The inaugural Ocean Way music festival has been cancelled.
The music festival – set to take place on the beach in Santa Monica, California on September 26 and 27 – featured a line-up including The Killers, Jack White, Olivia Dean and BLOND:ISH.
However, it has been axed due to erosion along the shore caused by recent hurricane-level forces off the coast.
A statement from the city of Santa Monica said that the festival “has been cancelled after storm surf generated by Hurricane Marie and runoff from a storm drain outfall eroded a large portion of the festival site over Labor Day weekend. The beach can no longer safely accommodate the festival production and audience capacity, and with construction and load-in set to begin next week, the city determined that cancellation was the only responsible option. Plans are already underway to bring the Ocean Way Festival back to Santa Monica in 2027.”
The statement went on to explain that “the surf stripped sand from the beach south of the Pier, which would have required moving the safe shoreline setback for the festival 96 feet inland. At the same time, runoff from the Pico-Kenter Storm Drain outfall cut through the southern end of the site, forcing the festival’s southern boundary to move around 500 hundred feet to the north… City staff completed an assessment of the site, evaluating sand conditions, emergency vehicle access, construction load-in requirements, crowd circulation, tides, and the extended forecast. The combined loss of usable beach meant the festival infrastructure could not be built and the event would not be safe for attendees on the smaller footprint that remained.”
Santa Monica mayor Caroline Torosis said: “We’ve spent more than a year on this festival, and I’ve spent most of it telling anyone who would listen that music was coming back to this beach. I wanted to stand on the sand, see the Pier lit up behind that stage, and sing along with our community. I feel for the fans, the artists, and the businesses counting on that weekend, and I’m right there with them. But the surf took the beach we planned this on, and we cannot put tens of thousands of festival-goers on that sand until it’s safe,” “What didn’t wash away is the partnership. Goldenvoice has been a responsible partner from day one, and that work continues. Next year, the show goes on.”
However, there are plans for the festival to debut next year.
Goldenvoice Chief Operating Officer Melissa Ormond said: “While we share everyone’s disappointment that the show can’t go on this year, we fully support the city’s decision to prioritise safety, and we believe cancelling for 2026 is the right call. We are committed to returning to Santa Monica in 2027 and delivering the Ocean Way Festival experience we envisioned for the community, artists and fans.”
