This year’s Pacific BeachFest allows attendees to “Discover the Action” that comes with living in a seaside community like Pacific Beach. The festival has a little taste of nearly every aspect of PB life: skateboarding, surfing, running, volleyball, beach games, food, live entertainment and shopping. “It’s going to be a great day and I hope people will join us for a lot of food, a lot of fun and fireworks,” said Andy Hanshaw, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach, which puts on the event. The main outdoor festival on the Ocean Boulevard boardwalk opens at 11 a.m. Food One of the highlights once again will be the food court located at the end of Hornblend Street. Sandbar Sports Grill, Pacific Beach Ale House, Pacific Beach Shore Club and Rubio’s, all involved in the first Pacific BeachFest Best at the Beach Fish Taco Competition, will be joined on the food court by Caffe Bella Italia and Bareback Grill as well as traditional festival vendors selling kettle corn and Hawaiian shaved ice. Entertainment Live music will emanate from the BeachFest Main Stage on the ocean side of the tip of Hornblend Street. Meanwhile, live music, dance and other live cultural and artistic entertainment will be performed on the BeachFest Community Stage at the end of Felspar Street. Shopping Those who like to stroll and shop at festivals such as this will find a great selection of merchandise at the vendor booths. But the Pacific Beach Merchants Sidewalk Sale, sponsored by SuperPawn, might be the real shopper’s delight this year as local merchants have the chance to display their goods, possibly revealing a bargain or two. Along the way, take a gander at the Arts and Crafts Village. Sports Athletics is a big part of the beach lifestyle and BeachFest has its share of athletic events. Early risers can catch the 8K Beach Run which starts at 7:30 a.m. on the sand at Crystal Pier, goes up the beach past Belmont Park to the San Diego River and back. Volleyball enthusiasts can get in on the Volleyball Challenge tournament which begins at 9 a.m. (check-in at 8 a.m). To register for either the volleyball tournament or the beach run, click on the links on the left side of the page at pacificbeachfest.com. The event wraps up with a bang as a 7 p.m. fireworks show off Crystal Pier closes the festival. A lot goes into preparing this event for the community, and the many volunteers needed to produce the festival were organized through the Pacific Beach Town Council, with Karl Jaedtke being the lead volunteer. BeachFest is the annual festival and fundraiser for Discover Pacific Beach, which provides marketing and promotes Pacific Beach businesses, and helps drive the economic activity in the Pacific Beach area, Hanshaw said. “The profit goes back into the community to provide events that help bring awareness to Pacific Beach and bring business to our small business community,” he said.
