Hermosa Beach City Council Needs To Approve Smackfest

Council Members To Vote On Future Of Popular Beach Volleyball Event

Smackfest, the whacky and fun dress-up beach volleyball tournament held each July, is in danger of becoming extinct.

The Hermosa Beach City Council is discussing its future in its weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 12. This takes place at the Council’s chambers at City Hall on Valley Drive, just south of Pier. Ave. Meeting time is 7:30 p.m., although there is no telling when the Council will get around to discussing Smackfest.

People in support of Smackfest are encouraged to attend. Usually, city councils make decisions based on input from these meetings, and the only people who attend those meetings are ones who have nothing better to do than complain about everything. So this is one time the Council needs to hear from the cool people.

And the City Council should approve Smackfest. In fact, it should be a short discussion and unanimous vote.

Smackfest is not just great for the city, it’s great for the South Bay. It’s great for the residents, the businesses and the community.

In 2012, it reached a new peak with a professional 6-man demonstration and a fashion show on the beach. That took a one-time silly local happening among the weekend beach volleyball players to something that has the potential to be a volleyball centerpiece in Southern California.

Were that to happen, Hermosa Beach would get immeasurable free publicity, something that would benefit the city for decades for several weeks a year.

At the very least, Smackfest is a financial boon to businesses on and around the Pier.

Smackfest has been going on for 19 years – without incident – and there is absolutely no reason anything other than full approval should be granted.