Liberty Station To Celebrate 100-Year Anniversary In 2023 With Yearlong Events
Liberty Station, formerly San Diego’s Naval Training Center (NTC) and now one of the city’s top destinations for dining, arts and entertainment, announced its 100-year anniversary will be taking place in 2023.
Liberty Station centennial anniversary begins with a kick-off event in January 2023, the multi-use Southern California destination will celebrate its Centennial throughout the year with a variety of interactive events and activations in honor of the last 100 years as part of the San Diego community.
Portal to the Past
Originally the Navy’s first foothold in Southern California, the property operated as the 600-acre NTC from 1923 to 1997 before transitioning to the 361-acre Southern California historic naval base turned multifaceted lifestyle
destination that it is today.
During the 70 years the property served as the NTC, it was home to almost two million Navy recruits and one million A and C school sailors. The naval history can be seen throughout the community, with many of the original NTC buildings repurposed for use today. Additionally, the USS Recruit, NTC’s training ship nicknamed the Never Sail, remains onsite and serves as a unique artifact of the property’s past.
An experience for the present
Rooted in Naval tradition, Liberty Station will host special programming and military events in 2023, in addition to launching an onsite Centennial exhibition that will feature recollections of past recruits and commanding officer’s
firsthand experiences at the NTC.
In addition, Liberty Station centennial anniversary will introduce a docent program developed specifically for the Centennial with nods to the station’s historical naval roots. The program will include an educational self-guided walking tour to provide
historical knowledge to those interested and will be available from 2023 to 2025.
“Our continued mission has been to preserve and celebrate the history of San Diego’s former Naval Training Center,” said Laurie Albrecht, director of Liberty Station Community Association. “The Centennial provides numerous opportunities for the community to honor this history while inspiring the community to come together in celebration. Today, Liberty Station provides a portal to the past, an experience for the present and a promise for the future.”
More Info
To learn more about how Liberty Station will continue to honor the community’s historical roots, San Diego’s military community and showcase businesses during its Centennial year, please visit here and follow along on Instagram for updates on next year’s events as they are announced.
See you there, San Diego!
