The Los Angeles Post

MAKE PLANS FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER ON THE LA WATERFRONT

by · Published · Updated

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — May 22, 2018 — Looking for some fun family activities to do this summer? There’s nothing like a sunny, breezy day on the LA Waterfront. With the summer season right around corner, the Port of Los Angeles has released a full schedule of LA Waterfront events starting June 2 through Labor Day Weekend.

The summer kicks off with Fiesta Corazon del Puerto at the Wilmington Waterfront Park from 2-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. Funded in part by the Port’s Community Investment Grant Program and in its 17th year, this popular Wilmington event features live mariachi entertainment, marching bands from local schools, food and children’s entertainment.

Wilmington Waterfront Park will also host two great family nights out this summer, a concert under the stars on July 14 and movie night on August 3.

One of the big highlights this summer will be the 10th anniversary of the Cars & Stripes Forever!classic car show, featuring live music and end-of-night fireworks to get people in the Independence Day mood. Free and open to the public, the event will take place on Friday, June 29 from 5-10 p.m. at Harbor Blvd. and the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. With more than 100 classic cars slated for display at this year’s show, Cars & Stripes Forever! will feature live music on two stages, including headliners Radio Active and Identity Crisis. There will be an array of food trucks serving local and tasty fare, as well as a beer garden. The fireworks spectacular tops off the evening at 9:15 p.m.

On Wednesday, July 4, the Port-sponsored 69th Annual John Olguin July 4th Fireworks Spectacular takes place at 9 p.m. at Cabrillo Beach, 3720 Stephen White Drive in San Pedro — one of LA’s oldest and most exciting free Independence Day fireworks displays.

Celebrating the men and women in our U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, LA Fleet Week®returns to the LA Waterfront over Labor Day Weekend, August 31 through September 3. Now, one of the largest summertime events in Southern California, LA Fleet Week® will host more than 1,000 sailors, marines and Coast Guard personnel.  The event offers public tours of active Navy and Coast Guard vessels and features dozens of military exhibits and equipment demonstrations, aerial flyovers, live musical performances, a STEM Expo for kids, among many other family-friendly activities.

A must-do during this year’s LA Fleet Week® will be the 10th anniversary of the Labor Day “Conquer the Bridge” foot race. The 5.3-mile-long route features stunning views of the LA Waterfront as upwards of 4,000 participants of all ages walk and run over the iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge, the fourth longest suspension bridge in California.

LA Waterfront visitors this summer can also enjoy many of the permanent attractions that brought more than 3 million visitors to the LA Waterfront last year. These include the historic Battleship IOWA Museum, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the LA Maritime Museum, the handmade goods marketplaceCRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles and its adjacent craft brewery Brourweji West, and the world-famous San Pedro Fish Market..

Downtown San Pedro restaurants, art galleries and shops are also popular among local and out-of-area visitors.  In particular, the monthly First Thursday Art Walk events on June 7, July 5, August 2, and September 6 will bring big crowds into  San Pedro’s historic downtown business district.

Visitors can also map out walking or driving tours of the many historical landmarks, expansive marinas and beaches that make the LA Waterfront a one-of-a-kind Southern California destination for people to play, dine, shop and explore.

Visit LAWaterfront.org for more information.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of the Port of Los Angeles, with miles of public promenade and walking paths, acres of open space and scenic views, the LA Waterfront blankets more than 400 acres of prime waterfront property and boasts historic Los Angeles Harbor landmarks, such as the welcoming Vincent Thomas Bridge and Angels Gate Lighthouse. The busiest container port in North America, the Port of Los Angeles funds and maintains the LA Waterfront, and remains committed to enhancing public access to the waterfront by connecting visitors and local harbor communities with recreational and commercial attractions that expand and diversify the Port’s position as a premier source of economic vitality for the region.