California

Giant Rubber Duck Moved So On-lookers Must Visit Tall Ships Festival

A tug-of-war over whether to keep the duck where it could be seen for free resulted into it being moved to the World Cruise Terminal

The six-story tall floating rubber duckie drawing crowds from all over SoCal to the Port of LA in San Pedro has been moved to the World Cruise Terminal because it’s too popular, an event organizer said Friday.

So many people wanted to see the duck and take selfies with it that event workers moved the goliath waterfowl from where it was being kept near the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

The catch: now you have to pay the general admission fee at this weekend’s Tall Ships Festival to get close enough to snap those selfies.

The 11-ton duck - the work of a Dutch artist - is the headliner for the event, and has been cruising around the world, including traveling to Asia, Australia and South America before making it’s California stop.

The festival marked the duck’s first appearance on the West Coast.

In its new location, people will have more space to view the duck, said Craig Samborksi, the executive producer for the event.

Where the duck sat before, visitors could get a picture of the event’s largest attraction without joining the festival. In its new spot, the view from the road is obstructed, so curious onlookers will likely have to enter the festival to get a decent photo.

Now, event-goers must enter the festival, walk past the other participating ships and vendors before getting to the duck.

A smaller “baby” duck was moved to the Downtown Harbor. Live entertainment and more than 50 food vendors are featured in the festival.

Samborksi said the duck will continue to make appearances after the event ends Sunday, with additional details on where and when set to be released Sunday.

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