The BeachLife Festival Brings Music to the Surf and Sand of Redondo Beach for Three Days in May

Brian Wilson at Peterson Automotive Museum (Photo by Elise Thompson)

On the first week of May a massive music festival, the first of its kind, will be rocking my hometown of Redondo Beach. Set to take place at The Seaside Lagoon, a man-made saltwater plunge with a huge parking lot, the BeachLife Festival will bring more than 40 touring bands and musicians to the coast. There will also be stars of the culinary, skating and surfing worlds doing what they do best.

The impressive musical lineup includes headliners Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead on Friday (so you can probably score some acid), local legend Brian Wilson performing with guests Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin on Saturday, as well as Willie Nelson and family on Sunday, all performing oceanside. Supporting acts include Ziggy Marley, Poncho Sanchez, roots reggae pioneers Steel Pulse, and LA Beat favorite, the Violent Femmes. There will also be a special Thursday night performance by X.

Local chefs will have their own ‘Side Stage,’ a 50-seat, sit-down, pop-up restaurant to offer “an unprecedented upscale dining experience” prepared by chefs Michael Cimarusti of Providence and Connie & Ted’s (Friday), Tin Vuong of Little Sister and Abigaile (Saturday), David LeFevre of Manhattan Beach’s MB Post, Fishing with Dynamite and The Arthur J (Sunday). A limited number of reservations will be available for $150 per person.

An area called Beyond Side Stage will feature a curated wine village with boutique wineries, a massive craft beer bar focused on LA breweries, a VIP poolside experience, an elite speakeasy, and multiple bars, food vendors and trucks. The official BeachLife cocktail. ““Life’s a Beach,”was created by Manhattan House’s Silvia Rho, and was selected during a special competition last week at R10 in King Harbor.

To kick off the festival on Thursday, May 2nd, in partnership with WorldSurf League (WSL), BeachLife will host the 19th annual Big Wave Awards. Tickets to the awards show are $20. After the awards, there will be a BeachLife Launch Party hosted by Jim Lindberg of Pennywise and skating legend Tony Alva at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Entertainment at the afterparty features a special performance by the punk band “X,” and a premiere West Coast screening of surf flick “White Rhino.” People with a Founders Pass or Captains Pass will have free access. Tickets to the afterparty will be available to BeachLife Ticketholders and then the general public for $40. Get them here.

The BeachLife Festival was founded by Los Angeles native Allen Sanford and his business partner, Rob Lissner, with assistance from the festival’s Creative Director and Pennywise frontman, Jim Lindberg, who told us, “I’ve played and attended some of the best music festivals in the world, so I’m taking those experiences to make this a truly one-of-a-kind festival…”

The promoters “have entered into a 10-year partnership on an eight acre site at the scenic Seaside Lagoon water park along the Redondo Beach waterfront. They will invest substantial capital into transforming the saltwater lagoon, its beach, and surrounding areas including adjacent parking surfaces, into a classic California beach village atmosphere complete with a built-out immersive venue and three stages.”

The BeachLife Festival will be broadcasting exclusive live music, backstage interviews, and on the ground experiences from the festival to millions of people globally Watch the fest here. A percentage of ticket sales will be donated to several charities, including: Surfrider Foundation, 5 Gyres (fighting plastic pollution), and Redondo Beach Police Foundation. Parking and shuttle info. If you are a local, we recommend you bike or skate. Ever since they put Harbor Drive on a “road diet” and turned it into a single lane, traffic congestion has been an issue. So if you Uber, you might want to get dropped off on Catalina or even PCH and walk the rest of the way. If you have a slip in the marina or a friend with a slip, your best bet is to stock up on supplies Thursday and just stay on the boat all weekend.

Daily passes and three-day passes are on sale now. General admission passes are $97 a day and VIP passes are $295 daily. Three-day passes for general admission are sold out. Three-day VIP passes for are $795. VIP passes include: dedicated VIP express entrance, VIP wristband for unlimited “in & out” privileges, VIP premium bathrooms, VIP hangout lounge and pool featuring seating and shade, VIP elevated viewing decks with unobstructed views of the stages sets (limited), and preferred restaurant reservations. The Captain’s Pass, which includes additional perks like backstage access, complimentary alcoholic beverages, and valet parking is $2,000.

Get your tickets here!