The expanded festival with five live music stages, vendors and more has grown to benefit both Bird Rock Elementary School and the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy.
Expanding its wingspan and its beneficiaries, the fifth annual BirdStock Music Festival is set to soar from 10 am to 7 pm Saturday, Sept 19 along La Jolla Boulevard.
Closing down the street from Midway Street north to Camino de la Costa, BirdStock will feature five stages of live music, more than 70 artisan vendors, BMX and skateboarding performances, the OktoBIRDfest beer garden, food and more.
Event photography by Provisions Media
There will also be a shaded lounge with cold drinks for relaxing, kids’ activities, dog-friendly vendors and more.
Free to attend, BirdStock is a “positive, happy place” unique to the community, co-Chair Merisa Titlow said.
There’s an energy and environment to BirdStock that’s “warm and festive,” said Titlow, who has organized the music festival with Kelsey Martin and Arianna Opsvig since its inception as a smaller fundraiser for Bird Rock Elementary School.
Now in its fifth year, BirdStock has taken on an identity as a fall staple event for La Jolla’s Bird Rock community, “a big thing that people really connect with,” Titlow said.
Last year, the festival attracted thousands of attendees and raised about $15,000 for BRES, and the organizers are hopeful much more will be raised this year.
“It’s about a coming together and a celebration,” Opsvig said. “We’re a community and we stand together and we support each other.”
The growth of the festival has allowed room for a second beneficiary: the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy.
Wanting to give back to an organization that would benefit all of La Jolla, the BirdStock chairs chose the conservancy for its recent work to improve La Jolla’s coastline.
“We’re thrilled to … now support both Bird Rock Elementary School and La Jolla Coastal Conservancy,” Opsvig said. “Anyone who accesses the coast will be able to benefit from BirdStock moving forward.”
Also new this year: VIP seating via a viewing deck, sponsored by Dos Azul and featuring tequila tastings, shade and more.
The BMX and skate performances are also new for this BirdStock; a half pipe will be set up at the festival to host three professional shows throughout the day, sponsored by Bird Rock favorite Wayfarer Bread.
Once BirdStock closes, the party continues at Beaumont’s with more live music.
Despite its rapid growth, BirdStock is still a grassroots, volunteer-led festival, Opsvig said. “I’m so proud that we’re able to say that still. … We’re going to keep it as a [local] celebration.”
BirdStock will continue “forward as a platform for the local community to shine.”
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