Seaport Village is ringing in its 30th birthday in unique fashion Oct. 8-9. The seaside shopping center near the heart of downtown is celebrating its first three decades by staging a competition for 30 hours. Contestants will ride the village’s iconic Looff carousel for 30 hours straight to see who the last person riding will be. The grand prize of $10,000 is sure to keep the enduring intrigue going. Visitors are allowed to ride the carousel throughout the competition as well. While just about every local or visitor has passed through Seaport at one time or another, many probably don’t realize its history is longer than some of its more bustling downtown neighbors. “Seaport Village was downtown before the Convention Center, before the Gaslamp or Horton Plaza,” said General Manager Terry Hall. “We are kind of the trendsetters for downtown. It’s kind of nice being the first ones here and after 30 years we’re still here and going strong.” Seaport Village has more than 50 shops, 13 casual eateries and four fine-dining restaurants. Many of the shops that opened 30 years ago are still running business as usual and have become icons of the area. To celebrate its 30th anniversary bash, the party will include music, food and drinks for the two-day event. On Friday night, visitors can enjoy $1 beers from 7 to 8 p.m. and $2.50 beers until the kegs run dry. The festivities run through the wee hours of the night until the marathon carousel competition ends. Despite all of the construction and traffic downtown, Seaport Village remains a relaxing and calming place to get away from it all. “We’re our own little fishing village right here on the water,” Hall said. “It was built for dining and shopping downtown. People who came here as children are now bringing their own children.” Whether folks want to just go for a walk, watch the windsurfers or sea lions, Seaport is a unique downtown destination. The celebration begins at 10 a.m. on Friday and ends when the carousel competition grand-prize winner is announced at 4 p.m. Saturday.