How BeachLife became an oceanfront antidote to SoCal’s crowded festival season

As Southern California embraces the swell of another packed spring season of festivals and outdoor concerts, BeachLife Festival has found a way to avoid being drowned out — by choosing to ride its own wave.

BeachLife founder Allen Sanford, a South Bay native, says the festival is not trying to replicate Coachella or even genre-specific events like Ozzfest or Warped Tour. Instead, BeachLife is built around creating a culture and a sense of community, with an eclectic lineup designed so fans can find something to enjoy while taking in the Redondo Beach waterfront.

“I’ve never really been a big festival person,” Sanford said. “There are a lot of negatives, like big crowds, long lines and dusty parking lots. Coming from the food and beverage world, we’ve always built things with the customer experience first. We’re not music industry people, we’re consumer people. So we try to eliminate those pain points and create something more comfortable. If more music festivals did that, I’d probably go to more of them.”

The two-day gathering in Redondo Beach showcases its sixth installment this weekend, taking over King Harbor from Friday through Sunday. This year’s eclectic lineup features ’80s icon Duran Duran headlining Friday night, joined by electronic pop duo the Chainsmokers, indie pop band Grouplove, indie rock band Flipturn, garage rock band the Schizophonics and more.

Saturday’s bill is led by Orange County punk band the Offspring, along with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, reggae rock band Slightly Stoopid, roots rock band Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals and fellow reggae rock band Fortunate Youth. Sunday closes out the weekend with singer-songwriter James Taylor at the top of the lineup, alongside rock singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, indie pop band Peach Pit and indie rock band My Morning Jacket.

The emphasis on variety is something artists on the lineup say sets BeachLife apart. Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, guitarist for the Offspring, echoed Sanford’s perspective and pointed to the diversity of the lineup as a key strength.

“I’ve played a lot of music festivals,” Noodles said. “In the United States, most of the time, festivals tend to be pretty homogeneous, and the bands are similar. That’s why I like the eclecticness of something like BeachLife.”

Although Noodles is from Orange County, he is no stranger to the South Bay’s punk rock history and musical lineage. With BeachLife taking place in nearby Redondo Beach, he pointed to the lasting influence of first-generation South Bay bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks and the Descendents, noting that sense of community as a defining part of the culture.

“I love all three of those bands, but my favorite was the Descendents,” he said. “They were heavy but also melodic, with catchy songs you could sing along to. Black Flag was great too, but you couldn’t really sing along to them in the shower. And the Circle Jerks’ ‘Group Sex’ is just groundbreaking and phenomenal.”

For Hermosa Beach native and Pennywise front man Jim Lindberg, who also helps organize BeachLife, that connection to the South Bay runs even deeper. The area’s punk rock lineage is not only part of the festival’s identity, but also built into one of its more unique features: the Speakeasy Stage, where punk musicians perform stripped-down acoustic sets.

This year’s lineup on the stage includes Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, Jason DeVore of Authority Zero and a special set from Lindberg himself. “I’ve curated this stage since the first year, and I absolutely love it,” Lindberg said. “It’s been a favorite in the community because we’re representing the punk vibe, even though it’s acoustic. We also have an art exhibit there called Punk Rock and Paintbrushes that features artists from the music world. Our little corner of the festival has really become a favorite among locals.”

“When we’re playing the Speakeasy Stage, it’s usually my mom, some of my wife’s book club, kids running around, along with some old punkers hanging in the back,” he continued. “It’s a totally different vibe from a huge venue. It’s more like a punk rock picnic. You really get to see a stripped-down version of these musicians, and that’s what makes it special.”

That blend of styles and audiences, where longtime fans and first-time listeners share the same space, is something performers say defines the BeachLife experience.

Miles Doughty, vocalist for Slightly Stoopid, said the band is excited to return after first playing the festival in 2019.“BeachLife has really grown since we first played,” Doughty said. “It’s like a little diamond in the rough over there. The people running it do a hell of a job, and the bands every year are incredible. It’s one of those festivals where the fan just gets a great day of music from start to finish.”

Doughty added that the band adjusts its set to match the diverse audience the festival attracts. “We definitely change it up for a festival like this because there are so many different fan bases,” he said. “We try to play a little bit of everything.”

“I just want people to walk away like, ‘That band was dope,’” he added. “We’re going to go out there, bring every style that we have, and have a good time. If people leave smiling, then we’ve done our job.”

For Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, front man of L.A.-based pop, funk and soul band Fitz & the Tantrums, BeachLife’s oceanfront setting and diverse crowd are what make the festival a unique experience for both fans and performers.

A view of the main stage at BeachLife.

(JP Cordero)

“For a band like ours, it’s not too often that we get to play right on the beach and see the waves,” Fitz said. “I can’t think of a more beautiful backdrop to play a show. Our shows are about a shared experience between the crowd and us. We’ve always had the same approach, whether it’s 10 people or 10,000, we give everything we’ve got. And when we know some people have never seen us, it just makes us want to go harder and win them over.”

BeachLife has become one of the most unique music festivals in the country, not just because of its eclectic lineup and oceanfront setting, but because of the strong sense of community surrounding it. While the experience centers on live music, attendees can also enjoy a wide range of food and drinks , creating an atmosphere that feels as much like a neighborhood gathering as it does a large-scale event.

Even as it draws thousands of fans, BeachLife still feels like a locally driven festival, built by and for people of Redondo Beach. Organizers say the event continues to grow each year, drawing larger crowds and expanding its reach. And while BeachLife may not bring in the massive numbers of Coachella, its economic and cultural impact on the South Bay community is significant.

Sanford said he is proud of BeachLife and how the festival has grown since its 2019 debut. “This is not so much a music festival, it’s a huge hangout of people that love a similar culture,” he said. “We’re not trying to be the biggest or the coolest festival, we’re just focused on creating something where people can come together, enjoy the music and have a great time at the beach.”

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