The city of Manhattan Beach is planning to install flags and create other enhancements for patriotic holidays, representing a return to traditions that had disappeared during COVID.

The Manhattan Beach City Council discussed the issue on Tuesday night with Parks and Recreation Director Mark Leyman. 

Among the enhancements will be flags installed in 71 locations around town for five days surrounding Memorial Day (two days before, the day of, and two days after) and for five days surrounding the Fourth of July. There will also be a wreath by the Veteran's Memorial Monument for Memorial Day.

The initial proposal called for the flags to remain up between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July but councilmembers expressed concerns that the flags would weather quickly and should not be kept up that long continuously.

For Flag Day (June 14), the city will continue to raise three flags at City Hall.

(The city document calls for 3'x5" flags but we assume they mean 3'x5' flags, or else the might be looking at a Stonehenge-type situation.)

Furthermore, the city is considering waiving the $93.50 fee for block parties (that include street closures) on the Fourth of July.

For Veteran's Day, the city will look toward future enhancements such as a street closure around the Veteran's memorial on the Greenbelt, and a "Thank You Veterans" banner to hang downtown. 

And for 9/11, the city will plan to do a broader promotion of the annual 9/11 ceremony held by the Manhattan Beach police and fire departments. Currently, the city promotes a larger celebration every five years, but since the ceremony occurs every year, the city agreed to promote it every year as a more community-inclusive annual event. The city will also light the Manhattan Beach Pier red, white, and blue to mark this event.

At the annual Salute to the Troops event, which is the first Sunday concert that kicks off the summer concert series at Polliwog Park each year, the city will install 30 flags at Polliwog Park. The city will also investigate the costs of having a Tiger Squadron flyover at the event. 

And for Hanukkah, there will be Menorah lights at Metlox Plaza.

In July 2023, a computer programming issue resulted in a failure to light the Manhattan Beach Pier in red, white, and blue as expected for the Fourth of July. The city apologized for and fixed the snafu but still encountered criticism for not doing enough to mark the holiday.

In response, the City Council called for an exploration on how to enhance patriotic celebrations. The Parks and Rec Department created an ad hoc committee to make recommendations to the council.