LA Fleet Week 2025 Showcases Sea Service Heritage and Military-Civilian Collaboration Across Los Angeles

Memorial Day Weekend Event Impacted over One Million Participants, Highlighting Mission to Honor Veterans, Educate Public, Foster Civic/Military Partnerships

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- LA Fleet Week 2025, the annual multi-day celebration of our nation’s Sea Services, which recognized the 250th birthdays of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, welcomed over 100,000 visitors to the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles for ship tours and the LA Fleet Week Expo. In addition, hundreds of active duty Navy and Coast Guard sailors and Marines participated in a variety of volunteer projects and public activities throughout Los Angeles.

Los Angeles’s largest Memorial Day weekend event is planned and executed through a partnership that includes Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, Port Police and public safety partners, USO, and Battleship IOWA. These key partners bring together the private and public sectors to develop community programs that benefit area residents and prepare the region for major events such as FIFA World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

LA Fleet Week Raised Awareness of the Role and Importance of the Nation’s Sea Services

During LA Fleet Week, more than 20,000 visitors experienced the past, present, and future of the nation’s Sea Services through tours of the active-duty U.S. Navy dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry, guided-missile destroyer USS Carl Levin, and unmanned surface vehicle USV Mariner, Coast Guard sailing vessel USCGC Eagle, and the historic Battleship IOWA.

In addition to a variety of aerial flyovers, static displays, and demonstrations by various military and first responder organizations, the LA Fleet Week Expo hosted the much-anticipated Galley Wars competition in which the culinary team from the Coast Guard defeated the teams from the Navy, Marine Corps, LA Port Police, and LA Fire Department. Other programs included the Military Has Talent contest, the dodgeball tournament, and the first-ever Esports competition featuring student teams from nine local high schools facing off against the U.S. Navy team.

Eight neighborhood activations, which included The Grove and the City of Orange, enabled “neighborhoods” to participate in LA Fleet Week by hosting visiting sailors and Marines, and allowing them to interact with and experience the hospitality of their officials and residents. The service members also engaged with the public during their participation in activities that included attending LA Dodgers and LA Angels baseball games, visiting FOX Sports Studio, and spending the day at Disneyland.

Visiting Sailors and Marines Gave Back to the Local Community

Active-duty service members visiting during LA Fleet Week gave back to the local community by volunteering their time in support of several nonprofit organizations. Service members cleaned the facilities at the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove and the Ronald McDonald House of Long Beach, helped set up the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall and planted flags at the Green Hills Cemetery, organized the warehouse at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore location in Bellflower, and sorted over eight tons of produce at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Government and First Responders Collaborated at LA Fleet Week Leadership Summit

The invitation-only Leadership Summit brought together senior and executive leaders from military, business, government, and community organizations to discuss cybersecurity and its role in maritime defense, commerce, and diplomacy. Specific emphasis was placed on preparing Los Angeles for world stage events including the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.

The Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) seminar and exercise enabled military planners and Los Angeles emergency management personnel to work together to refine disaster response plans. The exercise tested military-civilian collaboration in a scenario that simulated an atmospheric river event that caused flooding in Los Angeles.

Educators and Military Leaders Connected to Identify Educational Opportunities for Students

Senior Navy leaders met with educators at the Educator Roundtable at LAUSD headquarters to discuss career pathways in maritime industries, and the integration of military leadership principles into academic settings. Discussions regarding Naval Academy admissions and scholarships raised awareness of opportunities available to LA area students.

“Largely defined by our ship tours and exciting Fleet Week expo activities, LA Fleet Week has become a Memorial Day staple for families in LA, and based upon public feedback and preliminary attendance numbers, this year’s event was another huge success,” explained Jonathan Williams, CEO of the Pacific Battleship Center. “Equally important is the critical role that LA Fleet Week plays as an effective hub for collaboration between a variety of local, regional, and federal agencies and organizations. The deep integration between the military, first responders, and local, regional, and national leaders that took place at the various summits and exercises at this year’s event has undoubtedly contributed to readiness, integration, and collaboration that will improve response to future crises in the L.A. area.”

LA Fleet Week is the largest and highest-profile program of the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center (PBC). The event delivers on the organization’s tenets of raising awareness of the role of the nation’s Sea Services, bridging and supporting communities, facilitating collaboration between local, regional, and federal agencies for disaster preparedness, and inspiring youth to consider careers in the maritime sector. The mission of the PBC will expand to a national audience in October 2025 with the opening of the National Museum of the Surface Navy aboard Battleship IOWA.

About LA Fleet Week

LA Fleet Week is a program of the Pacific Battleship Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In addition to hosting the annual, multi-day celebration of our nation’s Sea Services over the extended Memorial Day weekend each year, LA Fleet Week facilitates numerous symposiums, exercises, and outreaches focused on community resilience, disaster preparedness, and support for area residents.

Kenneth T Hagihara
Pacific Battleship Center
+1 949-796-3112
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