Santa Monica’s inaugural Ocean Way Festival has been canceled amid the impact of Hurricane Marie that have reshaped beaches across Southern California.
Festival organizers announced the news on Friday via social media. A statement said that “storm surf and runoff has caused significant beach erosion and the festival can no longer be safely held as planned.”
The message added that plans to bring the festival to Santa Monica next year are already underway and that refunds for tickets, which ran from $249 to $2,250, are being processed automatically.
There was no update on whether the lineup for next year’s fest would change. The Santa Monica-based festival was originally set to take place on Sept. 26 to Sept. 27 with headlining slots from the Killers and Olivia Dean. Jack White, Alvvays, Sublime, Khruangbin, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Durand Jones & the Indications were also set to appear, alongside dance/electronic adjacent acts like SG Lewis, Blond:ish, and a DJ set from Hot Chip.
It’s unclear if other coastal festivals will be affected, such an Ohana Festival in Dana Point, later this month.
Days of punishing waves intensified by Hurricane Marie in the Pacific have pounded the region’s increasingly vulnerable coastline, leaving beaches barren of sand, damaging homes, and even opening a sinkhole at Nicholas Cage’s Malibu home.
As climate change worsens, the weather has become a growing concern for festivals. In August, Bonnaroo announced that the festival would be taking a break next summer. “As you know, we spent a great deal of effort and money working to improve the campgrounds and Centeroo in the months leading into the 2026 festival,” Bonnaroo said in a statement at the time. “That included improved drainage, 4.5 miles of new roadways, and 135 acres of new grass, all of which strengthened The Farm’s resiliency to Mother Nature. With limited time to recuperate from back to back years of storms, including the heavy rainstorm on Sunday this year, The Farm, particularly the main venue, needs a break to rest and recover.”
