003, describing itself as founded by artists for artists, and it has run a Los Angeles edition for years at different sites around the city. The winter fair now uses the Interim Open Space, a large flat lot on the edge of Santa Monica Airport that the city opens for events while it plans the future of the land. Under a 2017 settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration, the city may close the runway after 2028, and parts of the property are already being turned toward public use.

For shoppers that means something rare in Los Angeles: a big outdoor fair with space to move, a sky that is not boxed in by buildings, and planes taxiing in the distance between booths. It also means the fair is entirely ground level and on concrete, which matters for comfort. Renegade says the event goes on rain or shine, so on the occasional wet November weekend, dress for it rather than hoping for a postponement.

Renegade publishes the full winter roster on its event page with booth numbers, filterable by category: ceramicist, jewelry artist, clothing designer, woodworker, glass artist, textile artist, stationery artist, vintage collector and more. Scanning it the night before saves a lot of wandering. Abalos Leather Co. and Brethren Metal Goods share booth 61, Adriana Lemus Ceramics is at booth 189, Black Sheep Goods takes booths 229 and 230, and Branch+Barrel is at booth 210.

Food and drink makers are part of the list too, with Brady's Bakery at booth 10 and Bee Green Honey at booth 57, plus a bar and food area with limited outdoor seating. Write down three or four booth numbers you definitely want to reach and do those first, then wander. With 275-plus artists, the map is long, and the booths at the far end of the lot get noticeably less traffic in the first hour.

There is no ticket. Renegade asks for a suggested $5 entry fee, paid by scanning a QR code on site, and says the money supports its goal of an accessible, equitable and inclusive creative economy. Nobody is turned away for skipping it, but paying it is the easiest way to support the emerging artists whose booth fees the fair keeps low. Bring a phone with signal for the QR code and a card for purchases, since most makers take cards.

Unlike many indoor fairs, this one welcomes leashed pets as well as service animals, so expect plenty of dogs. Keep leashes short in the narrow aisles around ceramics booths, where one tail swipe can cost you a vase. Ask before photographing a maker's work up close; most are happy to say yes, and many will hand you a card so you can find them later online.

The fair runs a tight six hours, 10am to 4pm, which is shorter than many weekend markets. The first hour on Saturday is when the best one-off pieces go, especially small-batch ceramics and jewelry. Late morning to about 2pm is the peak, with the bar and food area at its busiest. Sunday afternoon, from about 2pm, is calmer and a good time for conversations with makers who are winding down and more open to custom orders.

November sun on an open lot can feel warmer than the forecast suggests, and the light drops fast after 3pm. Bring a hat and water for midday, and a layer for the last hour. Allow about two hours for a full lap with a coffee stop. If you are shopping for holiday gifts, this early-November date gives makers time to ship custom pieces before December.

Renegade says there is free on-site parking for the event in the main lot where the fair is held, with overflow in two nearby airport lots it lists as 3050 and 3026. Rideshare vehicles and taxis are not allowed to drive into the main lot. Instead, the organizer asks riders to tell their driver to use the designated loop it links on the event page, so set your pickup point there before you leave home.

The organizer also encourages carpooling, biking and public transportation. Ocean Park Boulevard and Bundy Drive are the main streets around the airport, and the Expo Line's 26th Street/Bergamot station is a longer walk or a short bike ride north. On a bike, the flat streets of the Sunset Park neighborhood make the approach easy, and locking up near the entrance means you can skip the parking queue at closing time.

The airport has a few surprises of its own. The Museum of Flying, at 3100 Airport Avenue across the field from the fair lot, is a reminder that Douglas Aircraft built planes here for decades, which is why the fair's address is Donald Douglas Loop. Next door, the Barker Hangar is one of the city's big event halls. Airport Park, the green space along Airport Avenue, has lawns and an off-leash dog area, handy if your dog has been patient through two hours of browsing.

For lunch or an early dinner, head about two miles west to Main Street in Ocean Park, where cafes, bakeries and independent boutiques run toward Venice. Or go north to Montana Avenue for a slower stroll. Either way, the fair's 4pm close lines up neatly with a sunset at the beach, which in early November comes at about 4:55pm.

Renegade LA works best for gift shoppers who want a lot of choice in one place, dog owners who rarely get to bring a pet to a craft fair, and anyone who likes a festival feeling without a ticket. It is less ideal if you need lots of seating or shade, or if you are hoping for bargains: prices are set by makers who make everything by hand, and haggling is not the culture.

Address: Santa Monica Airport Interim Open Space, 3233 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Dates and hours: Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2026, 10am to 4pm. Entry: a suggested $5 paid by QR code on site. Parking: free on site, with overflow lots 3050 and 3026. Contact: los-angeles-winter-2026@renegadecraft.com. Pets: leashed pets and service animals welcome. Accessibility: the space is entirely ground level, on concrete, with limited outdoor seating near the food and bar.