Malibu Pier music festival plans unraveling Play

Plans for an outdoor music festival on both sides of PCH at the Malibu Pier appear to be collapsing.

Concert promoters had announced plans for a daylong outdoor music festival on both sides of PCH at the Malibu Pier on August 9th. Press releases went out for the concerts at three venues along the busy highway: at the Malibu Pier, on the rooftop bar at the Surfrider Malibu, and outdoors at the nearby Aviator Nation/Dreamland, the old Malibu Inn building.

The obvious question — did the city allow PCH to host outdoor concerts on both sides of the road on an August Sunday?

The answer: no.

Outdoor concerts like that are not allowed by the city at Dreamland. Outdoor concerts like that are not allowed by the city at the Surfrider Malibu. And the outdoor concert at the pier faces occupancy limits, and can only take place on the pier itself.

The hotel's manager, Corey da Silva, walked away from the event in a letter he sent to the city. According to the city, the Surfrider Malibu has contacted the event organizers to request that references identifying The Surfrider Malibu be removed from all promotional materials.

The city says no temporary use permit for the pier parking lot has been pulled, and the county says no permit has been pulled for the beach either. Dreamland is a live music venue and has city permits for indoor events. A city spokesman says Dreamland can host the Sunday Sessions event as is promoted.

California State Parks says it has issued the permits for an outdoor event on the pier August 9th. The maximum crowd size for any event on the pier is 450 people. A state spokesperson in Sacramento tells KBUU News that a government fire marshal will set a maximum crowd size for the wooden pier.

More than a few wooden supports have washed out from the pier in recent years. Like all piers owned by the state, the Malibu Pier was closed to the public after a large chunk of the Santa Cruz Pier collapsed into heavy surf last winter. Engineers looked at the piers to make sure they were safe. And the Malibu Pier was reopened.

California State Parks says the operators, who lease the pier from the state, have indeed pulled permits for the event on August 9th. They say it is described as a community event featuring music, local vendors and other activities. The capacity for the portion of the pier being used for the event is set at 450 people.

State parks says organizers are also required to obtain a separate event permit from the fire department. The fire marshal may set a lower maximum capacity based on factors such as the event layout, infrastructure and available emergency exits.

Advertising for the August 9th event as of this morning still promotes, quote, "performances across the Malibu Pier Stage, Dreamland Stage, and Dreamland Patio, and exclusive acoustic sets on The Surfrider Roof Deck." That part appears to be canceled.

Event promoters were not reached for comment.