Santa Monica’s upcoming inaugural Ocean Way festival has been canceled, show organizers confirmed on Friday, citing the impact Hurricane Marie had on the beach that was set to host the event.
“Storm surf and runoff has caused significant beach erosion and the festival can no longer be safely held as planned,” the festival said in a social media post Friday, just two weeks before the festival was supposed to kick off. “We were so excited to spend a weekend together on The Beach, but can share that plans are already underway to bring the festival to Santa Monica in 2027! Refunds are being processed automatically and no further action is required on your part. Please allow a few business days for the refund to appear in your account.”
Goldenvoice, the prominent concert promoter behind Coachella, first announced Ocean Way back in July, unveiling an eclectic two-day lineup that included The Killers, Olivia Dean, Jack White, Sublime and Khruangbin among several others. Set directly on the beach by the Santa Monica Pier, organizers were working closely with the city of Santa Monica, which had embraced Ocean Way as the city looks to revitalize.
As Ocean Way said in its statement, the festival is already embarking on a plan to bring the festival to fruition in 2027, though it didn’t include any details at press time on when that would be or what the lineup would look like.
Ocean Way’s cancelaltion reflects the continued challenges severe inclement weather is bringing to the live music business. Bonnaroo, for example, announced last month that it wouldn’t be taking place in 2027 after the festival has faced multiple years of weather related challenges; a day of the 2025 festival was canceled due to a storm while day three of this year’s event faced delays from severe weather as well.