Changes coming to Morro Bay Harbor Festival
Courtesy photo.
Festival will now include fireworks display
– The Morro Bay Harbor Festival Organization Committee is currently working on improvements to the festival, which is scheduled for the first Saturday in October this year. The 34th Annual Morro Bay Harbor Festival will have a whole new look, location and “back to the basics” appeal, according to event organizers.
The main event will take place all day on Saturday, October 3, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. As in the past, the festival will offer attendees live music all day from local bands as well as a headliner band in the late afternoon.
The new feature will be a fireworks display in the bay next to Morro Rock at dusk along as well as free admission for all attendees to the event.
The Harbor Festival Redesign for 2015 will feature a pedestrian event zone located slightly south of the original site, yet still along the fishing harbor. It will be located on the Embarcadero between Harbor and Marina streets. “After careful consideration, the festival committee decided to focus even more on the harbor lifestyle and fresh fish that only Morro Bay can lay claim to in this county” says Harbor Festival President Jim Sanders. “And we wanted to bring the festival into the 21st century by updating the tim line to one entertainment-filled day and to hold it closer to center of the Embarcadero.”
Festival goers will be able to purchase fresh seafood from local fishermen at a variety of locations along the Embarcadero including oysters, shrimp, barbecued albacore, and rock crab right from the dock.
There will also be maritime-heritage venues, races and water-craft demonstrations in the bay and plenty of live, and mostly local musical entertainment all day long. Local wine and beer will be available at the festival along with a variety of other food samplings, all from local vendors.
Only local Morro Bay businesses and vendors will be presenting and selling their wares. Additionally, ocean-related agencies will provide information about local resources. Festival favorites such as the Hawaiian Shirt Contest and Oyster Eating Contest will also be held that day. Capping off the day will be a fireworks show over the Bay.
Spearheaded by the Morro Bay Harbor Festival organization, 2015 will mark the 34th continuous year of the festival. This redesign of the festival is a partnership between many organizations including: the City of Morro Bay, the Commercial Fishermen Association, the Coast Guard, and the business community.
The headliner sponsor of the festival is Morro Bay Tourism. To date, major in-kind media sponsors include KSBY-TV and Tolosa Press.
“We’re going back to what makes Morro Bay such a special place on the Central Coast and that is truly exciting”, adds Sanders. “We can’t wait and we know everyone will love it.”
As is the tradition with the Morro Bay Harbor Festival, a portion of the net proceeds will go to a Morro Bay non-profit organization. This year, the selected organization will be the Central Coast Maritime Museum.
Sponsorships for the 34th Annual Morro Bay Harbor Festival are available at a variety of levels and can be obtained by contacting the Morro Bay Harbor Festival Office at (805) 772-1155 or by email at info.mbhf@gmail.com.
The Morro Bay Harbor Festival Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. Each year, a portion of festival proceeds benefit nonprofit organizations throughout San Luis Obispo County. To date, the Festival has awarded over $500,000 to participating nonprofit groups.
For more information, visit the festival’s website: www.mbhf.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/morrobayharborfestival; Twitter: @MBHarborFest.
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