A free musical fountain at the San Pedro Gateway, where water jets dance to classical, pop and film music beside a sunken walkway you can stroll right through.
Fanfare Fountain is a free, music-synchronized fountain at Gateway Plaza, where Harbor Boulevard meets Swinford Street at the north end of the San Pedro waterfront. It opened in 2008 as the welcome feature for visitors arriving by the Harbor Freeway or the World Cruise Center next door.
Show times
The fountain plays a song every 30 minutes through the day, with a song every 10 minutes during the lunch hour and an evening show hour. Schedules shift with the season. In past years the fountain has run 10 am to 10 pm from May through November and 10 am to 9 pm from December through April. Shows can stop for maintenance, so check with the Port of Los Angeles if you’re planning around one.
What to expect
Dozens of jets shoot vertical columns and fan-shaped sprays in time to a mix of classical, popular and film music. A sunken path cuts through the middle of the fountain, so you can walk between the jets, and an arc of Canary Island palms and wooden benches lines the plaza. It’s especially good after dark, when the fountain is lit.
WET Design, the firm behind the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, designed it.
Nearby
The Battleship USS Iowa and the World Cruise Center are next door. Walk south along the Harbor Boulevard Parkway Promenade to the interactive fountain at Second Street, where kids can play in the water, and on to the Maritime Museum and downtown San Pedro.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fanfare Fountain free?
Yes. It is a public plaza, free to visit at any time the fountain is running.
Where is Fanfare Fountain?
At San Pedro Gateway Plaza, at Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street, next to the World Cruise Center and the Battleship USS Iowa.
How often does the fountain play?
A song every 30 minutes during the day, and every 10 minutes during the lunch hour and an evening show hour. Times change by season.