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The Redondo Beach Lobster Festival!
Food, Fun, Music & Beer at Seaside Lagoon
Joe's Band brings the crowd to dance on stage in its electric performance.
• Sept. 25-27, 2009,
Seaside Lagoon
A lagoon with
lobsters, a beach with beer (and cocktails) and lots of live music.
Joe's Band and the crowd party on stage.
The annual Dive 'n Surf Redondo Beach Lobster Festival is a true "Rock Lobster."
No, the B52s aren't there, but just about everyone in the South Bay
sure is for the three day-and-night event in Redondo Beach, CA,
Fun times at the annual party/festival in Redondo Beach.
Held in late September, it features one-pound lobster dinners (flown
in fresh each day), a plethora of other food booths, shopping areas
and cocktails. For more photos, click here.
It's a real feast - a full lobster dinner washed down by a Bud.
It is held in the Redondo Beach lagoon, an ideal setting
for a casual event. Tables sit in the sand and the booths surround the
lagoon. Plus the Pacific Ocean is just over the shoulder.
Here's what the 2009 Lobsterfest served up for entertainment:
Joe's Band brings it all in its energetic show Saturday night.
• Friday, Sept. 25 – 5-11 p.m. Entertainment: Rhythm House (5-6), Body Glove Wake Show (6-7), Pretzel Logic (Steely Dan Tribute, 7-9), Couchois Dance Party Band (9-11).
• Saturday, Sept. 26 – Noon-11 p.m. Entertainment: John Brown Band (noon-2), Body Glove Wake Show (2-3), Phil Gates Blues Explosion (3-4:30), Drive Thru/Thank You (4:45-6), Tommy Bahama Barefoot Casino Opens (5), Body Glove Wake Show (6-7), Dave Garfield and the Cats (7-8), Joe's Band (8:30-10).
• Sunday, Sept. 27 – Noon-9 p.m. Entertainment: Antie Geri & Mehana (noon-2), Body Glove Wake Show (2-3), The Beach Toys (3-4), Makana (Hawaiian Guitar, 4:30-6), Body Glove Wake Show (6-7), Polynesian Fire Dance Show (7-7:30), Paperback Writer (Beatles tribute, 7-9).
The 2009 event was, unfortunately, somewhat hampered by unusually overcast weather. While the rest of Los Angeles was sweltering in hot Santa Ana wind conditions, the South Bay was socked in by fog. So it held the usual crowds down a bit. But the ones there simply threw on the sweatshirts and threw down the Budweisers and lobsters. Normally, it's packed on Friday and Saturday nights, and people enjoy eating, drinking and being entertained under the sun on Sunday.
 Regardless of the weather, it's a big drew for many South Bay singles, who love to mingle to the live entertainment.
In 2009, Joe's Band was a hugely popular choice as the Saturday headliner. Joe's Band has long been the #1 party band in the South Bay and they proved it again; when they did their signature "Hot, Hot, Hot" cover song, they invited the entire crowd on stage with them. The crowd formed a conga line and poured onto the stage to dance, dance, dance. It was a PARTY!
This was followed up the next evening by a Beatles cover band, which ended the festival on a high-energy note.
One
year, the Friday headline entertainer was Dick Dale, One could not find a more
appropriate musical guest than the King of the Surf Guitar. Dale's grinding
guitar sounds are meant to emulate the powerful forces of the waves
he feels while surfing. Most people probably know him for the Pulp Fiction
song but he's been playing these surf sounds since the late '50s. For
a community that thrives on riding the waves, Dale was spot on, as ideal
at the perfect wave.
Professional wakeboarders rise to the occasion in an '09 demonstration.
New and popular events added for 2009 were Hawaiian fire dancers, a fashion show by Body Glove models (girls and guys) and a wake boarding exhibition in the lagoon. The latter made a big spash with the crowd; a ski rope pulled top professional wakeboarders through the water and up a ramp, which sent them high in the air before making a big splash of their own.
The event's "Maine" attraction, of course, is the lobster dinner.
Of course, the event's namesake is its main attraction. The lobsters are cooked and come wtih red potatoes, cole slaw, a roll and rich drawn butter. A "cracking station" provides a free service to have every piece of meat removed for customers (they do crack for tips).
Admission to the event is $12 and it's $20 for a lobster dinner. Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Amber Bock and Shock Top Belgium Wheat are $5; pre-made margaritas and
all kinds of mixed drinks are $7 and wine is $6, and $8 for premium selections. The drink tent volunteers seem to
be having as good a time as their customers.
The Beatles, er, Paperback Writer, look and sound the part.
Ahh, the beers are lined up, ready to be consumed.
 Related Article: Lobsterfest Photos
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