Hurricane Marie Forces Cancellation of Inaugural Ocean Way Festival
The first edition of Ocean Way Festival, a two-day beach festival set for Santa Monica Beach in California on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2026, has been cancelled just weeks before showtime. The lineup was headlined by The Killers and Olivia Dean. Organizer Goldenvoice confirmed the cancellation, and Far Out Magazine reports the cause was coastal damage from Hurricane Marie.
Why it was cancelled
In its statement, Goldenvoice said: "Due to the impacts of Hurricane Marie," the City of Santa Monica cancelled the inaugural Ocean Way Festival. The organizer added that storm surge and runoff caused significant erosion to the beach, making it impossible to hold the event safely as planned.
Ticket holders will receive automatic refunds with no action required, expected to process within a few business days. Goldenvoice says it is already working on bringing Ocean Way back to Santa Monica in 2027.
The lineup that won't happen this year
- The Killers (headliner)
- Olivia Dean (headliner)
- Jack White
- Sublime
- Alvvays
- Khruangbin
- Durand Jones and the Indications
- Hot Chip DJs
- Good Neighbours
- Hiatus Kaiyote
Practical details
- Original dates: September 26-27, 2026 — now cancelled
- Venue: Santa Monica Beach, California
- Refunds: automatic, no request needed, within a few business days
- 2027 edition: in planning at Santa Monica
Not an isolated case this year
Ocean Way isn't the only new festival to collapse before launch in 2026. Yours Always, planned for October 2-3 at Utah State Fairpark and headlined by Benson Boone and Sombr, was cancelled in August. Ticket buyers were told the cancellation was due to unforeseen circumstances, with full refunds issued through original points of purchase.
In the UK, Heritage Live — which had booked Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton, Richard Ashcroft, and Janet Jackson — cancelled its entire summer run over poor ticket sales. Weeks before its first show, organizers said the scale of large multinational operations had driven up costs for suppliers, artists, and staffing, and that the cost-of-living crisis and broader financial uncertainty had left multiple shows selling below average.