Here are 5 things you won’t want to miss during LA Fleet Week
LA Fleet Week will run from Friday to Monday, May 24-27, and there will be plenty of things to check out. Here are five of them.
If you’re looking for something to do over the long Memorial Day weekend — and celebrate the military while you’re at it — then LA Fleet Week is the place to be.
After a couple of neighborhood events earlier in the week, to build excitement for the ninth military celebration in the Los Angeles Harbor, Fleet Week will take place in earnest from Friday to Monday, May 24-27.
And there will be no shortage of things to see and do. So much so that if you plan on visiting Fleet Week for the first time, you might find it a tad overwhelming.
But don’t worry. We got you covered. Here are five exciting things to experience during LA Fleet Week.
USS Carl Vinson
The star of Fleet Week, at least as far as military vehicles are concers, will the the USS Carl Vinson — the first aircraft carrier to dock in LA in 13 years.
And it’s not just any carrier, but one with plenty of history: It launched in March 1980, is one of only 11 aircraft carriers in the Navy’s fleet, and was deployed in Operation Desert Strike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom.
But that’s not all. The Carl Vinson, named after a former Democratic congressman from Georgia who had a five-decade naval career, was also the ship from which the body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea in 2011.
The lighter side of its history, meanwhile, includes hosting the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier, also in 2011.
But the ship is also an engineering marvel. The Nimitz-class Carl Vinson is more than 1,000 feet long, can carry 60 attack fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft, and has a crew of more than 3,000 sailors.
All of this is to say, you won’t want to miss your chance to tour the ship. And you can do that by stopping my the main Fleet Week Expo this weekend. (You can also tour the Coast Guard cutter Terrell Horne. The public tour hours will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Memorial Day.
Dodge ball
Any sports fan knows about the classic Army-Navy football rivalry.
But LA Fleet Week offers another sports competition where military branch bragging rights will be on the line: dodgeball.
During Fleet Week, six teams — Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard, first responders and the hometown Battleship Iowa — will go head-to-head in a dodgeball tournament.
This is the third iteration of the tournament. The Marines won the inaugural battle, and the Army team is the defending champion.
The double elimination tournament will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the main expo, in front of the Battleship Iowa, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., in San Pedro.
Galley Wars
The dodgeball tournament, though, won’t be the only opportunity for the different branches to vie for bragging rights.
They will also battle to see who’s the best in the kitchen.
The Galley Wars, which will take place from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, is older than the dodgeball tournament, with this being the seventh iteration.
This competition only has four two-person teams from the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Army.
The rules are simple: The chefs can use ingredients found on their ships or what they would have in the field, as well as a small budget to buy “locally sourced” items, according to the Fleet Week website. From there, they will try to whip up the most delectable dishes they can.
A panel of celebrity and executive judges will taste the dishes and declare a champion.
The Coast Guard won the Galley Wars last year and will try to go back-to-back.
Galley Wars will also take place in front of the Battleship Iowa.
The afterpary
This is a new addition to Fleet Week — to keep the party going.
On Saturday and Sunday evening, once the main expo closes, head over to West Harbor — the massive new LA Waterfront attraction slated to fully open in 2025 — for some adult-only fun.
The West Harbor After Party will take place from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the West Harbor Promenade, at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard.
The event will feature food trucks, a live DJ and, of course, a beer garden and cocktails.
While Fleet Week is a family-friendly event, you must be at least 21 years old to attend the West Harbor After Party — so leave the kiddos at home.
Sailors march across iconic bridge
This last one is for those who want to witness an iconic scene: Sailors, in their classic dress uniforms, marching across an engineering and aesthetic marvel against the backdrop of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.
That’s right, you’ll have to travel away from the main San Pedro expo into Downtown LA to catch this event — but it’ll be worth it.
About 500 sailors will march across the iconic Sixth Street Viaduct on Memorial Day in tribute to those who died serving the nation. Afterward, there will be food trucks and a performance by Marine Brass Band.
The event is set for noon to 3 p.m. Monday and yes, the Sixth Street Viaduct will be closed while the sailors march across it.
For more events and activities during Fleet Week, go to lafleetweek.com.