BeachLife Festival, which held its inaugural fest in 2019 only see its sophomore year canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Friday it will return to its beachside home in the South Bay Sept. 10-12.
“With cautious optimism, and eyes wide open, we have begun the massive process of rebuilding BeachLife,” said Allen Sanford, the festival’s managing partner, in a written statement. “Both because we are ready to get back to work, and because we feel strongly that live music and togetherness is essential to the recovery of our community.
“As the marquee festival in Los Angeles, BeachLife Festival aims to be a catalyst towards actively contributing to the recovery of our great city,” he said.
BeachLife held its first-ever festival at Seaside Lagoon in May 2019 with headliners that included Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, and Willie Nelson of, well, Texas, if not the universe.
Nestled where the city met the sand, the festival established a laid-back vibe for its offerings of eclectic music and good food and drink.
Counting Crows and the Steve Miller Band were slated to headline the second year but after initially announcing it would push back its plans from May until later in 2020, festival organizers eventually were forced to cancel entirely.
The lineup has not yet been announced yet for the 2021 festival, and details of other aspects of this post-pandemic festival — including capacity and safety protocols — are still to come. Festival organizers say they will team with Beach Cities Health District and follow Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance as they develop their COVID-19 guidelines.
“We are committed to supporting the BeachLife Festival and collaborating with cities and chambers of commerce through the reopening process and recovery,” Tom Bakaly, CEO of Beach Cities Health District said in a written statement.
As California continues to ease restrictions around entertainment and state officials announced that the color-coded COVID-19 tiers will go away June 15, there is still some uncertainty regarding large-scale live events. State public health officials have not yet clarified if large concerts and festivals fall under the same rule as conventions with more than 5,000 people, which will remain prohibited at least until October unless organizers get proof that everyone at the event has been vaccinated or had a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Those uncertainties aren’t hindering some event producers. This week, music festival Same Same But Different announced plans to return to Lake Perris in September; Australian electronic music outfit Rufus Du Sol revealed a large show for Banc of California Stadium in November and Los Angeles Comic Con shared December dates for its return to an in-person convention.
Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand also endorsed the return of BeachLife to the city, saying in a statement he is “so happy to see that BeachLife will be part of our new normal.”
An initial limited sale of tickets will start April 12 through thebeachlifefestival.com. For those who held tickets from 2020 and cannot attend the new September dates, refunds will soon be opened.
