Organizers look for BirdStock to soar further with five stages and new features

The 2024 BirdStock Music Festival was promoted as “bigger, better and safer” than in years past, with a “game-changing” closure of La Jolla Boulevard between Midway Street and Camino de la Costa.

This year, the scope is even bigger with more stages, a beer and wine garden and more family-friendly activities as organizers work to push it to the finish line.

The annual free event presented by the Bird Rock Community Council encourages families to gather for live music from local performers, shopping and an array of activities, from a pet adoption zone and pet costume contest to mini golf and face painting.

The 2025 edition is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in the 5500 to 5700 blocks of La Jolla Boulevard.

BirdStock was revitalized in 2022 after a 12-year hiatus, with volunteer organizers Arianna Opsvig, Merisa Titlow and Kelsey Martin leading the way.

“This year and every year, it’s an entirely volunteer-driven event,” Opsvig said. “So all of us organizers are volunteers, everyone who helps the day of are volunteers and this year we’re really reaching out beyond just the Bird Rock Elementary [School] families to the wider community for folks who want to pitch in and help that day.”

BirdStock is made possible through contributions and sponsorships, with proceeds going to the Bird Rock Foundation, which supports Bird Rock Elementary, and future BirdStock festivals.

Work on this year’s festival began in February. Opsvig said 100 bands applied for just eight time slots on the main stage.

To showcase as many musicians as possible, music will be played on five stages: the main stage, where Bird Rock Avenue meets La Jolla Boulevard; a stage on a raised patio in front of La Jolla Independent BMW Service at 5535 La Jolla Blvd.; one inside Beaumont’s restaurant at 5662 La Jolla Blvd.; one outside Bird Rock Surf Shop at 5509 La Jolla Blvd.; and a youth stage featuring dance, local theater groups and kids bands.

Last year, the main stage was at the surf shop, along with a side stage and another at Beaumont’s.

BirdStock 2025 also marks the debut of an electronic dance music tent, pitched by Martin to help engage the younger crowd and bring added variety to the lineup. The tent, decorated with lights and a smoke machine, will feature different types of electronic music with hints of house, pop and hip-hop.

“There’s a lot of rock cover bands that are around town that want to play these types of things, but we’ve been realizing that toward the end of the festival, it’s a lot of college kids,” Martin said. “So I think that tent area might bring a different vibe.”

Opsvig agreed, saying “Every year we try to make BirdStock a little bit bigger and a little bit better and reflect the needs [and] wishes of the community even more. It is a music festival, so I feel like the more music we can have [and] the more local musicians we can support, the better.”

Reggae group Sandollar, a first-time BirdStock performer, will headline the festival on the main stage at 7:15 p.m. Dad Bod will headline at the EDM tent.

Also among the featured acts is Seapoodle, a “surfadelic” jam band based in La Jolla’s Windansea neighborhood.

Seapoodle — along with “surfabilly” rock group the Sandcasters, alt-rockers the Voices and power pop act Lioneer — performed at last year’s festival and are slated to return in October.

A couple of BirdStock newcomers, Pacific Beach garage/surf rock group Tsunami Sound Waves and La Jolla country singer-songwriter Lissa Dee, also will take the main stage.

“I think you’re surrounded by so many good musicians all up and down the boulevard, wherever the stages are,” said Seapoodle rhythm guitarist Matt Donoghue. “Arianna and company do a great job getting the right groups in there … and they really give you a wide variety of music as well.

“I think because [they] do such a good job, people have come to expect this level of event now. So I think more and more people are really getting behind it.”

See the full lineup and additional details at birdstockmusicfestival.com.