PLACE STORY · OXNARD
Karls Village is replacing Fisherman's Wharf at Channel Islands Harbor
Germany is building a strawberry village. In Oxnard. Which is a bit like shipping surfboards to Malibu.
Except it makes complete sense.
Fisherman's Wharf at Channel Islands Harbor, built in the 1960s, is being redeveloped into Karls Village — the first U.S. location of a German attraction that already has 8 locations back home. Demolition kicked off the weekend of Aug 15, near Channel Islands Blvd and Victoria Ave. The lighthouse is already repainted: "Eat, Shop, Play."
Here's the full-circle part. It's named for Karl Dahl, and his son Robert was at the groundbreaking. The Dahls are strawberry growers. Robert told News Channel 3-12: "I know Oxnard already 41 years because I am a strawberry grower like my father and he brought me when I was 14."
So the grower who's been coming to Oxnard since he was 14 is the one bringing the strawberry village here.
What's going in: restaurants, shops, playgrounds, small kids' rides. No entrance fee.
What's not going in, per Ventura County Harbor Director Michael Tripp: "It's not going to be like a Knott's Berry Farm or anything like that. It's a much smaller parcel." So set expectations at charming waterfront village, not theme park.
Grand opening goal: spring 2028 — which means several years of construction between now and then.
Sources
- KCLU, Aug 11, 2026, and News Channel 3-12 / KEYT, Aug 15, 2026. Status: approved and under way. Demolition has started. The 2028 opening is a stated goal, not a guarantee
Accessed and verified 2026-08-23.
