LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--L.A. Street Festival, a new, annual urban event, will debut over two days and nights this September in El Segundo, Calif. The festival will feature a world-class 3x3 basketball tournament, esports competitions, side contests, dunking, music, break dancing, gaming activations and kids play zones to entertain the public both at the event and through digital platforms and broadcast.
The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) announced last November that the Los Angeles organizing committee had won the bid to host the inaugural edition of the World Urban Games. Since then, GAISF and the L.A. organizing committee have had ongoing discussions about the sports program composition and a long-term multi-edition event hosting model. The event concept has evolved to focus on 3x3 basketball, esports and a cultural festival – renamed the L.A. Street Festival – to maximize youth engagement in the unique Southern California market.
The competition will also include the FIBA World Tour event, alongside esports competitions featuring star players.
Soon-Shiong, Chairman and CEO of NantWorks and Owner and Executive Chairman of the Los Angeles Times, said that the L.A. Street Festival will highlight his vision to create a collision between the worlds of urban sports, esports and entertainment.
“We have formed a partnership with FIBA, the international basketball federation, who governs the sport globally and have escalated 3x3’s growth from the streets to the Olympics,” Soon-Shiong said. “Our street festival will feature the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters, as a qualification pathway to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, together with a mix of top players in a multi-titled esports competition on center court."
“It’s an exciting time for 3x3, just one year before its Olympic debut,” FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said. “2019 will be a record year for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour with an all-time high 11 events over an all-time long eight month season.
“We’re thrilled to make our first-ever appearance in Los Angeles. 3x3 is a celebration of basketball and the urban culture, two things that L.A. has in its DNA. We are convinced that we have found the right partner in NantMedia and the L.A. Times.”
The organizing committee plans to stage the event near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in a central, compact location accessible by public transportation and close to freeways. A purpose-built urban park will be constructed in El Segundo for the event, to facilitate engagement with the local communities. Subsequent editions will be co-constructed with event partners. The spirit of both the competition and the festival will reflect the best in youth-driven sports, urban culture and community engagement. For more information, visit LAStreetfestival.com.
