LA Fleet Week may be over, but the summer fun is just in and around the Port of Los Angeles.
From the annual fireworks celebration to other family-oriented events, the San Pedro and Wilmington waterfronts will be busy from June through August — and even to begin September.
This week’s First Thursday event and art walk in downtown San Pedro, for example, will launch a monthlong period honoring the life and work of one of the town’s best-known artists, Annette Ciketic. The Finding’s Art Center’s executive director, who was also a former youth director at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, died March 1 at 75.
The San Pedro native and prominent alumni of Immaculate Heart College will be feted with a display of her work at 470 W. Sixth St. during the First Thursday event from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 6, , and from 2 to 5 p.m. every Friday to Saturday until June 29.
Hot Summer Nights Saturday, meanwhile, will serve up KCRW DJ music, with dancing, food trucks, a life-sized inflatable whale, and the natural wonders of the aquarium and beach — complete with a late-night grunion time — twice this month at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive. The free event, which is open to all ages, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 8, and June 23.
This Saturday will also boast the San Pedro Pride Parade, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Sixth and Mesa streets. It will end with a Pride flag going up at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard. That event will include brunch before and after.
There will be another Pride gathering as well this summer. “The Tides of Pride,” hosted by Bridge Cities Alliance, will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the new North Park area along the San Pedro Promenade on the waterfront.
Wilmington, for its part, will get in on the fun with its own art walk — which will have the theme “Vintage Summer.” The Wilmington Art Walk, curated by the Avalon Arts & Cultural Alliance, will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. June 22, at the recently opened Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, 100 W. Water St. The family-friendly event will feature an eclectic selection of arts-and-crafts vendors, creative food options and live entertainment.
For those looking for more leisurely — and aquatic — fun, there will be free harbor boat tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. During the tours, folks can check out the busiest sea trade gateway in the Western Hemisphere — and its many landmarks and attractions — from different angles. The port-sponsored pubic boat tours leave from two locations, the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, near Banning’s Landing Community Center, and the San Pedro Downtown Harbor, near the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
Of course, all of those events are relatively minor compared to the area’s four major summer gatherings.
First up is Cars and Stripes Forever, the San Pedro staple of summer that will boast about 100 classic cars and motorcycles on display, live music on multiple stages, a beer garden and food trucks — all as a buildup to the coming Fourth of July celebration. Cars and Stripes Forever is set for 5 to 10 p.m. June 28.
And speaking of Fourth of July, the 74th John Olguin Fireworks Spectacular will take place at 9 p.m. on Independence Day. The event, which the late John Olguin began, is a popular San Pedro tradition that is co-sponsored by the port and Cabrillo Beach Boosters.
The fireworks display will light up the sky and sea. Don’t forget to bring beach chairs and blankets. For those looking for more of an adventure, the Los Angeles Maritime Institute will feature views from the deck of a tall ship on the San Pedro Bay. Picnics are welcome. Tickets are $75 for adults, and $40 for children 12 and under.
While the annual fireworks show may be the crescendo of the summer fun, there will be two more events people won’t want to miss.
Shakespeare by the Sea is one of those. The theater troupe, which performs each summer throughout Southern California, will offer free outdoor performances of “Cardenio” and “Henry IV” at two locations on the L.A. Waterfront: Tthe new Wilmington Waterfront Promenade will host a performance of “Cardenio” at 7 p.m. July 12. The 22nd Street Park, in San Pedro, will host a performance of that play at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 and then “Henry IV” at 7 p.m. the following day — which will be Shakespeare by the Sea’s final summer show. — featuring “Henry IV” — at 7 p.m. the following day. on Aug. 2-3.
For more dates and locations for Shakespeare by the Sea, go to the organization’s website, shakespearebythesea.org.
And finally, for the fitness-inclined, there is the popular Labor Day weekend event, the 15th annual Conquer the Bridge. The event, which will take place on Sept. 7, typically sees thousands turnout to run or walk across the Vincent Thomas Bridge — and enjoy spectacular views of the Port of Los Angeles along the way.
The event will begin at 7 a.m. at Fifth Street and Harbor Bouelvard. To register, go to conquerthebridge.com.
