A two day festival is in the works at Santa Monica Pier to celebrate the season. Scheduled for June 23 and 24, the event promises to be plenty of action all round.
According to the organizers, the Pier will offer a complete 360° of California beach culture. “A spin around the festival grounds presents a full slate of marquee ocean races, beachside tournaments, immersive art, music, surf history and activities for all ages.”
Presented by CLIF and in keeping with the Santa Monica Pier Corporation’s (SMPC) commitment to producing the best and most distinctive “can’t believe they’re free events,” there is no cost to attend. For everyone from regular beach fanatics to even the water-resistant, Pier 360 is the can’t-miss weekend of the summer beach season.
The two-day beach bonanza officially begins Saturday at 7 a.m. with a Hawaiian blessing on the sand before diving into the first of 13 competitions. Over 500 athletes will compete for cash prizes, and victorious high school and collegiate beach volleyball teams will earn points towards the national championships. Thousands of spectators will line the sand and the deck as lifeguards compete in dory races and elite stand-up Paddleboard (SUP) racers compete in a challenging course around the Pier. And, if that’s not enough, spectators can catch skaters busting 360’s on the pop-up skate ramp or help construct a colossal sand sculpture with the art collective, Think Tank Gallery.
Up on the Pier deck, live music takes center stage, anchored by music festival mainstay Brownies & Lemonade (high off its Coachella Heineken House takeover). Pier 360-goers can enjoy the sounds with drink-in-hand at the Beer & Spirits Garden, which will be pouring beer and cocktails from 10 a.m. to sunset both days. For an educational surf safari, cruise the Museum of Beach Life and its collection of antique surfboards, paddleboards, and lifeguard equipment celebrating the long history of beach life at the Pier that dates back to the 1940’s.
For more information head to: Pier 360 Ocean Sports & Beach Festival.
In this same edition I read about our Japanese heritage and an Olympic Art walk. Then, I read about a Pier festival to celebrate Summer.
This sets the stage for me to kindly remind Santa Monica that the Mexican heritage along Olympic Blvd used to have a weekend festival along Olympic called the Jamaica. It had booths, horses, riders, food and friendship. Olympic would be blocked off from 20th to 17th and that was the venue for this celebration.
How nice it would be if the City leadership would give consideration to the revival of this event.