It can be easy to forget just how much the world owes Venice Beach. Now, a group of local activists aims to give back in a big way with a new world record attempt for the world’s largest beach cleanup.
The attempt will go down September 19 at Tower 18 in Venice Beach, from 4 to 8 PM, right across from the Skate Park. It is free. Everyone is invited. Anyone who shows up counts toward the record.
Behind it: a coalition of ocean-minded LA founders — Deep Blue, StokedPlastics & Opolis Optics, Akasha Superfoods, OoMee, and KOOK — with Love Button Global Movement joining as the official community partner, plus a growing list of nonprofits, brands, athletes, and creators. The event was already the #1 trending listing in Los Angeles on Partiful within two weeks of going public, before the full slate of music and programming had even been announced.
The timing is not accidental. Los Angeles is in the middle of an IRL renaissance. Run clubs are taking over the streets. Coffee shops open into morning dance floors at 9 AM. Thousands of strangers turn out in Glendale for lookalike contests and bald celebrations. Pandemic-era loneliness is giving way to something else — a recognition that community is worth showing up for in person, at a specific place, at a specific time.
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“There’s this incredible return to the real world happening right now. People want to belong to something again,” says Christina Kuklinski, founder and CEO of KOOK. “We just saw thousands of people gather in Glendale to celebrate being bald. Why can’t we create that same energy around taking care of the ocean?”
Which is where the beach cleanup slots in — same cultural energy, redirected. Venice Beach, the neighborhood that gave the world modern skateboarding, roller-skate culture, Muscle Beach, Dogtown, and half of what “California” means to the rest of the planet, could use the reciprocity.
Love Button, the community partner, will be running its signature “Give a Button, Share a Button” activation on the beach. Every participant gets two pins — one to wear, one to hand to someone else. Small gesture, real design intent: carry the connection off the sand.
“I believe what’s cool and what’s good for the planet don’t have to live in separate worlds,” says Brooke Buckman, founder and CEO of Deep Blue. “This event is proof of that.”
RSVP: partiful.com/e/L4vYZtFyudi1IkLsJiCS
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