Fiesta La Ballona, Culver City’s annual “Party in the Park” will be held this year on August 23-25, 2013 at Veterans Park located at 4117 Overland Avenue in Culver City. The weekend will feature carnival rides and games, live performances, over 100 booths featuring artisan wares, vendors and local groups, a petting zoo and pony rides, a beer and wine garden, food trucks and a food court, sustainability activities and other special contests and events.
Fiesta La Ballona event hours are 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 23; 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 24; and 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 25. Complimentary event parking can be found at Veterans Park and Sony Pictures Studios.
Admission to Fiesta La Ballona is free. Live entertainment on the stage is also free. Food, drinks and other attractions cost extra. Carnival ride tickets are $1.00 each with volume discounts. Each ride varies in number of tickets required with many needing 4-5 tickets per ride. Wristbands, purchased for $20.00 in advance, are available for unlimited rides on Saturday and Sunday until 6:00 p.m. After 6:00 p.m. only ride tickets are valid. To purchase a wristband, contact the Recreation Office at 310-253-6550.
Fiesta’s live performances at the Entertainment Tent will begin on Friday, August 23rd at 4:00 p.m. with Jackie English & The Senior Steppers featuring line dancing. They will be followed at 4:30 p.m. by the Jumpin’ Joz Band performing a combination of swing, jump, jazz and early rhythm and blues. At 5:30 p.m. Higher Learning Nation, featuring two young brothers, will perform Hip hop. Fiesta-Palooza starts at 6:00 p.m. featuring four of Culver City’s local teen bands: The 4th Wall, The Caravan Blues Band, Esmeralda and the Chanclas, and Ship of the Rising Sun. Friday evening’s performances will conclude with “Friday Night Rock Out” starting at 8:45pm with the band Rewind playing hard rock from AC/DC to Zeppelin.
On Saturday, August 24th the Opening Ceremony will take place at 11:45 a.m. and include welcoming remarks from City Council members and other officials, a Color Guard presentation from Culver City’s Boy Scout Troop 113, and Vox Femina Los Angeles, a Culver City-based choral group, performing “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
At 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 24th the Mariachi Voces de Mexico de Raul Sanchez will start off the day’s performances with Mariachi music. At 1:00 p.m. Grupo Folklorico Tzintzuni will showcase music and dances of the Americas. Instant Replay will entertain with classic surf hits starting at 1:45 p.m., followed by California Dance Center’s performance of jazz and Hip hop dancing starting at 2:45 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. Kiss Me Deadly will play tribute to 80s classic rock and the women who made it great, followed by a rock ‘n roll duo Tee-M with Al the Bassman at 4:30 p.m. Social awareness Hip hop group, The Bricks, will perform at 5:15 p.m. The Bricks concert is sponsored by the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark-Ridley-Thomas. At 6:15 p.m., Grupo Folklorico Macias will perform music and dances of Mexico. Saturday night’s last live performances will start at 7:00 p.m. with a two-hour dance party and performance by “The World’s Grooviest Live Disco Show” The Funky Hippeez with Disco Diva.
On Sunday, August 25, Cali Rose & The CC Strummers will present their Ukulele performance at 11:00 a.m. At 11:45 a.m. Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca will play their cool blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms followed by Ho’Aloha Polynesian Dancers performing Polynesian Dance at 12:45 p.m. The band Upstream will play Reggae and Soca music starting at 1:30 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. The Murphy Family Band will perform traditional and original Bluegrass music. Lisa Haley and the Zydekats will play New Orleans Zydeco music starting at 3:15 p.m. At 4:15 p.m. dee-Lightful Productions will perform a selection of musical theatre songs and the evening will wrap up Brazilian-style starting at 5:00 p.m. with Katia Moraes & Pure Samba.
Performers, including stilt walkers, will be roving throughout the Fiesta grounds on Saturday and Sunday, arranged by Red Swan Entertainment.
In addition to live performances, many other attractions and activities will be going on throughout the Fiesta weekend. On Friday, August 23, seniors can enjoy several early bird special offers between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the Food Court and from some of the food trucks. On Saturday, Essential Chocolate Desserts will host an ice cream eating contest at 4:00 p.m. The Culver City Historical Society will present its Fiesta La Ballona 2013 Costume Celebration and Competition on Sunday, August 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Entertainment Tent. The contest commemorates Culver City’s early California heritage. More information on that event is available by visiting www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org.
The Exchange Club’s Beer & Wine Garden returns to Fiesta and will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If visitors come hungry to Fiesta, food trucks and Food Court booths will be offering plenty of options to satisfy anyone’s appetite including a variety of BBQ, cuisine from across the world from Mexico to Indonesia, classic American fare such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and chili, sandwiches of all kinds, organic and vegan items, pizza, and many desserts and sweets.
Every year Fiesta La Ballona is going greener and greener. This year, Fiesta will be implementing a zero waste policy to ensure resource recovery and protect scarce natural resources. The plan encompasses waste reduction, composting, recycling and reuse, changes in consumption habits and encouraging Fiesta participants to view zero waste as a personal evolution in the relationship between waste and people.
In an effort to work towards a zero waste Fiesta, volunteers will be trained on recycling procedures and will educate visitors on what to place in the recycling bins located throughout the Fiesta grounds. Vendors will be encouraged to donate surplus food to a food bank or food collection center. Additionally, there will be several special “green” activities on Saturday and Sunday.
Culver City’s Fiesta La Ballona is recognized as a bicycle friendly event. Palms Cycle will offer a secure bike valet for visitors who ride their bike to the celebration. Chubby’s Cruisers will hold a free demonstration on how to repair and maintain bikes on Saturday, August 24 at 1:30 p.m. In addition the Culver City Bus will display their bicycle rack in order to promote riding bikes and carrying them on the bus. If Fiestagoers drive and park at the Sony Pictures Studios lot they will be able to try the new pedicab shuttle service, which will run down Overland Avenue to and from the event.
The City of Culver City’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and the Fiesta La Ballona Committee organize and produce Fiesta along with help from scores of volunteers. This year’s Fiesta Committee members include Ronnie Jayne as Chair, Randy Arizmendiz as Vice-Chair, Karen Gibbs, Beth Hyatt, Stephen Fry and Marcus Tiggs.
Sponsors are the backbone of Fiesta and contribute to making the event a great success. The Fiesta thanks the following local organizations and businesses who are sponsoring this year’s event: Gold sponsors Sony Pictures Studio and California Mentor; Silver sponsors Culver City Volvo Mazda, Culver City Toyota, Bunnin Chevrolet, Tito’s Tacos, Nature’s Harvest, and Kane, Ballmer & Berkman; Bronze sponsors The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa, AYSO (Region 19), See’s Candies, Wendy’s at Venice Blvd in Culver City, Palms Cycle, Chevron, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Backstage Bar & Grill, Culver City Rotary Club, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Yo Ku Mon, and Staples at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza; Media partners LA Weekly, Culver City Observer, Jack FM and Radio Disney; Activity partners Los Angeles Sparks, Kings Ice Crew and LA Galaxy Star Squad; Friends of Fiesta Brotman Medical Pharmacy, Daphne’s, Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, Haynes Building Service LLC, La Rocco’s Pizzeria, and Andy Alexander in memory of Mayor “Alex” Alexander.
For a full list of attractions, activities, live performances, and all other Fiesta-related details, visit the Fiesta La Ballona website at www.FiestaLaBallona.org. Information can also be found by liking the event on Facebook, following it on Twitter, or viewing it on YouTube. A program guide, which includes a map of the event and all scheduled activities, will be also be available at Fiesta La Ballona.
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