A Debut Undone Two Weeks Out
A beachfront music festival in Santa Monica called Ocean Way will not take place, with organizers pulling the plug roughly a fortnight ahead of its planned launch. The event was scheduled to run across two days, Sept. 26-27. Goldenvoice, which also puts on the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, made the announcement on Friday via an email sent by its ticketing partner AXS.[S1]
Organizers attributed the cancellation to Hurricane Marie's effects, saying the City of Santa Monica had called off the inaugural festival. Storm surf and runoff, they said, produced substantial erosion of the beach, leaving no way to stage the event safely as designed. Work is already in motion to return the festival to Santa Monica in 2027, according to the statement.[S1]
Tickets had been priced between $249 and $2,250, and the promoter said refunds would be issued within five to seven business days. The inaugural edition was to be headlined by Olivia Dean and the Killers, a lineup that made the event a pivotal moment for Santa Monica's ambitions as a music city. Both Goldenvoice and the city have pledged to get it right.[S1]
Storm Damage From Malibu to Dana Point
Hurricane Marie, fueled by the Super El Niño weather pattern tied to warming waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, inflicted severe damage on coastal areas stretching from Malibu to Long Beach and Dana Point.[S1]
Dan Hall, a member of the Santa Monica City Council, told The Times he felt profound disappointment that harsh weather and shoreline conditions forced the City and Goldenvoice into such a hard call, adding that protecting attendees, locals and the Pier had to take priority. He pointed out that Hurricane Marie had carved sinkholes in Malibu and triggered evacuations of homes in Long Beach as surf swelled, and described the rapid loss of sand near the Sandbox event area in recent days as very troubling. The City, he added, is moving quickly to keep the Pico storm drain and the coast repaired and prepared for coming weather.[S1]
Hall added that while everyone is disappointed, he remains optimistic about bringing Ocean Way back next summer.[S1]
A Lineup and a Vision on Hold
The festival had been slated to feature headline sets by the Killers and Olivia Dean, alongside Khruangbin, Sublime, Jack White and numerous others.[S1]
When Goldenvoice introduced the festival in July, it envisioned opening the waterfront to additional public gatherings and concerts in Santa Monica while creating a new flagship festival on Los Angeles' west side. Retail and nightlife in Santa Monica have been hurting since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the promoters marketed the event as car-free, which would have established a first for transit-friendly concertgoing.[S1]
Goldenvoice concert producer Nic Adler told The Times in August that the city had to take a chance on new things, acknowledging pressure while saying the city wanted the festival and that pursuing it required some risk and a willingness to try something new. Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis said in an earlier interview that the city could not keep repeating the same approaches and expect Santa Monica to shine, that it had to invite people back, and that residents had long yearned for a big music festival on the beach to showcase the city, which she described as its best asset.[S1]
A Rough Year for Beachside and Open-Air Festivals
Ocean Way marks the second significant seaside concert to collapse this year. The debut LA Jazz Festival at Dockweiler Beach was called off on the very day it was supposed to begin after its funding and permits fell apart.[S1]
Reflecting on how his festival unraveled just days before it was to start, LA Jazz Festival founder Martin Ludlow expressed disappointment that it turned into the current failure. He remains eager to make another attempt, even as frustrated performers, some of whom are still owed money, cast doubt on his leadership.[S1]
Weather damage and climate change have become a serious worry for festivals. Bonnaroo in Tennessee said last month it will skip 2027 to restore its grounds following severe storms that scrapped performances and forced evacuations this year. Stagecoach, the country music event staged at the same location as Coachella, likewise paused briefly this year due to high winds. After repeated weather setbacks and attempts to upgrade its site, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will take 2027 off.[S1]
