Organizers build ‘road to BirdStock’ with new events – San Diego Union-Tribune

The 2026 installment of the BirdStock Music Festival coincides with several notable anniversaries in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood.

For starters, it’s the fifth year of the revitalized version of the festival. Bird Rock Elementary School is celebrating its 75th anniversary. And the community of Bird Rock, founded in 1906, is turning 120.

To help commemorate those anniversaries, organizers of BirdStock — which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, in the 5500 to 5700 blocks of La Jolla Boulevard — are stepping up with a pair of pre-festival activities, including a “Battle of the (Youth) Bands” to determine which student band will get a spotlight show across from the main stage.

“It’s just a really big year in all sorts of ways, and we wanted to start the road to BirdStock early and get that energy going,” said Ariana Opsvig, who revived the festival in 2022 alongside fellow volunteers Merisa Titlow and Kelsey Martin. “I think it’s going to be our best year yet.”

Fourteen youth bands applied for the competition, and only one will win. Sign-ups closed May 14.

The battle will take place over three sessions from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday, May 25, Sunday, June 14, and Sunday, Aug. 16, at Beaumont’s restaurant. The last day is the championship round, with the winner expected to be announced soon after.

Bands that fall short of the championship can still be considered to perform on the Next Wave youth stage elsewhere at BirdStock.

“We wanted to provide … a platform for youth bands to get more exposure and opportunities to play,” Opsvig said. “We have so much talent in our community among the kids … and obviously one of BirdStock’s goals is to provide platforms for local musicians — especially youth.

“This was just one more way of doing that while starting the celebration a little earlier this year as we get closer to the event.”

Another event that is part of the ramp-up is “Give Back Night” on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Beaumont’s. The cover fee of $5 includes a performance by local band Seapoodle.

A portion of the proceeds from the Beaumont’s events will go toward the festival.

Further details will be available on the BirdStock Instagram account @birdstockfestival and the festival website, birdstockmusicfestival.com.

BirdStock, presented annually by the Bird Rock Community Council, features live music from local performers, shopping and an array of other activities, including a pet adoption zone, pet costume contest, mini golf and face painting.

The 2025 BirdStock took place Oct. 25 during the thick of Halloween-related festivities across La Jolla and on the same day as the La Jolla Loves Pets Foundation’s Dogoween and the final day of Birch Aquarium’s “Halloween Aglow.”

BirdStock’s date was changed this year to avoid such scheduling conflicts and to get more sunlight.

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