If you’ve been following the headlines, these past few months have been eventful for the Los Angeles River.
The famed 51-mile watershed that flows from Canoga Park through downtown L.A. before ending in Long Beach has been under siege.
Thousands of gallons of crude oil were dumped into the river in May when a construction crew trying to lay fiber-optic cable hit a pipeline carrying the substance from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles.
In June, an unknown amount of debris from firefighting water runoff from Boyle Heights’ Lineage fire made its way into the river.
For good measure, there was even a car chase through the river’s portion in southeast Los Angeles in February.
It hardly seems a great time to celebrate the river with a festival, yet that’s exactly what’s happening Sunday.
The Friends of the Los Angeles River, a nonprofit advocacy organization, is hosting Riverfest on Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Chinatown.
Essential California sat down with Ben Orbison, FOLAR’s director of strategic communications, and spoke about festival highlights and motivations.
What to expect Sunday
Orbison said capacity for L.A. State Historic Park, site of the festival, is listed at 1,500 people, but the festival is hoping for about 2,500 visitors throughout the day.
The event is free, but registration is encouraged. A VIP package includes preferred parking and food and drink vouchers. Festival organizers are encouraging visitors to take public transit, with the A-Line’s Chinatown station within walking distance.
Musical acts include the Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles and the rock band Undecided Future, with the festival closing out with Xipe Totec dancers.
Food trucks with a range of choices from burgers and Greek food to vegetarian and vegan options will be on site, while educational staff will be on hand with tutorials and chats, including the 38-foot River Rover mobile museum.
“For us, this event has always been about celebrating the L.A. River through the arts,” Orbison said. “It’s really about bringing together a community of people and working and living along the L.A. River.”
Ducks stand on rocks in the sandy bottom of the Los Angeles River.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Introducing Angelenos to their river
One motivating factor behind the festival, Orbison said, is a simple meet-and-greet.
“We’re here for any curious Angelenos who saw the river in a movie or who drive over it every day but don’t really know anything about it,” he said. (The river has been featured in several movies including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), “Drive” (2011), “The Italian Job” (2003), and “Grease” (1978).
After living in and around Los Angeles for most of my life, I counted myself as someone who rarely stopped by the river or understood its importance.
That was until 2020 when I went fishing with my colleague and friend Lila Seidman for a wacky feature about fishing in the L.A. River. We ate a carp from the river that August and lived to tell the tale.
Why celebrate the river?
Though the river is situated in concrete, it’s provides a robust ecological environment that includes migratory songbirds and wading shorebirds.
There’s also mix of vegetation and freshwater marshes near the beating heart of the city.
“A big part of this festival is showing off this green space for a part of the city that is low in green park space,” Orbison said.
The river also helps in time of heavy flooding, diverting city storm runoff into the Pacific Ocean.
L.A. River bonus track
My colleague Jaclyn Cosgrove conducted an extensive interview with Candice Dickens-Russell, chief executive at Friends of the Los Angeles River, in her latest “The Wild” newsletter.
Cosgrove asked: Will it ever be safe to swim in the L.A. River?
The organization hopes to get there one day, Dickens-Russell said, but that will require a lot of people changing their behaviors.
“A swimmable river is an achievable goal, but it’s going to require sustained investment in water quality and things like habitat restoration and safe and equitable public access,” she said. “Every project that reduces pollution and restores natural function brings us a little bit closer to that. And, yeah, we should be planning for a future where Angelenos can safely swim in the L.A. River. Why not?”
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Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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