Culver City is gearing up for its annual Fiesta La Ballona, event at Veterans Park Aug. 28-30. The popular local “Party in the Park” will feature live music, a variety of food concessions, carnival rides, and various artisan wares. Admission and parking are free.
The annual Culver City event, named after the La Ballona Creek, began life as a weeklong celebration of the region’s early settlers. It has since evolved into a three-day festival that begins Friday afternoon and lasts until Sunday night.
Festival hours are Friday, Aug. 28 from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. All carnival rides begin at 6 p.m. each day.
To kick off the weekend celebration, a pancake breakfast will be held at Veterans Park Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30 from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.
The breakfast is sponsored in part by the Kiwanis Club of Culver City. Other event sponsors include Cooking Laboratory, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide fresh, minimally processed meals to hungry men, women, and families; and REACHability, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to families with children with special needs.
All proceeds from the breakfast will go toward several charitable organizations including Sparks Los Angeles, Culver City Teen Center, SAVES food bank for needy families, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
Family-friendly activities, a weekend dance party, roaming performers, and a variety of dining experiences helped last year’s event draw more than 30,000 visitors over the course of the weekend. This year’s festival will feature a KCET interactive kiosk celebrating the network’s 50th anniversary.
“It’s kind of neat,” said Karen Gibbs, chair of the La Ballona Festival Committee. “You can interact with it and tell it what you think about California and answer questions. It’s a good interactive thing.”
Gibbs said that because of increased marketing with such organizations as NBC, CBS, Parents magazine, and AAA Auto Club, she expects attendee numbers to be even larger this year.
In addition, there are about 100 volunteers slated to offer their services for the three-day event, which will include a large truck containing a videogame arcade where teens can play games or compete against each other. This, along with teen bands will be part of what Gibbs calls Fiestapalooza, an effort to cater to the teens that make up a huge part of the annual Festival attendees.
Gibbs said that to ensure the continued success of the Festival, there has to be a balance between introducing amenities that address the changing demographics and size of the city with the overall “hometown feel” that the Festival has managed to capture for the past 64 years.
“I find that the Culver Citians really love the Fiesta,” Gibbs said. “They like it to be more neighborhood-friendly. I’ve heard people say ‘oh, this is fantastic now you have this, now you have that. You’re improving’ but on the other side I hear people saying ‘it’s not the same small town festival’ but we’re not a small town anymore and we’re trying to make it feel small town, like for instance, we added a farmer’s market for shopping.”
According to the website of the Culver City Historical Society, the event was originally known as the Fiesta La Ballona Days and began in 1951 as a weeklong celebration of the region’s early settlers. During that celebratory week, people went to events and even to work, dressed as Native American Indians, rancheros, senoritas, cowboys, and cowgirls. It was seen as an opportunity for the entire community to connect with its history.
Julie Lugo Cerra, one of the founding members of the Culver City Historical Society, said in an article on the Society’s web page, that activities during the early years of the Ballona Festival were designed to appeal to every sector of the community. Activities included a luncheon, hobby shows, a beard-growing contest, and an antique car show. In addition, two parades, one down the city streets and a second parade for children at Veterans Memorial Park, were regular features of the La Ballona Festival.
Culver City’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and the Fiesta La Ballona Committee organize and produce the fiesta with the support from scores of volunteers. A variety of local sponsors also help fund and support Fiesta La Ballona.
For more information on unique and tailored sponsorship opportunities, contact fiesta.laballona@culvercity.org or 310-253-6667.
To learn more about Fiesta La Ballona or to sign up to be a volunteer, visit the website at www.fiestalaballona.org.
Veterans Park is located at 4117 Overland Avenue in Culver City.
