Sail down memory lane with the Yacht Rock Festival on Oct. 11 

Longing to visit the past?

Now you can sail back to the ‘70s and ‘80s with retro flair at the first-ever San Diego Yacht Rock Festival on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 4-10 p.m. at Ingram Plaza in Liberty Station, 2751 Dewey Rd.

Flash back with unforgettable sets from “Monsters of Yacht,” “Harbor Party,” and “Yachty By Nature,” with each band bringing their strongest material to the stage. It will be a day and night of silky soft-rock harmonies and timeless classics powered by a full-size concert stage, line array sound, and full festival lighting.

Promoters are thrilled to welcome Elliot Lurie, the original voice of the yacht rock anthem “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” Fans will have the rare opportunity to meet Elliot and grab a photo.

Enjoy America’s best yacht rock bands while sampling select wines, bubbly craft cocktails, and gourmet eats.

The cost is $60 for general admission, with VIP options available.

A subgenre of soft rock popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Yacht rock is characterized by smooth, polished production, jazz-influenced melodies, R&B, soul, and disco elements, as well as a laid-back, “breezy” vibe.

The term was coined in 2005 by creators of the online comedy series Yacht Rock, which humorously connected the music with Southern California boating culture. Common artists associated with the genre include Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and The Doobie Brothers.

Michael Esposito, co-founder of San Diego’s inaugural Yacht Rock Festival, is promoting the event.

Esposito joined forces with two mixologist partners in 2010 to form Snake Oil Cocktail Company, a business created to help elevate the cocktail craft.

Snake Oil was inspired by a decade of Esposito’s work in marketing and special events management. He has also worked as an event producer with a focus on event promotions, marketing, sponsor acquisition, and technical AV production. 

Through his career, Esposito has helped grow and develop distinctive culinary events, conferences, and non-profit fundraisers.

Speaking of the origin of their company name, Esposito said, “We were bartending and people were coming up to us and telling their life stories. We were selling mixers and elixers, and we felt like old school snake oil salesmen. That’s how we got started with the mixology culture.”

Esposito said it began with a conversation with his wife about how nice it would be to “promote rock events around town,” at which point they decided, “Let’s give it a shot.”

Tana Lorah, Snake Oil’s chief operating officer, said their company fell in love with the idea of hosting a live musical event that would feature the company’s upscale craft cocktails. “We thought this first foray into producing events would be really fun,” she said, adding, “This is our first outdoor and yacht rock event.”

Esposito noted Snake Oil has hosted a wide variety of events – 800 over the past 15 years. To do that, he said it’s been necessary to “bring some experience together,” adding they agreed it “would be a blast to move in this direction.

“Now we’ve moved into the venue management side of the business.”

Snake Oil noted the demographic they are most appealing to is “people in their 40s to mid-60s” who grew up with the yacht rock genre.

Esposito pointed out yacht rock is definitely a crowd-pleasing music style. “People sing along,” he said. “It’s very themed-out. People show up with captain’s hats and costumes. It’s a fun way to bring all these bands and this culture together. It’s a great way to extend summer a bit and allow people to listen to great music with their friends.”

There will be a variety of food vendors at the San Diego Yacht Rock Festival, which will also have Snake Oil craft cocktails available.

Event guests can bring low-profile beach chairs, but camping or lawn chairs are not allowed. Normal beach towel-sized blankets are allowed, but oversized picnic blankets are not.

Re-entry is not permitted. Outside food and beverages are also not permitted.