Although the ship has seen better days, the Queen Mary will once again serve as the backdrop for a music festival this summer when Insomniac brings its Day Trip dance party to Long Beach.

The promoter announced on Tuesday, March 1, that the second edition of the house music festival, which debuted at NOS Event Center in San Bernardino last July, is set for June 25 and 26 at Harry Bridges Memorial Park, which is also described as the Queen Mary’s waterfront park.

The Queen Mary has been moored in the city since 1967 and found a second life as a busy hotel and events space.

And while Day Trip will be bringing the dance vibes to the waterfront park, no one will be shaking their hips inside the ship.

The Queen Mary, now under the city’s control, has been closed since the pandemic began and has yet to reopen due to critical repairs which the city began in January. According to a report released by the city in November, it will cost an estimated $5 million in order for the ship to reopen sometime this year.

The city is looking for museums, preservation groups and developers to take and preserve historic lifeboats from the Queen Mary, which are being removed as part of the renovation.

This won’t be the first time the Queen Mary-adjacent site has been used for a music festival. Several concert promoters, including Goldenvoice, held events at the 15,000-person capacity park adjacent to the ship. In 2017, Goldenvoice got exclusive rights to produce festivals in the park when it entered into a partnership with Urban Commons, the company that operated the city-owned ship at the time.

Related links

How the Queen Mary became a mini music festival hot spot in 2018
Long Beach regains full control of Queen Mary for first time in 40 years
Day Trip’s long, strange journey from the waterfront to San Bernardino
Day Trip’s detour to San Bernardino is full of sunshine

Goldenvoice, which produces the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, brought several concerts to the waterside park over the years, including Smokin’ Grooves, Just Like Heaven, Summertime in the LBC and One Love Cali Reggae Fest, which was the last large-scale music festival held at the park in February 2020 just before the pandemic hit.

The pandemic also caused the cancellation of the ship’s signature events such as the Dark Harbor Halloween event and the Queen Mary Christmas.

In June 2021, Urban Commons surrendered its lease and the oversight and management of the historic ocean liner has returned to Long Beach.

City officials declined to answer further questions about partnerships or the future of concerts at the park on Tuesday. Insomniac officials didn’t return a request for comment before publication.

Goldenvoice has now moved to the other side of the bay at Marina Green Park with the California Vibrations Festival (aka Cali Vibes) which was held Feb. 4-6 and was similar in feel to the former One Love Cali Reggae Festival.

Although no one will get to party in the ship, Day Trip and its LED-light-wielding fans and energetic music, could be a bright moment once again for the Queen Mary.

Tickets for Day Trip go on sale to the general public at noon Friday, March 4. Pre-sale tickets will be available Thursday, March 3, for ticket holders from the inaugural 2021 event. A lineup has not yet been announced for the event.

For tickets and information, visit daytripfest.com.

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