Boasting more stages, a beer and wine garden and more vendors, this year’s BirdStock Music Festival appears to be the biggest and most lucrative so far under its new presenters, according to co-organizer Arianna Opsvig.
Opsvig reported the tentative findings of a post-festival review to the Bird Rock Community Council on Nov. 4. One of the keys among them was an early projection that 8,000 Bird Rock residents and others attended the festival Oct. 25 along La Jolla Boulevard.
BirdStock rocks La Jolla Boulevard with music, art and more
BirdStock 2025 included 80 vendors, the most in the festival’s four editions since it was revitalized in 2022 after a 12-year hiatus.
To showcase more performers, music was played on five stages, up from three last year. The 2025 festival also marked the debut of an electronic dance music tent.
The organizers’ goal was to double last year’s profit from $8,000 to $16,000, and Opsvig said they “almost certainly” will, though numbers are still being finalized.
Proceeds from the event, as in years past, will go toward the Bird Rock Foundation, which supports Bird Rock Elementary School, and future BirdStock festivals.
“First and foremost, this event is really about the community coming together in all of these different ways, and they’re all contributing something,” Opsvig said. “So it’s a win-win-win.
“We have heard almost unanimous positive feedback … from the community, the merchants, the musicians, volunteers and the mayor’s office.”
That extended to the BRCC meeting, with Vice President Joe Parker describing the festival as “fantastic” and a speaker who had visited BirdStock for the first time in 2024 saying this year’s event was even better.
Other BRCC news
Project updates: A small update was delivered on a long-standing project to place Bird Rock monument signs on La Jolla Boulevard medians next to the pedestrian crossings south of the Colima Street roundabout and north of the Camino de la Costa roundabout.
The engineer for the project suggested the signs be placed closer to the roundabouts. But before the project proceeds, it needs a nod from the city of San Diego’s Division of Cultural Affairs.
The plan calls for two natural rocks adorned with pelican statues and the words “Bird Rock.”
Board election: November is election month for the Bird Rock Community Council, and nine of the 12 board spots are up for grabs. Current members Joe Terry, Christine McVay and Janette Williams are not up for reelection.
All nine members whose current terms are expiring will be on the ballot, which Terry, the board president, said will be sent to eligible voters via email on Friday, Nov. 7. Votes are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14.
People who opted for paper mail ballots must return them postmarked by Wednesday, Nov. 12, and they must be received by Monday, Nov. 17, Terry said.
For more information, email info@birdrockcc.org.
Lupi Italian Restaurant was packed for last year’s Bird Rock Community Council holiday party, and it is scheduled to host this year’s event in early December. (Noah Lyons)
Next meeting: The Nov. 4 meeting marked the Bird Rock Community Council’s final regular gathering of the year. The group plans a holiday party in early December at Lupi Italian Restaurant and will reconvene in 2026. Additional details will be made available via email. ♦