Marines from Camp Pendleton get to know Roscoe, an English Bulldog, at the LA Fleet Week kickoff event on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in downtown San Pedro. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
L.A. Fleet Week will light up the night sky on Thursday and Friday, May 21-22, with free drone shows in San Pedro and Wilmington — to celebrate America’s milestone birthday with community members and visiting service members.
The shows, featuring 250 drones and sponsored by the Port of Los Angeles, will be dedicated to the U.S.’s 250th birthday celebration, which is being honored throughout the country over the next couple of months, culminating with large-scale national events on the Fourth of July.
L.A. Fleet Week will run from Friday to Monday, May 22-25, and will feature multiple events and activities, including a Memorial Day ceremony on the final day. The drone shows, meanwhile, will be among the highlights of the opening welcome and reception parties for Fleet Week.
The San Pedro welcome party will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the historic downtown district. The Wilmington welcome reception will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Banning Museum grounds.
Both drone shows will begin at 8:30 p.m. and last about 12 minutes.
San Pedro’s Thursday drone program will be staged on the now-vacant courthouse property at Sixth and Centre streets, while the Wilmington drone show will take place at Banning Park, 401 E. M St., Wilmington.
The San Pedro welcome party will have food, music, and a chance to meet and mingle with visiting members of the Armed Forces. It will feature live music from Mid-Life Crisis and DJ Angelo DiLeva, and a 21-and-older beer garden. Attendance is free and open to the public.
The Wilmington reception on the following night will also boast food, drinks and music.
To facilitate the setup of equipment for the Wilmington drone show, the parking lot adjacent to the baseball field and the field itself will be closed beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, and will remain restricted for the rest of the day.
For more information about Los Angeles Fleet Week, go to lafleetweek.com.