Beachlife music festival in Redondo Beach was the place to be in Southern California on the weekend of May 6th. With the sun shining and that epic SoCal breeze, it was the perfect weekend to see live music from acts like Gwen Stefani, The Black Keys, Pixies, Band of Horses, LP, Tegan and Sara, and many more bands. Surprisingly, it was my first time attending Beachlife, and let me tell you; it is now easily one of my favorite music festivals. Considering I’ve been music blogging for 15 years and hitting the festival circuit since 2005, that says a lot.
Here’s why I absolutely loved the Beachlife music festival and why you need to attend next year!
Words: Sandra Burciaga Olinger
Photography: Bryan Olinger
Please note: This post may contain affiliate links.
1. A Something For Everyone Lineup
The best thing about Beachlife music festival is its Southern California-centric lineup. Each year, the lineup is curated to fit the sounds of SoCal, both modern and yesteryear. With the 2023 Beachlife, each day felt like something different.
Friday was made for the indie, punk, and rock-cool kids. With bands like the Pixies and headliner The Black Keys, attendees were rockin’ out all day long or singing to the nostalgic lyrics of Tegan and Sara, or LP‘s intoxicating vocals and charm.
Saturday night was full of the 90s and indie aughts nostalgia. Sugar Ray, Sublime with Rome, and Gwen Stefani took me back to my high school days, while Band Of Horses reminded me of the early days of this here music blog, as well as my wedding night where “No One’s Gonna Love You [more than I do]” was our first dance song at our wedding reception. I can’t listen to that song without shedding a tear. So to be able to experience it live again, with my husband and our daughter, was extra special.
Oh, and my husband was geeking hard over Sugar Ray. I mean, he legit was singing his heart out to every song! Watch below.
Sunday was a chill day full of roots rock, jam bands, and Americana. While we didn’t stay for the final day of Beachlife, we enjoyed some Trampled By Turtles as we had an outdoor brunch at the Sonesta across the street. Our friends that did attend Sunday had an absolute blast dancing to the Black Crowes, John Fogerty, and more.
2. Location
We’ve been to many music festivals, and Beachlife easily has the best location. You’re literally steps from the ocean, and even one of the stages is on the sand.
Also, attendees have much to experience when they opt for a weekend at Beachlife. From the shores of Redondo Beach to all the bars, shops, and restaurants along the Marina — there is plenty to do in the area. If you’re visiting Beachlife from out of town, we highly recommend staying an extra day to experience Redondo.
3. Food
Okay. The food at Beachlife was ace! It was probably the best music festival food we ever had. Food vendors were plenty, and unlike some music festivals, they didn’t run out of food right away. We feasted on flavorful gyros, Chinese dumplings, pizza, bacon mac n cheese, mango sticky rice, orange chicken, and more.
Out of all the different things we ate over the weekend, the only food I wouldn’t purchase again was the bacon Mac n cheese. It was basic and nothing to write home about.
Next year, we might opt for the ultimate foodie experience. The Daou SideStage Experience provides foodies the opportunity to be seated onstage (literally) and served a four-course meal by celebrity chefs while their favorite musicians perform. Definitely worth it.
4. Family-Friendly
One thing that seriously stood out like a sore thumb at Beachlife, and in the best of ways, was just how family-friendly the festival was. The median age was probably 40. There were tons of hip parents with their kids and plenty of grey-haired grans rocking out and watching the grandbabies while Mama and Dada took a beat.
We were so impressed at how kid-friendly Beachlife was that we opted to bring our 5-year-old on Saturday so she could experience Gwen Stefani. Our kid loved swinging on the Daou swingset, playing in the sand, and the kid’s zone. But honestly, the best part of it all was having a stage on the sand. We got to rock out to Sublime with Rome while our kid dug in the sand the whole time. And by the looks of it, we weren’t the only parents with the same M.O. We were all pretty stoked.
5. Excellent Cocktails
Although somewhat pricey (like any music festival), Beachlife had the best cocktails. Considering the food selections were off the hook, it’s no surprise the adult beverages were too. My two faves were the Gray Whale gin cocktails (especially that piña colada-like drink) and those passion fruit Jose Cuervo margaritas with tajin. We also really enjoyed the 21 Seeds orange margaritas. They were a quick go-to for us.
While I’m not really into beer, Beachlife did have a large craft beer bar with plenty of selections.
6. Ins-and-Outs
Okay, I wish all music festivals did this?! Beachlife had in-and-out privileges, making all the difference, especially for parents with little kids. On Saturday, when we brought our daughter along for the fun, it was so convenient to hop out of the festival and into our hotel room across the street for some r&r. We got to rest and work on some Beachlife social media coverage while lying in a cozy bed. Our little one had a much-needed rest time. We also freshened up and changed into some warmer clothes for the evening session.
7. Hotels Right Across The Street
For our second day at Beachlife, we opted to book a room at the Sonesta right across the street. I honestly can’t believe rooms were still available! It was the best idea ever! With in-and-out privileges, it made festival-ing with a small child seamless and all the more comfortable.
If it’s in your budget, I can’t recommend enough booking a room at the Sonesta. It’s a nice hotel and literally across the street from the festival entrance. You can also opt to stay at the nearby Redondo Beach Hotel Tapestry Collection or the Portofino Hotel & Marina. Both are within walking distance; however, the Sonesta is the closest.
8. Best Climate
It really sucks to sweat tits and balls at a music festival! Not at Beachlife! Surrounded by those classic SoCal palm trees and the big blue Pacific, there was always a crisp, coastal breeze popping off at Beachlife, and it felt glorious. You just needed a light jacket sometimes, especially after the sunset. But if you were in the thick, moving, and grooving, a jacket didn’t matter—honestly, the best festival climate.
9. Astroturf
Yes! You read that correctly. Those of us with grass allergies were thankful that the MainStage grounds at Beachlife were all astroturf. Sitting down without a blanket and not worrying about busting out in hives was so lovely!
10. Kids Zone
Beachlife even had an excellent kids zone set up with sand toys, face painting, blow-up beach balls, and plenty of oil pastels for kids to paint up the canvas walls of the kid’s zone.
It was quite sunny at Beachlife, and it was nice to see that there were sun canopies set up over the kids zone to keep the littles cool under the shade.
Room for Improvement
There should’ve been more definition between the general admission and VIP entry lines. The lines to enter the festival were long, and those with VIP or media passes were confused. The VIP lane was not visible for how far back the line went. Those with VIP passes were unaware they could cut to the front to enter through the VIP lanes. And when we did, we felt like a-holes.
Festival organizers should make sure that both general admission and VIP entry lanes are well designated and not just near the festival entrance. They need to account for how long those lines can get, and how far back they need to mark the two lanes. Better yet, just give VIP a separate entrance.
Please note: This post may contain affiliate links.
The media tent needs to be onsite and not across the street. It was a considerable inconvenience. Although most festivals have their media tents located in VIP, it makes real-time reporting on our socials all the easier; because, as we all know, 5G never works at congested festivals.
Parking! Parking was brutal. There was no designated Beachlife festival parking. You had to test your luck and fend for yourself in the marina parking lot or nearby hotels, or take your chances on the street and possibly get a parking ticket. Even so, getting a parking ticket might be cheaper than the parking we paid for at the Sonesta. We paid $60! We only paid $33 the next day because we booked a room.
All in all, Beachlife was an incredible experience. They really don’t have any other areas of improvement. We so look forward to attending next year! We think we’ll invite the whole fam and make a weekend out of it.
Stay tuned for Beachlife’s sister festival, Beachlife Ranch!
