The fifth annual BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach kicked off another sunny start to summer this past weekend (May 3-5, 2024), and despite some issues with windy weather, this fest still remains a top pick for those seeking to indulge in a chill California vibe. Classic acts like Sting, Seal, and ZZ Top mixed it up with perennial SoCal favorites like Incubus and Dirty Heads. So, kick off your shoes, and let’s head into that BeachLife to see what went down over the weekend.
Click here to see Part 1 of our BeachLife Photo Gallery
Click here to see Part 2 of our BeachLife Photo Gallery
Table Of Contents
1. Running the Numbers
2. The Scene
3. Music Highlights
4. Stray Observations
5. Travel Tips
6. Final Thoughts
Running the Numbers
Dates: May 3-5, 2024
Editions: 5
Attendance: 10,000 per day est.
Artists: 45
MFW Beer Index: $12.50/12 oz. beer
Highest/Lowest Temperature: 20C/9C (68F/48F)
Reusable Cups? No
Free Water Stations? Yes
The Scene
The Venue
One of the best laid out venues that I’ve ever been to, BeachLife Festival is located in downtown Redondo Beach next to the pier. You have your choice of chilling on the artificial turf grass at the High Tide stage or going full-on beach mode in the sand at Low Tide. Both spots are ideal for kicking off your shoes – something I don’t typically do at festivals, but do it all the time at this one. Big changes this year meant some serious upgrades for VIP ticket holders with larger viewing areas and a traffic flow that made travel between the stages as VIP almost seamless.
Unfortunately, those increased viewing areas came as a detriment to GA ticket holders, especially on the Low Tide stage where there was no access to the front rail. This troubling trend of blocking regular festies from the front rail unless they cough up more money is already turning into a serious issue this season. Festivals need to be more transparent when selling tickets that GA patrons will be losing a perk that is implied as being granted.
The Music
BeachLife always curates a super interesting lineup and each year I see about a half dozen acts that are on my festival bucket list (Sting, Seal, Santigold, ZZ Top, Devo, Margo Price, Dirty Heads, and Steel Pulse for this year). BeachLife is also incredible when it comes to schedule clashes. You will have the opportunity to not only see all the headliners, but also the sub-headliners, basically the first four lines on the poster below have zero clashes. The stages are also close enough that you won’t miss anything traveling between gigs.
Beyond the big names on the lineup, BeachLife consistently delivers a one-of-a-kind lineup in the Speakeasy tent. This is a cozy, shaded spot where you can post up on a couch and listen to stories and songs from punk legends like Warren Fitzgerald of The Vandals and Scott Reynolds of ALL. It’s a cool set-up and something I’ve never seen at other fests.
New this year, BeachLife Festival delivered some nighttime DJ sets on the beach! Taking place during the headliner sets, festies were treated to dance tunes in the sand from Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys and Paul Oakenfold. I popped over for small breaks during Sting and Incubus and ended up staying much longer than I planned, definitely a welcome addition to the schedule.
The Weather
Another reason that I continue to return to BeachLife is that after a long winter and not-so-pretty mud season in New England, it’s so nice to get out into the sun and relatively warmer temperatures in California. Friday warmed up nicely into typical sunny Los Angeles weather and Saturday, over a grey and hazy start, did the same. Unfortunately, the wind started gusting hard enough Sunday evening that BeachLife had to evacuate and eventually cancel the last three acts. This was a bit brutal for the jam fans who were coming just to see Trey Anastasio and My Morning Jacket, but couldn’t be helped. It’s a good thing when a festival prioritizes patron safety over profit and I was just happy the entire event wasn’t canceled like Lovers & Friends Fest in Las Vegas.
The Crowd
With headliners like Sting and ZZ Top, the BeachLife festies skewed a bit older than in previous years. The crowd still remains a very chill, very laid-back California crew with lots of smiles and friendly vibes. Families tended to post up in the back of the Low Tide stage where kids could build sand castles while their parents watched the shows.
Music Highlights
Acts I Caught and the Unofficial Order in Which I Enjoyed Them
Click here to see Part 1 of our BeachLife Photo Gallery
Click here to see Part 2 of our BeachLife Photo Gallery
- Sting
- Santigold
- Courtney Barnett
- Surfer Blood
- Steel Pulse
- ZZ Top
- Seal
- Margo Price
- Local Natives
- Sugar Ray
- City & Colour
- St. Paul & The Broken Bones
- Devo
- Incubus
- Paul Oakenfold
- William Fitzgerald
- Scott Reynolds
- Jordana
- Mix Master Mike
- Pepper
- G. Love and Donovan Frankenreiter
- Dirty Heads
Festival MVP: Sting
The Friday night headliner Sting delivered a set worthy of his iconic status. Working through his extensive catalog as frontman for The Police and solo career, Sting had a lot of ground to cover. And damn, I hope I look that good at 72.
Ready To Rock: Courtney Barnett
There’s never a dull moment when Courtney Barnett takes the stage. With the Sunday afternoon wind beginning to pick up, the Australian ripped through a solid set demonstrating an artist that’s at the the top of their game.
Most Energetic: Santigold
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Santigold on a festival lineup, so it was a treat to watch her pump up the crowd on the beach by launching almost immediately into L.E.S Artistes and GO!
Most Wizard: ZZ Top
Not only are they legendary wizards of rock – they look exactly like actual wizards that have been sent from an alternate reality to save us with sick music and oversized guitars.
Stray Observations
Behind The Drums
The graphics might read Courtney Barnett, but at the drums is frequent collaborator Stella Mozgawa from Warpaint.
Brunch With Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray, the only band to play all five editions of BeachLife, traditionally opens the festivities on Sunday with Mark McGrath pulling double duty as singer and amateur standup comedian. A few of his more memorable quotes between songs:
I was in Sharknado 2, 3, and 6. And because Kid Rock wasn’t available, I was in Joe Dirt 2 just so you are aware of the talent you are dealing with.
Where my frosted tip gang at? Oh, it’s just me.
We are so old, we wrote a song about rotary phones.
Here’s the song where I play guitar unnecessarily.
What A Pickle
I’m mostly immune to marketing promos, but c’mon, a giant life-sized pickle? I’m sold.
Practical Info
What are the prime hours for music? Most of the major acts are happening from about 4 in the afternoon and finish by 10:30 at night. On Sunday, everything starts and ends about an hour earlier.
Where did you sleep? There are not a lot of affordable options close by for lodging, but I did manage to snag a room at the Ramada Limited which was a 15-minute walk from the festival. Usually, I stay right at LAX where there are a bunch of slightly cheaper options.
How do you get there? I walked! In previous years, I took a Lyft or the public bus from LAX, but actually planning ahead to stay in Redondo Beach meant I could leisurely stroll over the festival every day.
How much are tickets? A basic GA ticket this year for all three days ran $399 with single-day tickets starting at $179. This is actually a decrease in price from 2023 and the ticket price includes already includes all the service fees.
Final Thoughts
Despite the wind event in the final hours and my issues with the new VIP sections, BeachLife continues to deliver in a struggling festival season. To paraphrase BeachLife alumni Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray: “The stages are easy. It’s easy to get a drink. They curate an amazing lineup. And it’s on the beach.” I couldn’t agree more. We will keep you posted on dates for BeachLife 2025.
