Marina Del Rey’s Burton Chace Park was transformed into all things marine-like over the weekend, with a two-day festival bringing a host of entertainment and information to the waterfront green.
L.A.’s MarinaFest rocked the area with sets by the Unkle Monkey Band and Zerimar and Fritz on Saturday and the Masanga Marimba Ensemble on Sunday.
Located at the end of one of the harbor’s 19 marinas, Burton Chace was packed with music, a wine and beer garden, food trucks, kids’ activities and exhibits by local businesses and aquatic organizations.
A host of boats were also on display, with some used in tall ship tours and an in-water boat show.
At the heart of the event was the local boating community that takes up aquatic residence in its harbor with a 5,300 boat capacity. A majority of the attendees, however, were not boaters themselves, and got to spend the day being introduced to the world of boating.
“It’s a boat show meets hometown fair,” said MarinaFest committee member Carly Saltzman. She stressed that this event was a great opportunity for the Marina del Rey boating community to receive an influx of new interest from visitors from all over L.A. County and beyond.
The biggest attraction for visitors to the event was the chance to take a ride on Bill of Rights, which is a historic schooner designed in the manner of a transport vessel used in 1856. The cruise lasted 90 minutes, and gave participants a chance to get out on the water and see the city from the other side of the coast.
According to Monica-Sarah Roldan, who works for the L.A. County Beaches and Harbors division that also sponsors a free concert series, visitors from as far away as Chicago have visited Marina del Rey thanks to MarinaFest and other free events.
Cloudy skies didn’t stop a steady influx of families from getting to know Marina del Rey throughout the weekend. Even in the event’s early hours, fair games and inflatable structures were being frequented by enthusiastic children, while older attendees got to enjoy the event’s first ever beer and wine garden.
For more information on what’s happening over summer at the marina, head to: visitmarinadelrey.com/events/
