San Diego plays host to many open-air events each year, but gatherings in Ocean Beach are among the most beloved — both for their scenic beach location and their unique neighborhood feel. On May 21, a new addition to the annual calendar, The OB Beach Ball, will be take place at the corner of Newport Avenue and Abbot Street. Billed as a live music and microbrew festival, the day’s entertainment will be hosted by larger-than-life singer Jose Sinatra, with the Grateful Dead-inspired group Electric Waste and Johnny Cash tribute group Cash’d Out starting off the day. Other bands scheduled to perform include Ablaze, Orgone, Stranger and Vokab Company. In addition to vendors, food and a craft-beer garden, other attractions will include a 60-foot Ferris wheel and interactive games ranging from volleyball to tug-of-war. Organizers hope more than 10,000 people will pack the streets of Ocean Beach. To help with traffic, there will be free shuttles from Pacific Beach to Ocean Beach, leaving every half hour from in front of the 710 Beach Club (710 Garnet Ave.). “The purpose of the event is to kick off summer, and at the same time it’s a fundraiser for the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA), as well as the OB Community Foundation,” said the event’s producer, Scott Slaga. “There are very few events in San Diego where you get the combination of ocean, music, food, spirits and — more importantly — camaraderie. The Ocean Beach community is very tight,” he said. “The best part of it is you’re right there on the beach.” The scenery is also one of the reasons why Slaga is proud that a large Ferris wheel will be part of the skyline for the event, and it will be in operation from May 18 through May 22. “I don’t think many people in Ocean Beach have been 70 feet in the air. It’s an unobstructed view, so I think people will be riding it time and time again to take snapshots,” Slaga said. He said organizing events like this are a significant undertaking, even beyond the booking of bands and placement of vendors, with such things as permits, security and other issues. “That’s where the OBMA comes in,” Slaga said. “I pretty much help them produce the event when, in retrospect, they do all the hard work. Without them, the events in Ocean Beach wouldn’t occur.” Slaga said there will be more options for visitors than just walking around booths on the way to a stage. Games and activities include something called Human Haulin,’ promoted by the organization Silly San Diego. The event is one in which a contestant must carry another the length of a football field. “However they choose to carry their partner is fine as long as only one set of feet touch the ground,” Slaga said. There will also be a volleyball tournament with a $300 top prize, while the Ocean Beach Surf and Skate shop will be providing free skate, kayak and apparel demonstrations. Slaga said he is most looking forward to the interactive elements of the festival, hoping to start a new tradition. “We’re trying to do something around sunset,” he said. “At 7:30 p.m., we’re trying to get the 2,000 or so people who will be at the main stage to possibly do some sort of sing-along. It sounds childish almost, but arts and music are a huge aspect of the community. If we could get people every year to sing as the sun goes down — probably a Bob Marley tune — that would be something very fun.” OB Beach Ball takes place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 along Newport Avenue. All ages are welcome. For more information, visit www.obbeachball.com