By Ryan McDonald
The Hermosa Beach City Council approved the city’s annual calendar of large special events Tuesday night, paving the way for the return of Smackfest in July.
Almost all of the council’s discussion of the calendar, which governs events drawing more than 500 people, pertained to Smackfest, a co-ed, four-person volleyball tournament that typically features hundreds of competitors in wild costumes.
The council appeared committed to keeping the tournament, which is entering its 23rd year and is composed almost entirely of local players. But they sought to counter the event’s reputation for heavy alcohol consumption. The council upheld a staff recommendation prohibiting alcohol companies from sponsoring Smackfest; Budlight has previously been a top sponsor.
Event organizers promised that this year would be different.
“We did some things over the winter to make it more of a family-friendly, athletic event,” Smackfest founder Bill Sigler told the council. “We’re going to make it something the city can be proud of.”
The modifications that Sigler referred to came after the city’s parks and recreation arm denied his initial request to hold the tournament, citing problems with last year’s event.
An unusual July thunderstorm during the 2015 tournament forced the closure of all Los Angeles county beaches when a man was killed after being struck by lightning on the sand in Venice. Lifeguards attempted to clear Smackfest from its network of courts on the south side of the Hermosa pier, but met resistance from participants.
It ultimately took officers from the Hermosa Beach Police Department more than an hour to clear the sand, HBPD Chief Sharon Papa told the council. The amount of alcohol left behind surprised even the officers of a department accustomed to beach revelry.
In response, Sigler sat down with Papa over the winter, and agreed to a number of reforms. Sigler agreed to double the amount of security he would have available, reduce the number of courts occupied from 34 to 28, and limit the number of participants to 500. Last year’s tournament had 600 players, and previous years have featured as many as 800.
“Last year was a unique circumstance, but it revealed some real issues,” Papa said.
