CicLAvia (It’s Sick-La-VEEEE-aaah) Takes Over the Town on April 21

The 6th annual CicLAvia event will take place on Sunday, April 21, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event will be CicLAvia’s largest open-streets event to date. For the first time, CicLAvia’s route will connect the Los Angeles’ historic center at El Pueblo de Los Angeles in downtown to the bustling boardwalk of Venice Beach by way of Venice Boulevard, creating an unprecedented 15 miles of car-free space for strolling and biking to the sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean. The event is free and open to all. Participants may join the route anywhere along its path without signing up to participate.

April’s CicLAvia route unites the distinctive neighborhoods of Downtown Los Angeles, Westlake, Pico Union, West Adams, Mid-City, Culver City, Mar Vista, Palms and Venice and connects them as one continuous community. CicLAvia will also feature a wide range of locally produced activities and programs along the route, inviting participants to enjoy the unique personality of each neighborhood, their local eateries, shops, architecture, and the people themselves.

“By focusing on people rather than cars, CicLAvia has brought life into the streets and businesses of Los Angeles” commented City Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells. “I’m thrilled to welcome this celebration to Culver City. It’s an ideal way to highlight our excellent restaurants, walkable downtown, and beautiful historic buildings. I hope our residents will take the opportunity to leave their cars behind on Sunday and enjoy our city by bike, foot, stroller, scooter or wheelchair.  It’s a day not to be missed!” she added.

Nine hubs are located along the CicLAvia route, including one in Culver City, which will offer free water, wheelchair-accessible restrooms, and first-aid stations.   In its inaugural year, the Downtown Business Association of Culver City, in partnership with the City of Culver City, has created a hub for CicLAvia bicyclists to stop and rest, repair their bicycles, receive a chair massage, or valet their bikes to eat lunch at a nearby restaurant.  The Culver City Hub also includes live entertainment, face painters, balloon artists, glitter tattoos, chalk artists, and music.  The hub boundaries include Main Street, which will be closed between Venice and Culver Boulevards, and the former Washington Boulevard roadway and adjacent parking lot in front of the Culver Hotel.

“CicLAvia is a fun opportunity for area residents to get some fresh air, exercise, and see the Westside sights at a leisurely pace by bike, skates, jogging or just walking” commented City Council member Jim Clarke.  “The City of Culver City is a proud sponsor of the event and is ready to welcome more than 15,000 participants to the Culver City Hub downtown and to showcase our great restaurants, outdoor cafes, and businesses.  There will be live entertainment, bike valet and bike repair sites, first aid stations, information booths and lest we forget, portable potties” he added.

Some of the CicLAvia celebration highlights being held in Downtown Culver City include:

104.3 MYfm Radio – LA’s more variety from the 90’s till today – DJ spinning tunes and giving away cool stuff from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Brilliant Gypsies – Incendiary alt/indie Celtic Folk Rock group – don’t worry if you don’t know what that means – it’s awesome. The band is playing from Noon to 2:00 p.m. on the corner of Culver and Washington Boulevards (near Starbucks).

AK and Her Kalashnikovs – New old world music ranging from Gypsy love songs to Russian lullabies to Serbian ballads to Spanish Copla to French pop to what sounds suspiciously like rock ‘n roll. The band is playing from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the corner of Culver and Washington (near Starbucks).

Fathers and Suns – A California rural folk/pop group described by the Long Beach Press as “a sea of sugary sounds that make you feel like you’re sailing over the ocean.”. The band is playing from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the corner of Culver and Washington Boulevards (near Starbucks).

Rosendo – The folk/pop singer/songwriter with his own unique brand of Americana will be playing from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the parking lot across from the Culver Hotel.

Marston-Lord of the Cello – What Downtown Culver City event would be complete without our favorite electric cello player? Marston will be welcoming visitors to the Culver City Hub in his own inimitable style on the corner of Venice Boulevard and Main Street from Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Family Fun – In Town Plaza (adjacent to the Culver Hotel/Pacific Theatres) there will be face painters, balloon artists, glitter tattoos, chalk artists and more. Also, singer/songwriter Randy Kaplan – as featured in People Magazine’s “8 Cool Kids’ Albums Now!” will perform from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with live jazz courtesy of the Culver Hotel from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Be sure to check out our Sidewalk Chalk Patio in front of Lundeen’s Gifts on Culver where kids of all ages can get creative!

Sony Pictures Entertainment has provided a $10,000 challenge grant to fund the cost of the Culver City hub.  The $10,000 challenge was met by matching funds provided by the Downtown Business Association, businesses and residents of Culver City.

For more information, or to download maps, please visit www.ciclavia.org.