Blue Zones Project Riverside Kick-Off Festival

Celebrating Community, Connection, and Well-Being

RIVERSIDE, Calif., May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Zones Project Riverside invites the entire community to a one-of-a-kind well-being event on Saturday, May 17 from 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Riverside Municipal Airport. This free family-friendly festival marks the public launch of Blue Zones Project Riverside, the exciting initiative working to transform the city into a place where healthy choices are easy and accessible for everyone.

Guest Speakers:

• Dan Buettner Jr., Blue Zones EVP and Chief Development Officer
• Patricia Lock Dawson, Mayor of Riverside
• Steven Robillard, Riverside Councilmember for Ward 3
• Erin Edwards, Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Riverside and former Riverside Councilwoman Ward 1
• Leimamo Taylor, Owner of Riverside Airport Café, the first Blue Zones Approved restaurant in Riverside

Kickoff Activities:

• AIRPLANE SPOTTING for kids of all ages
• SALSA DANCING by Tierra Collective
• MARIACHI PERFORMANCE by Riverside Arts Academy Mariachi Juvenil de Riverside
• BALLET FOLKLORICO de Chemawa performance
• COMMUNITY YOGA by Ms. Maggie Cosner
• TAEKWONDO DEMO by Aguila Taekwondo Association
• FAMILY ZUMBA by Riverside Community Health Foundation
• OUTDOOR STORYTIME by the Riverside Public Library
• COOKING DEMOS & FOOD SAMPLES
• MEET the Blue Zones Project team and community partners
• FOOD VENDORS and much more!

To RSVP, volunteer, or learn more: 
Blue Zones Project Riverside Kickoff Festival Tickets, Sat, May 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

Blue Zones Project is a community-led initiative designed to help people live better, longer lives with lower rates of chronic disease by implementing permanent and semi-permanent changes to policies, systems, streets, surroundings, and social networks so it's easier for residents to eat wisely, move naturally, and connect more with others as they move throughout their day.

Blue Zones Project Riverside is led by Executive Director Erin Edwards, who is leading the rollout and implementation of the Project. Edwards, the former Riverside Councilwoman of Ward 1, is a Riverside resident and champion and brings nearly two decades of professional experience to the role. As Councilwoman, Erin represented 45,000 residents; created Riverside's 6-pillar Homelessness Action Plan; sparked the Riverside Nonprofit Resilience Fund and Affordable Housing Trust Fund; and championed Riverside's Community Engagement Policy, Street Outreach Nurse program, Wildlands public safety teams, and Parks & Neighborhood Specialists program. Erin also served as Chair of the Riverside City Council's Housing & Homelessness Committee; on the Governing Board of Riverside County's Continuum of Care; and two terms as Riverside's Mayor Pro Tempore. Prior to her role as a Riverside Councilmember, Erin served with The Equality Fund, the United Way, and the Northside Anti-Hunger Network, as well as two terms with AmeriCorps. Learn more about Edwards and her full-time team: bluezonesprojectriverside.com/meet-our-team/.

To learn more about Blue Zones Project Riverside visit bluezonesprojectriverside.com.

About Blue Zones in Riverside County
Blue Zones Project^® is brought to Riverside County by Blue Zones and leading organizations Riverside University Health System - Public Health, Inland Empire Health Plan Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare, and Eisenhower Health. In collaboration with the County of Riverside and the Cities of Riverside, Banning, Palm Springs, and Coachella, this innovative partnership brings together private and public organizations under a shared vision to support, build, and measurably improve community well-being across the County. Blue Zones Projects have launched in Riverside, Banning, Coachella, and Palm Springs, while Mead Valley begins a policy-focused Blue Zones Activate. Over five years, local leadership and the local Blue Zones Project teams will implement the Blue Zones Life Radius^® model to make healthy choices easier throughout the region through permanent and semi-permanent changes to the built environment, food environment, public policies, and social networks.

About Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city's environment, policy, and social networks. Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures of the world—or blue zones —with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner's findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Blue Zones launched the first pilot community in 2009 in Albert Lea, MN with groundbreaking results. Directly and also in partnership with Sharecare, the model has since been applied to more than 75 communities in the United States. Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. For more information, visit bluezones.com.

Contact:
Erin Edwards
Blue Zones Project Riverside, Executive Director
[email protected]
815-793-4957

Naomi Imatome-Yun
[email protected]
917-952-8534

SOURCE Blue Zones