This year’s lobster festival in Redondo Beach opened its doors on Sept. 25 through 27 with a new standard in food and entertainment at the Redondo Beach Seaside Lagoon.

Visitors could buy admission and food tickets online or at the festival. If you bought them online, you needed to go to a separate tent to redeem your online sheet to blue tickets to give to the FISHBAR Bistro Tent. For the first time, Chef Jessica Jordan of FISHBAR Manhattan Beach prepared wonderful small plates of lobster guacamole and chips, lobster rolls, lobster tacos, lobster corn chowder, lobster grilled cheese and street corn. We enjoyed a lobster roll with purple slaw and a lobster taco with slaw. The street corn was cooked until tender, yet didn’t have any spice or cheese to enhance it.

In another tent, Kincaid’s Executive Chef Ramon Fernandez prepared a three-course meal with shrimp cocktail, warm artichoke with dipping sauces followed by a New England lobster boil, complete with corn on the cob, garlic, potato and Cajun sausage.

There was a beverage tent offering eight choices from national and local breweries. Guests purchased tickets to get a cocktail, glass of wine or craft beer that included The Strand Brewing Co., and El Segundo Brewing.

A large tent served small and large lobster dinners with a dinner roll, small red potatoes, small container of melted butter and cole slaw. There was a Cracking Shack for diners who wanted to get to their succulent lobster pieces easily.

Around the lagoon were vendors selling jewelry, clothing, shoes, solar and psychic readings. There was a Hustler Casino giveaway booth where each gift got a prize.

The event hosted by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau Entertainment featured Doors guitarist Robby Krieger on Friday night plus special guests. Saturday will see Bow Wow Wow, The Untouchables, and Flashback Heart Attack.

Friday, Sept. 25 the event is from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26 it begins 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 27 from noon to 8 p.m. 200 Portofino Way. Tickets are on sale at http://www.lobsterfestival.com