HUNTINGTON BEACH : Annual Pierfest Proposed for City

The city’s Pierfest last month was so successful that it should be staged every year, Councilman Don MacAllister says.

“I’m really serious about this,”MacAllister said Monday of the two-day event that marked the opening of the new pier. “This type of event does so much good that we ought to have one every year.”

He told council members that future Pierfests should be combined with a large surfing competition, such as the Op classic.

Praise for Pierfest has come from a large cross-section of the community. Police said the crowds were orderly. Community leaders said the event brought together diverse elements of the city. Business leaders said Pierfest brought swarms of shoppers downtown during the two-day event.

“The Pierfest was just wonderful in bringing people to downtown, and people are still coming downtown,” businesswoman Natalie Kotsch said. “I think this is what we’ve been waiting for. It’s like having a rich uncle come back who really likes you.”

Kotsch said MacAllister’s idea for an annual Pierfest “has merit.”

“It’s something that should be discussed,” she said.

Former City Administrator Paul Cook, who served as general chairman for Pierfest, said he believes that the city should hold an annual celebration.

“Whether we called it Pierfest or something else, it would be nice to have an annual event in early summer,” he said. “It’s a good idea.”

Joyce Riddell, president of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, said Pierfest has had a tremendous impact on the city.

“I think it gave the community an economic shot in the arm,” she said. “I think it would be wonderful to have an annual Pierfest.”

Riddell added that the pier serves as a valuable downtown magnet.

“In the four years we had been without a pier, I had tended to forget how it attracts people,” Riddell said. “But now, when I go downtown, day or night, I always see crowds of people walking the pier. The area is always just packed with people.”