Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival

I’ve been to this many times and it’s always the same deal. Hot, fun, and delicious. I have encountered the lines people are noting, so come with some patience (though not nearly as much patience as is needed at Disneyland), bring some sunscreen, a hat, and an appetite, and you will not be disappointed. I also saw on their website recently that they had made some drastic changes (moving the date to earlier in the summer and more staff to serve) so some of the issues may be taken care of for this year!

Love coming here but they need to provide more shade for all. Besides that, I usually order two lobsters and roll myself out of there!

For the last five years, I’ve been going to this event with family and friends. And every year, I swear I’m not going back.
The lobster is a slight deal. You have to pay the event admission fee. And if you don’t want to be stuck with all the idiots in massive confusion and lines, then you have to buy the VIP pass which puts you at the front of the event line. Even then, depending on time of day you arrive, it can still be mass confusion and rude event workers still yell at you and disregard whether you have the VIP pass or not. By the time you add up the cost of lobster meal, admission, and VIP ticket, this isn’t really a deal anymore.
The big problems with this event are: 1) It’s poorly organized, 2) It is totally ghetto in terms of set up, people, workers, and the way you’re treated, and 3) the music and carnival are totally third world and expensive. To toss one ball on a game with your kid can cost $ 5 per try, or $ 10 for three balls.
Unless you’re planning to eat a ton of lobster, I would say skip it — And go to something like the OC Fair for all the carnival type stuff, then get seafood at Boiling Crab or something like that.
Otherwise, if you’re dead set on this event, then take this advice: go there early, as far off from peak hours as possible. If you go at peak times, be prepared to fight for everything: parking, admission line, lobster, a drink, sides, carnival games, etc.
LA City officials and event organizers should be completely ashamed to have this event actually represent the city. The LA Mayor endorses and welcomes people to this event. It’s shocking.

Most animals would run if they saw a herd of ppl lined up amidst cars and smoke but not humans, they were headed towards it… at a snails pace too!
First a traffic line (7:30pm), then a line up into the festival (8:45pm), and just when you’re so close but too bad so sad… a lobster line, we ended up getting our food at 10:30pm.
To throw more lobster joy into the mix, the rest of our party who arrived at 9pm, was told that lobster was now sold out! Yes that’s right folks, the best way to instigate a lobster riot!
We let you line up in traffic and the gates so we could tell ya that there’s no lobster at the lobster fest… say what?!!
Memo to event organizers, please do not let ppl line up for hours under the notion that there is a lobster paradise awaiting them at the end of the line via signage at the start of the traffic line. If this is too difficult for you then perhaps you should come prepared with more lobster.
I’m givin’ this event 3 stars in tribute to the fallen lobsters who have shell-​fishly given their lives for human enjoyment and the sad ppl who were at this event for the first time.

So, this was my first year going to the Lobster Festival. And here’s a quick over view…
PARKING: Easy, breezy. They have free lots that are all walking distance. They do have buses that come and go if you’re not up for the mini trek.
TICKETS: $ 10, $ 9 with their online coupon. I bought the $ 45 «VIP FIRST CLASS» ticket which included admission, lobster meal, mini lobster roll, sides (potatoes and cole slaw), brownie dessert, one alcoholic beverage and eco-​friendly reusable bag. The VIP was the smartest move. Shorter lines and more exclusive, don’t have to fight for seating area.
FOOD: The lobster meal was amazing. I mean, I ate every single part of that lobster. And I’d say it’s kind of the only reason I really gave it 4 stars.
DRINKS: Absolutely ridiculous prices, but you should already know you’re paying festival prices. Bud Lite, Bud Lite Mangoritas, wine and bottled Shock Tops were like $ 7. My group pre-​gamed before coming, so we were fine without getting anything extra along side our free drink with our VIP ticket.
ACTIVITIES: Completely lacking. There is nothing to do there for adults. They have some shopping booths, but think of it as Venice Boardwalk quality. They have moon bounces and some games, nothing to be excited about.
ENTERTAINMENT: The music/​bands were great. Not a huge area to occupy the amount of people there though.
All in all, I’m glad I experienced it once. I don’t know if I’d come back. If I do though, it’s solely for the food.

This was way better than I expected. I came with my Aunt and met my cousin at the festival. Parking was a little confusing and crowded. I think we ended up parking in restaurant parking. I’m not sure if we were actually allowed to park there for the festival, but it worked out in the end. We had to walk down the street to get to the festival. We met my cousin while walking toward the festival. She parked a lot farther a few blocks away because she knew parking was going to be bad.
Parking was bad, but when we got to the festival around noon it wasn’t all that crowded. We got our entrance tickets and our lobster meal tickets. My Aunt and I agreed to split a lobster so that helped cut the bill a bit. This festival was a lot more expensive than I thought. Entrance tickets were $ 10 per person and one lobster meal was $ 23.
Walking into the festival we went straight to pick up our lobster meal. The line was a little confusing, but the staff there helped us out and we got our lobster ands drinks in a few minutes. The next task was to find a seat. There were two big shaded seating areas and it seemed like both were full. That’s where all the people were. Luckily we’re a small group and found three seats close to each other pretty fast. With lobster, drinks and seats we were finally ready to dig in.
The lobster was meaty and fresh. My Aunt and I even got extra claws. The best meat though was the tail. It was just perfectly cooked and delicious with that hot melted butter. It was messy, but totally worth it. It was served with a roll, some spicy potatoes and coleslaw. The spicy potatoes were awesome, I wanted some spice and they gave it to me. The thing was even after eating all the lobster we were still a bit hungry. There are a bunch of other food stalls here as well. I tried some butter garlic shrimp which were sweet and generously topped with a butter garlic sauce. I got a small thing of shrimp and it was like at least a pound of shrimp. I couldn’t eat it all so we asked for a lid and took it to go. It was $ 20 which is again a bit expensive, but worth it since it’s such a big amount of shrimp. My cousin also got Sriracha lobster mac and cheese which is always a must. It was kinda like a creamy, cheesy and spicy lobster chowder with macaroni in it. It had a nice amount of lobster claw meat. Those two additions finished up our feast. This festival and it’s food was a lot better than I expected. A fun event to go to once a year.

This is a great place to go with a group of friends or the family. They have vendors who sell all sorts of fair stuff and you can actually snag some great lobster claws and bags and trinkets if you are really into the crustaceans! :P
Lots of food options too… regular fair foods but also some lobster ravioli and shrimp dishes. For the responsible 21+ crowd there are some great options for beers or margaritas — had the mango it was awesome! Everything is cash only from the entry tickets to the food vendors to the beer ticket sellers. They have plenty of ATMs around the place for those who didn’t make it to the bank beforehand.
The line for the lobster meal was long but as soon as the lobsters were done boiling, the line moved fast! They boil 2,000 lobsters every 30 minutes so that’s the longest you’ll be waiting in line for.
Once we got our meals we snagged a table near the water and got to listen to some awesome music. There was actually plenty of places to sit and eat so our group of 6 didn’t have a problem sitting together at a table.
Buy your tickets in advance but I didn’t think the VIP ticket was necessary. My friends got it and it just meant that they didn’t have to wait in line for their first beer or their lobster meal. But they had to look for the tables and wait for us to get our meals, which meant that their melted butter got cold. :P

It’s been a couple of years, but this time I was finally not out of town during lobsterfest. I took the hour drive, and was not disappointed.
It was more crowded than I had remembered it being, and there were a bit more vendors as well.
Lots of people paid for first class tickets, but the line to get the lobster was non-​existent (in the first class line). The regular line to get lobster was pretty long.
Lobster, as usual, was perfectly steamed. No seasonings. Just the delicious taste of the fresh lobster.
They have some carnival games, some clothing vendors, a lady selling lobster hats, and some other smaller food vendors that had a variety of food.

We went with high expectations and I think that’s what brought us down quite a bit.
A whole lobster for 23 bucks and 2 for 38? Heck yeah! Now this was a deal. unfortunately when we got there, the latter deal was not available at all. yeah disappointing.
So we still went in and pis 9 dollars plus the 23 for the lobster… the total was 32 only 13 dollars less Han a restaurant.
Did it worth it? Nope. Not at all. Too hot, huge lines, mediocre bands and a whole feel of «this is it?»
But we wanted to experience it and we got to do it. It was a sad day for the lobster community but a good one for my belly :)

I’ve been going to this event for 5 years … but something went horribly wrong this year. I went Saturday night (9÷26÷15) as I have done the previous years.
The good:
1. The were putting the lobsters in deep foil pans rather than those flimsy, shallow Styrofoam trays of past years.
2. They were doing a better job of keeping the VIP dining area clean.
The bad:
1. In past years, when you check-​in, if you say you will only drink sodas ($ 2) they give you 2 tickets instead of the 1 ticket for beer or wine ($ 5). This year they cheaped an only provided 1 soda ticket. I felt ripped of with that.
2. The lobster dinner should have had watermelon. The brownie (new this year) was OK … but the watermelon was more refreshing and, what they advertised.
3. What was the point of putting a slider-​sized lobster roll in tin foil with our when you’re already giving us the same dinner roll separately and we’re eating lobster???
4. What happened to all the rides? Not a single ride this year.
5. No real headlining band this year. The Taiko Project is always good but the music line-​up was really lack-​luster this year … disappointing.
6. Shuttle bus situation: At 9:15 I stood in a very long line waiting for a bus to go back to the parking lot. There were no buses for 15 minutes. They also had a few shuttle buses with a center aisle so narrow, many people could barely fit down them to walk to a seat — and I’m talking average-​sized people.
7. The lobsters were small. As someone whose family has a home in Kennepunkport, ME, I had 1 1.25lb lobster and I question if the second lobster was even 1 lb.
8. No more good Food Trucks … for instance Coldstone Creamery had «a truck» but Cool Haus wasn’t there this year. Cheap, cheap, cheap.
Sorry guys but I look forward to this one festival in particular, every year. I arrived at 7pm, got my 2 lobsters and 1 soda for $ 60 ($ 45 VIP + $ 15 Extra Lobster), gave a listen to the «headliner band» (meh!) and wasn’t interested, walked through the midway — which was FILTHY (all the bounce house stuff for the kids was so dirty it was GROSS) … and watched people forking over $ 5 (multiple times) to toss 3 balls to win a a stuffed pig worth $ 8 wholesale. The stood for 15 minutes with over 200 people waiting for just one bus to appear. The whole scene was really dismal this year. I was truly disappointed. Next year when Marmalade Café has their $ 28 lobster Tuesday nights (through the summer) … I will do that twice instead.
I don’t know who organized the festival this year but it was an epic fail!

Considering I attended this festival ALL 3 DAYS, It’s easy to come to the conclusion that I love this festival! It’s 3 wonderful days filled with lobster lobster and more lobster. One thing I love is parking is free! There’s so much parking too!
When comparing Friday and Saturday, Friday was the better night to attend. Not as crowded. On Saturday the wait for lobster was over an hour long! Yikes! Even the wait to purchase an admission ticket on Saturday was 30 mins.
If you are available, my recommendation would be to go by for lunch Saturday or Sunday. No lines at all!
This year there was an addiction of a food vendor that offered lobster dishes (seafood shack). It was very popular, so much so that they ran out of food every night! They offered 3 dishes: lobster fries, lobster quesadilla, and lobster mac and cheese. The fries and the Mac and cheese were amazing!
Also, this year additional dining tables were added in the grassy areas for dining… in addition to ones under the tents.
Things can be a little disorganized but it is easily overlooked once you stare at that delicious lobster right in the face.
Definitely Check this festival out!

So I attended again today, for my 7^th year (or 8?). Anyway, it seems like the quality is going down. I used to love coming, bringing extra bags for the extra lobster, and have a good time!
But now I’ve seen the entrance prices go from a few bucks to $ 10! But they are «so nice» to give you a $ 1 off if you print out one of those bucks!
I’m also extremely disappointed with them not only raising the price of lobster BUT also calling the prices «recession» quality! If the price is so great, why would you raise it higher???
I wasn’t able to come Friday and Saturday so I had to come today and got there early. And I was so frustrated to see that they had no option for 2 lobsters on a plate!!! This has never happened in all the years I’ve been! If you can give 2 lobsters on a plate Friday and Saturday, the people who come on Sunday deserve the same deal! IT’S ALL ABOUT THE $$$!
Today, the lobster was small, they didn’t do a good job opening them, and they forgot to add the butter packet to my tray. Just felt sloppy.
Overall, it felt different this year. Maybe next year I’ll drive down to Mexico for lobster if they don’t get their act together!

Never again, it pains me to write a bad review for lobsterfest but what a shite experience! I invited a friend to come join me for the largest lobsterfest on planet earth and we stood in line. for hours. that’s all we did. never even made it to the live music area and we were there for four hours. That’s right, four hours of standing in line. You have to stand in line to buy a ticket to stand in line again, for everything. The person in charge of this event should be shot in front of their children, what an embarrassment. I apologized to my friend and we went to a bar after four hours of waiting for a lobster meal. Was the meal good? After four hours does it fucking matter? Nope.

Came back again, and it didn’t disappoint. Still the best lobster I’ve had around here.
Compared to a few years back, this place seems to have slightly more vendors. The food vendors had more lobster based things (lobster mac and cheese, lobster quesadilla, lobster fries) that I hadn’t remembered from before.
There’s a huge canopy area where you can sit and eat lobster, but unfortunately some people seem to just plant themselves there all day leaving many to eat without a seat.
The beer selection is something that could use some improvement, but with anheuser busch’s recent acquisition of Golden Road, I expect that to be on tap next year.
Everything is cash only, there’s an ATM on site but get cash first so you don’t have to pay their fees.

Do yourself a favor and stay away. Go get lobster at a restaurant that is known for it because it was AWFUL! You would think considering the wait it would be great, it tasted like poop. They say that lobsters are from Maine… There’s no way those are Maine lobsters they taste like barrio lobsters.
This had to be the most unorganized event I have ever been to in my life also. It was literally one idiot away from starting a brawl. There was no supervision what so ever and a bunch of pissed off people who had to wait in lines everywhere they went. I mean when you wait 2+ hours for lobster that’s completely stupid. You could have literally swam out into the ocean, caught a lobster and cooked it yourself quicker than having someone else cook it for you here. I also waited 30 min to get a damn lemonade. To make things worse there was no actual line to get the lobster so people just made up a line and everything was scattered. It was really an awful experience.
To sum it up if you like going to Disneyland on Saturdays and waiting in 1 – 2 hour lines you’ll love this festival! If not go somewhere, pay an extra 20 bucks and get a lobster in 20 minutes.

The lobster was great yet again. It came with some sides:
Spiced chopped potato which was ok.
Coleslaw that was not bad
A bread
Crab sandwich which was really good
Brownie type muffin thing
Everything was ok to me. The butter was warm the last time I went but it wasn’t this time. But the lobster was oh so good.
There was also a band playing that sounded pretty good. Made for a nice night out.
Going back again tomorrow… Hopefully.

Lobster meals — 4 stars! Delicious main lobster with some good sides. The experience/​festival 2 — 3 stars although the lobster prizes, hats and décor are fun.
I couldn’t miss the «world’s largest lobster festival» so me and the bf took the journey there last night. Left Newport Beach at 7:00pm, two and half hours later we finally had our lobster meals, which were delicious.
The line to buy a ticket to get in was about 20 minutes. Then there was a line to get a wrist band/​ticket for drinks. Then there was a line to get a drink. Then there was a line to get a ticket for lobster. Then there was a line for the lobster. This whole process took an hour and a half so don’t come starving.
The highlight of my night was when this nice lady came up to me while I was in the drink ticket line and gave me 3 tickets she wasn’t going to use. I offered her money and she wouldn’t even take it… nicest women ever, drink tickets are $ 7 each. Thanks again!
I’m glad I checked out the lobster festival but I’m a bit too inpatient for this entire process so I won’t be returning.

Turned away at the gate :-(
On their own website it clearly states «We have hundreds available for purchase at the First Class reception area at the festival entrance at the online price», yet we were told that they were sold out of the first class ticket, and that we should come back tomorrow because they would have more then.
Excuse me? Your own website advertises that you have tickets (I checked it when we were there and it still said this). And, come back tomorrow and we’ll have more? Really? Basically this is saying that they will have more three day passes on the second day. Shady much?
We have come here every year for the last seven years and have never had a problem getting a first class ticket at the gate on a Friday night. We usually buy 15 – 20 extra lobster tickets right there and then as well (which usually run out by Saturday night, then we get more lol).
Oh well, they have lost two life long customers tonight.

This review is solely for the festival.
I had high hopes. But even 100 feet away, I could tell it was gonna be a disappointment. The whole area was very small with probably 3 rides at the most, and maybe 4 game stalls. Hhhmm… It was basically 33% carnival, 33% food stalls, 33% shopping stalls and 1% Porta Potties.
Wait, they did have a concert area south of the area.
By the way, lots of police visibility just like at the 626 Night Market event. Perfect.
Everything was pricey:
Entrance fee = $ 10
2 Lobster Meal (5 stars) = $ 34 for 2 lobsters, a roll, a cup of fried potatoes, and a cup of coleslaw. I ate the lobsters and nothing more. It was so good; I didn’t even had to dip it on butter. I was happy with just the drizzle of lemon on top.
Fried Calamari (1 star) = $ 10 for calamari that I saw was taken out from the freezer. The servers were so nice I almost feel bad giving it a one star but it was horrible. Not worth the price.
Coke (–) = $ 7/​can? Seriously?
Flavored beer slushie (5 stars) = $ 7/​cup; all the flavors rocked. I loved it.
Free parking. If you have a small car, you don’t even have to go far to find parking. Everyone else went 10 blocks away for the free parking but I got to park right across the street. Score!

Every year we go it seems like it gets a little more boring.
For first times. You can expect the regular carnival games. The vendor booths who sell shirts, hats, dresses, toys. Etc
They also have food booths for shrimp, hotdogs, kettle corn, clam chowder, Thai food… Etc.
What I recommend is coming early so you won’t have a problem with parking. You won’t have a problem with finding a seat, and the lobster line will be short.
Entrance fee $ 10 with online coupon is $ 9
You can buy 2 lobsters for $ 34 or one for $ 20. They do not allow outside food or drinks. You cannot bring your own chairs. Which is kind of silly because they have a picnic area.
They have live bands. Some are good.
They have a pirate show for the kids.
And this year they had a lot of alcoholsamples for the adults.
Now about the lobster.
It’s steamed it comes with potatoes and a side of butter. Coleslaw too! They have an area where they can cut it open for you. Less work you know. Overall I stay about 4 – 5 hours max.
Best deal for yummy Maine lobsters!