The Ocean Way music festival, intended for Santa Monica's shores in late September, has been canceled. Organizers pointed to significant beach erosion resulting from Hurricane Marie as the primary cause for the decision.
Hurricane Marie's erosion wipes out the Sept. 26-27 dates
The Ocean Way festival was scheduled to take place on September 26-27, but organizers determined the event could no longer be safely held. According to the source, storm surf and runoff from Hurricane Marie caused substantial beach erosion in Santa Monica, making the beachfront unsuitable for the planned infrastructure and crowds.
This environmental instability is not isolated to Santa Monica. The report notes that the City of Laguna Beach had to declare a local state of emergency because of massive sand loss and coastal erosion triggered by the high swells from the former Hurricane Marie. The volatility of the coastline has effectively turned a prime venue into a safety liability.
Goldenvoice's gamble on The Killers and Jack White
The event was the brainchild of Goldenvoice, the powerhouse promoter known for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Announced in July, Ocean Way was designed to be a premier beachfront experience featuring a high-profile lineup that included The Killers, Olivia Dean, Khruangbin, Sublime,and Jack White.
By attempting to launch a new beachfront brand in Santa Monica, Goldenvoice was attempting to diversify its portfolio beyond the desert. However, the cancellation of such a star-studded roster highlights the precarious nature of outdoor events that rely on specific geographical features, such as sand stability, which are increasingly subject to extreme weather patterns.
A pattern of beach failures following the LA Jazz Festival's August collapse
The cancellation of Ocean Way is not an isolated incident of bad timing; it is the second beachside music festival in Los Angeles to fold recently. as the source reported, the inaugural LA Jazz Festival was canceled on August 7, with organizers citing municipal permitting costs and public safety concerns.
The LA Jazz Festival had planned a series of August events, including "Jazz on the Beach" concerts at Dockweiler Beach on August 22-23. That lineup featured heavyweights like John Legend, Janelle Monáe, and Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton. the fact that two separate major promoters struggled to execute beach events in a two-month span suggests a systemic difficulty in securing the necessary pemits and safety guarantees for the Los Angeles coastline.
The three-year gap until the 2027 return
Rather than rescheduling for the following season, organizers have pushed the return of the Ocean Way festival to 2027. While the organizers stated that plans are already underway for this future date, the three-year hiatus is an unusually long window for a music festival, which typically relies on current artist momentum and ticket-buyer enthusiasm.
Several questions remain regarding this timeline. It is unclear why the festival cannot return in 2025 or 2026, or if the 2027 date is a placeholder while Goldenvoice renegotiates its approach to beachfront permits in Santa Monica. While the source confirms that refunds are being processed automatically for ticket holders, the long-term viability of the event remains an open question given the recurring coastal erosion issues.
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