Come check out an amazing beach party and watch the world’s best beach volleyball players compete for serious bragging rights during this weekend’s AVP Manhattan Beach Open. The birthplace of the sport is right here in the South Bay, and the area has produced the best of the best, including Olympic Gold medalists. The AVP is back and beach volleyball in the South Bay is still unforgettable. The 57th Manhattan Beach Open nets through the weekend, one of the longest, continuous tournaments in the sport of beach volleyball.
The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), the premiere domestic professional beach volleyball tour in the U.S. hosts eight beach volleyball events in seven states, including the final FIVB Olympic Qualifying event in the U.S. before Rio, in Cincinnati throughout the summer. The AVP is home to a number of the South Bay’s top athlete’s like Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh-Jennings (2004, 2008, 2012) and two-time Olympian Sean Rosenthal (2008, 2012).
The community of Manhattan Beach loves this event. Besides navigating the crowded Strand, many people duck into Shellback’s or Ercoles for a cold beer to escape from the sun for a few minutes. With an open qualifying tournament on Thursday, July 14 and main-draw play Friday, July 15-Sunday, July 17, stars like Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, silver medalist April Ross and Olympians Jake Gibb and Nicole Branagh will serve, set and spike in the famously deep Manhattan Beach sand.
To help transport beach volleyball fans, the AVP Manhattan Beach Open provides shuttle service on Saturday from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. & Sunday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Free shuttle service to MBO is available form the following location: Manhattan Village Field (1300 Park View Avenue, just west of Manhattan Country Club). General admission is free. VIP ticket options are available at www.avp.com.