Tenth annual Fleet Week is a wrap as San Pedro ushers in a big summer ahead

Cool weather, clear skies and a just-opened museum exhibit on board the USS Battleship Iowa brought tens of thousands of people out to the 10th annual L.A. Fleet Week over the Memorial Day weekend in San Pedro.

No attendance figures were available from organizers on Tuesday, May 26. But the event’s peak reported attendance in the last couple of years was 100,000 over the course of four days.

Crowds appeared a bit thinner than usual on this year’s opening day, Friday, May 23, according to a couple of regulars involved in the event, though Friday is often the slowest of the four days. Some speculation centered around the state’s high gas prices playing a role in visitor numbers this year.

But while “Friday was slower,” the weekend was busier, said Battleship Iowa CEO Jonathan Williams.

There were throngs of folks flooding the expo grounds next to the Iowa and the historic battleship’s attendance was up  24% this year compared to Fleet Week 2025, Williams said. That was fueled in large part by Sunday’s formal opening of the National Museum of the Surface Navy on board the World War II vessel and a new immersive exhibit there.

“I can tell you that much like Iowa attendance the past year, Friday was slower and the weekends were busier,” Williams said. “The expo was busy throughout the weekend, as was the rest of the waterfront.”

More than 1,000 sailors, Marines, and Coast Guard service members participated this year. The largest visiting ship for tours, the Navy’s USS Essex — which boasts a crew of 1,000 — provided the bulk of that number. Two Coast Guard cutters were also on hand, with crews hosting public tours: Coast Guard Cutter Halibut, an 87-foot Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat stationed in Marina del Rey; and the USCGC Terrell Horne, a Fast Response Cutter based in Long Beach.

It also became clear this year that the waterfront overall is seeing a surge in development and activity as the port town goes through a transformation. That has caused some additional planning and logistical complications regarding berthing space for large military ships — not to mention parking needs for the thousands of visitors who attend Fleet Week.

The Outer Harbor is preparing for both the 2028 Summer Olympics and a new cruise terminal that’s being built. Work also continues on the long-anticipated West Harbor waterfront, which is set to roll out phased openings this summer. That’s all amid what is expected to be an especially busy and crowded Fourth of July weekend, with fireworks marking the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, followed by World Cup viewing parties at West Harbor in late July.

The Port of L.A.’s cruise ship hub is also expanding, with more cruises and ships, along with the new, second passenger terminal.

“LA Fleet Week was epic,” Williams wrote to those who helped organize and staff Fleet Week. “Together, we honored the fallen by building the largest Memorial Day weekend event on the West Coast and continuing to set the standard for Fleet Weeks across the nation. Los Angeles welcomed more than a thousand service members to experience the very best of our region — from Disneyland and the Dodgers to Fox Studios and beyond.

“Tens of thousands of visitors came to the LA Waterfront,” he added, “and activities throughout the area, generating meaningful economic activity for our small businesses and community partners.”

There was no reduction in military participation for Fleet Week this year, Williams said — despite the ongoing Iran War.

“Throughout the weekend,” he wrote in his day-after memo to those who helped put on the event, “our Volunteer Services team and Marine Corps League chapter helped feed staff, volunteers, military personnel and partners who worked tirelessly to support LA Fleet Week.”

When Fleet Week comes around next year, meanwhile, the Iowa’s landslide footprint should be expanded, with a community building in place. While the pre-engineered building, now in storage, will still need an interior build out, it should be available for some kind of Fleet Week use by the time the 11th annual event rolls around during the 2027 Memorial Day weekend, Williams said.

In the coming months, he also said, the new national museum’s on-board exhibit at the Iowa will expand with a “bootcamp” portion in the display — and there will be more exhibits added following that for years to come.

As for handling what will be the continued surge in visitor traffic, Williams said he foresees more parking and other efforts moving up on the priority list to serve the growing waterfront.