Just 22 miles offshore the coast near Los Angeles lies a small island that feels like arriving at another country. Catalina Island, the only inhabited of the Channel Islands, is a natural beauty with turquoise waters beneath cliffside homes, evoking the charm of Italy’s Amalfi Coast. It’s been deemed to have one of the prettiest small towns in California and a locals-only secret for a scenic getaway, but the 76-square-mile isle can also burst to life if an event is being held.
I had the chance to witness the island pulse with energy for its popular event that kicks off the summer season: the Catalina Wine Mixer. If the name sounds familiar, you likely heard it from the 2008 hit comedy “Step Brothers,” featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. The fictional event was hailed in the film as “the biggest helicopter-leasing event in the Western Hemisphere,” and it was the turning point for the two middle-aged characters to go from butting heads to bonding. It culminates in the final scenes of the movie.
Throughout the weekend event, guests don shirts inspired by Step Brothers. To say it’s become an iconic event for the island is a bit of an understatement, as it just celebrated its decennial. “The real Catalina Wine Mixer was an idea the Catalina Island Company had 10 years ago as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the wildly popular Step Brothers movie,” Hunter Rusack, chief operating officer for Catalina Island Company, told USA TODAY in a statement. “It began as a fun way to bring visitors to the island and has grown into the annual celebration of the film’s cult following.”
Over 3,000 travelers descended on Catalina this year to live out the real-life wine mixer, with events hosted around the only city of Avalon – which feels more like a small village than a city. All weekend, people proudly wear custom made T-shirts repping the faces of the two actors or the most famous lines from the movie. Others simply enjoy sipping a variety of wine against the backdrop of Mt. Orizaba, the island’s tallest mountain peak. The wine mixer is meant to be unadulterated fun, boosted by the island’s sunwashed setting.
No matter what travelers seek – whether fun or relaxation – the idyllic isle offers a refreshing break from the daily grind – and it’s just an easy hour-long ferry ride from the greater Los Angeles area. This is the charm of Catalina Island.
What is Catalina Island?
Catalina Island sits as the southernmost of the Channel Islands, an archipelago comprising Channel Islands National Park although it’s not part of it. The island’s first inhabitants were the Gabrielino Indigenous Peoples, and the island has changed ownership since the 1800s until purchased by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr. His descendants still own
