Ventura Offers Beach Festival as ‘Last Party of Summer’

Since summer officially ends at 8:57 p.m. Monday, this weekend’s California Beach Festival in Ventura represents just about the last gasp of summertime fun.

The festival, an all-day, outdoor event, will be held today and Sunday on the beach promenade near the Ventura Pier.

“It’s the last party of summer,” said organizer Faye Campbell, Ventura’s special events director.

Campbell said the events and activities are based on “what we think a Midwesterner’s idea of a mile-long beach party would be. The entertainment is Beach Boys-type music--maybe some people would think it’s a little hokey.”

Although the festival hours are billed as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the long-board surfing contest kicks off at dawn on both days, followed by volleyball tournaments. Five and 10-K races are run Sunday morning.

Fifties and ‘60s-era swing dancers and musicians will perform on several stages. Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, plus blues and Cajun bands, will perform. Classic cars will be on display. Food and drink booths will dot the mile-long promenade.

Kids will have a chance to meet Bugs Bunny and other cartoon characters. Other activities include rides and a special kids’ stage.

Local artist M.B. Hanrahan will oversee the creation of a nautical “art car.” She requests that people bring shells, old snorkels, starfish, colored sand, fins and small plastic sea-related toys to help create a nautical work of art that is also in good running order.

“We’re expecting 15,000 to 20,000 per day,” Campbell predicted, based on last year’s turnout. “We do marketing in Bakersfield for this one. We have our best weather in September and it’s a nice way to come to the beach. Some of the hotels sell out.”

The Ventura Visitor and Convention Bureau’s Debbie Giles agrees on the growing popularity of the event, now in its 12th year.

“This week it was featured on ‘weekend escapes’ on CBS,” she said.

Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and free to children under 12.