Above: A fence goes up around Halvorsen Park on Thursday

You want a free concert? These are the rules, courtesy the City of Eureka: 

Thousands of attendees are expected for the Sara Bareilles at Halvorsen Park concert on Sunday afternoon and there is a lot of excitement building locally. Enclosed is information that both attendees and the general public should know:

Location and Road Closures:

Sunday’s concert will be held at Halvorsen Park in Eureka, just off Waterfront Drive near the Humboldt Aquatic Center and Samoa Bridge. 

Waterfront Drive will be closed for the next three days to accommodate event set-up. The community should take care to avoid this route. 

Event Timing and Capacity: 

Gates will open at Halvorsen Park at 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. 
The community should be aware that even though tickets were free, this is now a sold-out event and capacity for the venue is expected to be quickly reached. Only valid ticket holders should plan to make their way to Halvorsen Park on Sunday afternoon. 

Expect crowds, and stay both patient and neighborly as they select their ideal viewing location within the park. 

Music is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. Bareilles is expected to take the stage between 4 - 4:30 p.m. The entire event is expected to conclude before sundown. 

Safety and Security:

Protection of the community is the city’s top priority. The event will be secured by the Eureka Police Department, the United States Coast Guard, and a highly trained private security team experienced with managing concert events of this style and scale.  

Tickets Required:

This is a free event with limited capacity. Tickets are required and attendees should come prepared to show their tickets on their phones or in a printed format to gain entry. Tickets should be shown before boarding shuttles and at gate entry.

At this time all tickets have been reserved and capacity for the event is expected to be reached.

Attendee Access and Parking:

This is a large-scale event and attendees should expect a high volume of traffic in downtown and Old Town on Sunday. Traffic levels may be like those during annual fourth of July firework festivities. Attendees should pre-plan their access route and parking plan accordingly.
On-street parking will be available throughout Old Town, Downtown, and the Bridge District, as well as city parking lots, including the large gravel lot at 1st and D Streets. 

Attendees parking in these locations can walk to the venue, arriving by Waterfront Drive from the east or west or L Street from the south. 

Readmittance:

Once inside the concert area, there will be no readmittance allowed for anyone who exits the secured area. 

Bike Parking: 

Biking to the event is ecologically friendly and encouraged. The lot at the northeast corner of 2nd and L Streets will be available for monitored bike parking throughout the day.

Shuttles: 

To ease event access and help attendees avoid more congested areas of town, shuttles will be provided to and from remote parking locations at Humboldt Plaza (2440 6th Street), Sequoia Conference Center (901 Myrtle Avenue), and Redwood Acres (3750 Harris Street). 

Attendees will need to present valid event tickets to ride the shuttles. To help smooth and expedite access for everyone, please have your tickets pulled up and ready to show to both shuttle drivers and gate agents as you enter the event. 

One small folding chair and soft sided cooler per person is allowed on the shuttle. Strollers must be compact and foldable. Wagons and handcarts are not permitted on shuttles or in the park due to anticipated space constraints. 

Shuttles will begin operation at 12:30.

Prohibited Items and Bag Checks:

To accommodate and protect the large audience anticipated at this event, attendees should expect bag checks and scans with magnetic wands, and adhere strictly to the following guidelines:  
ALLOWABLE ITEMS

  • Small soft sided coolers (12 pack size, no outside alcohol allowed)
  • One portable chair per person
  • One small bag per person similar in size to a school backpack (16” X 16” X 8”)
PROHIBITED ITEMS
  • NO firearms (even if attendee is a CCW holder)
  • NO knives or weapons of any kind
  • NO glass
  • NO outside alcohol
  • NO illegal substances, drugs, or drug paraphernalia
  • NO smoking or vaping inside the venue
  • NO animals (except certified service animals)
  • NO fireworks
  • NO bicycles, skateboards, and scooters inside the venue
  • NO drones
  • NO tents or canopies
  • NO wagons, dollies, or handcarts
  • NO umbrellas
Prohibited items found during bag checks must be returned to vehicles or be confiscated and disposed of by event staff. No prohibited items will be held at the gates or stored by event or public safety personnel.

Event Accessibility & Special Accommodations:

Halvorsen Park is ADA accessible and event planners have designated an ADA accessible viewing area available for wheelchair access and similar special access accommodation requirements. Attendees who qualify for entry can also bring one companion with them into this designated space. 

ADA accessible portable restrooms will also be available onsite. 
Limited parking for attendees with valid disabled plates or placards will be available in the two lots across the street from the Adorni Center at 2nd and L Streets.

Shuttle buses are standard Humboldt Transit Bus System vehicles and will accommodate a wide variety of transportation accommodation needs. 

Food and Beverage:

There will be approximately 15 vendors inside the event offering a selection of food and beverage for purchase. 

Attendees are also invited to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages into the event. Picnics can be brought in using soft sided coolers and hand-carry bags only. Hard sided coolers, wagons, dollies, and alcoholic beverages are not permitted. 

Attendees should be prepared for bag checks and should avoid attempting to bring prohibited items into the event. Prohibited items cannot be held during the event. If found, attendees can return the item to their vehicle or choose to have it confiscated. 

Restrooms:

There will be a designated portable restroom area inside the park. Handicapped restrooms will also be available. 

Waiting List & Additional Tickets: 

There has been an enthusiastic response to tickets to the free concert, and all tickets were reserved in less than 12 hours. 

Community members who may be holding tickets they are not planning to use are encouraged to return them using this form: https://forms.gle/MEtT4LGPwJB54Jum9. Doing so will allow members on the waitlist to receive tickets as space allows. 

If additional tickets become available, members of the active waiting list will be notified via email. Unfortunately, it is widely expected that not everyone on the waiting list will be able to get tickets.

To help maximize enjoyment of this special event for the entire community, attendees are encouraged to share space, to remain respectful in their choices, and maintain patience with each other throughout the event!

Boating Access: 

Many people have expressed interest in listening to the concert from the bay. Tickets will not be necessary to do so, nor will sound quality be guaranteed. 

The Coast Guard will be monitoring the area to ensure the active waterway is not blocked. There will be a 50 ft. buoy area around the docks, and mooring will not be permitted along the waterfront. 

During the event, the boat ramp under Samoa Bridge and the boat ramp at the Aquatic Center will both be closed. Access to Woodley Island will also be restricted during the event. 

The launch at the foot of F and C Streets, and the Eureka Public Marina will be open and have parking. 

Merchandise: 

Limited Sara Bareilles concert merchandise will be available for sale on site during the event. Community members wishing to purchase merchandise are strongly encouraged to do so online here.

Closing Thoughts: 

This is a very special, first-of-its-kind event in the city of Eureka. The concert was made possible by the tremendous generosity of Sara Bareilles and her team, and many volunteers and professionals who have spent the last several weeks planning for this unique community celebration. 

The city wishes to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make this day possible and encourages the attendees to arrive ready to celebrate Sara Bareilles and all of the tremendous talent that hails from this special place.