South Bay Summer Camps

Updated October 18, 2026. Dates and fees on this page are from summer 2026 unless they say 2027.

If you are planning summer 2027 for a child, a teen or yourself anywhere from El Segundo to San Pedro, registration for most programs opens between November and May, and several of them filled last summer. This guide covers the city parks and recreation camps, the school district summer programs, Junior Lifeguards, and the art, theater, music, STEM, nature, ocean and sports camps across the South Bay, city by city.

Each city page lists programs with their summer 2026 dates, fees and registration as the program published them, plus any 2027 details already posted, so you can set up your accounts and pick your weeks before registration opens.

• Registration calendar
• Camps by city
• Junior Lifeguards
• School districts
• What city camps charge
• Free and low-fee
• How registration works
• South Bay wide programs
• Questions

When does summer camp registration open in the South Bay?

Here is what each program did for summer 2026 and what it has posted for 2027 so far, in the order the windows come up.

Find summer camps by city

How does the LA County Junior Lifeguard program choose who gets in?

The Los Angeles County Fire Department runs Junior Lifeguards for ages 9 to 17. South Bay classes meet at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, Torrance Beach, Redondo Beach at Avenue A, Tim Kelly at 2nd Street and Hermosa 14th at the Hermosa Pier, Manhattan Beach at Marine Street, and El Segundo at the Jetty. The county’s FAQ updated for 2027 also lists Dockweiler Beach for the B and C groups. Groups go by age on July 1: C group 9 to 11, B group 12 to 13, A group 14 to 17.

In 2026 there were two four-week sessions, Monday, June 15 to Friday, July 10 and Monday, July 13 to Friday, August 7, with morning classes from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and afternoon classes from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the beaches that offer them.

New applicants create a parent profile on the county’s Junior Lifeguard site and sign up for one swim test: 100 yards freestyle in under 1:50 for the C group, 1:40 for the B group and 1:30 for the A group, with a birth certificate or passport. In 2026 the tests ran Saturday, March 14 at George Mannon Aquatic Center, Sunday, March 22 at Loyola Marymount University, Sunday, March 29 at Palisades Charter High School and Sunday, April 12 at Greater Whittier Regional Aquatic Center.

Once every test is done, the county gives each applicant a randomly generated selection number and enrolls in that order, and the county says which test a child attends does not change that order. Junior Lifeguards who completed the prior summer reserve their places through a returning registration the county emails in early spring.

The county’s 2026 program page listed an estimated $635 per child, and its FAQ updated for 2027 lists an estimated $685. An April 7, 2026 Board of Supervisors motion says $635 was the 2025 fee and the department had proposed $705 for 2026, and the Board moved to pay for rising program expenses from other funding instead of raising the fee. The county says its fee schedule is under review. Financial aid is available to families who apply and qualify.

For 2027 the county’s FAQ says program dates will be posted in January, swim test sign-ups open in early spring, and returning registration is expected between February and March.

The City of Los Angeles runs a separate pool-based Junior Lifeguard Program at Westchester Pool for ages 9 to 17, $50 in 2026, and the City of Torrance lists its own Junior Lifeguards through Torrance Aquatics.

LA County Fire Department Junior Lifeguard program

What do the school districts run in summer?

What do city day camps charge?

City day camps in 2026, with the resident and nonresident rates each city posted:

YMCA day camps in 2026 posted a member rate and a community rate, and the YMCA says membership is not required:

Are there free and low-fee summer programs?

• LAUSD Beyond the Bell summer enrichment: free for LAUSD students in grades TK to 8, with free meals.
• Every Body Plays at LA County parks: a free drop-in program for ages 7 to 17, June 15 to August 7, 2026.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Carson at LAUSD sites: free for current LAUSD students.
• Carson’s Summer of STEM: free for ages 10 to 14.
• YMCA Get Summer: free summer YMCA access for teens in 2026, at the Torrance-South Bay and Gardena-Carson YMCAs.
• LA County Library summer programs in Lomita and Gardena: free.
• LAUSD Beyond Swim Ready: free swim instruction.
• Wilmington YMCA Summer Day Camp: $20 a week in 2026.
• Manhattan Beach Teen Center Summer Camp: $25 a week for Manhattan Beach residents or Manhattan Beach Middle School students.
• City of Los Angeles Junior Lifeguards at Westchester Pool: $50 in 2026.
• El Segundo Rec It Up Camp: $83 a week for residents in 2026.

Help with fees, in each program’s own terms:

• City of El Segundo Recreation Program Scholarship: up to $200 per resident and $600 per household a year for residents who meet the income guidelines.
• City of Torrance scholarship: for Torrance residents under 18, based on household income and subject to funds.
• Redondo Beach Educational Foundation: half price for families who qualify for the RBUSD free and reduced meal program.
• Hermosa Beach City School District: Expanded Learning fees waived for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, are experiencing housing instability or are foster youth.
• PV Kids’ Corner: free for families who qualify for free and reduced meals, through a separate ELO-P registration.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles: financial assistance for most programs, based on family income, household size and available funds.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Carson: the club says it never turns a family away for financial reasons, and scholarships are often available.
• Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club Junior Summer Sailing: scholarships by application.
• MBX Summer School: a limited number of need-based scholarships.
• LA County Junior Lifeguards: financial aid for families who apply and qualify.

How does registration work at the city camps?

• Each city uses its own online system: ActiveNet in Manhattan Beach, WebTrac in Redondo Beach, ESREC.org in El Segundo and torrance.rec.us in Torrance. Set up your household account before opening morning.
• Manhattan Beach opens to residents two weeks ahead of nonresidents, El Segundo one week ahead, and Redondo Beach one week ahead. Hermosa Beach opens to everyone on the same morning and charges residents less. Torrance gives residents priority.
• El Segundo’s resident rate needs a current El Segundo Recreation ID card, which takes two proofs of residency; business addresses do not qualify.
• Manhattan Beach’s 2026 guide said summer camps would not keep waiting lists, and online registration carried a 6.45 percent nonrefundable convenience fee. Registration was also taken by mail, email, the City Hall drop box or in person.
• Redondo Beach cancels camps that are short of their minimum enrollment two weeks out. Its refund requests were due three weeks before the first day and were capped at 75 percent of the camp fee.

Which programs serve the whole South Bay?

Questions people ask about South Bay summer camps

We do our very best to supply facts drawn from official sources so that the information you find here is reliable and accurate. If we find conflicting information, we report on all of it. Program details come from each program’s own pages and the cities’ published guides, read October 16, 2026. Dates, fees, ages and rules change from year to year, so check with the program before you register.

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