Ocean Way Festival lands on the sand in Santa Monica on September 26-27, 2026 - Goldenvoice's first-ever beach festival, with the main stage set against the Santa Monica Pier and the crowd spread across the sand toward Bay Street. Two days, two moods: Saturday goes rock, Sunday goes groove.
The September 26 bill is the loud one - The Killers headline over Jack White, Sublime, and Alvvays. September 27 shifts gears, with Olivia Dean topping a smoother lineup that runs through Khruangbin and Durand Jones & the Indications. It's a genre split that lets you pick your day or commit to the whole weekend, and the beachfront setting is the actual selling point: a half-mile festival footprint on the ocean instead of another dusty inland field.
For an LA audience, this is a rare one - a major festival on the Westside beach rather than the Inland Empire or the desert, walkable from the pier and easy to reach without a two-hour drive. The oceanside layout means beach-towel seating on the sand, a secondary stage, and food and attractions along the paths, so it plays as much like a day at the beach as a concert.
What to know before you pull up: general admission runs $229 for a single day or $399 for both, with Premium Pit passes at $449 per day or $749 for the weekend. Santa Monica residents get a presale on July 22; general on-sale is July 23 at 11am PT, with registration and tickets at oceanwayfestival.com. Beach weather in late September swings warm in the sun and cool by the water once the sets run into the evening, so plan layers and sunscreen both days.
A first-year festival on the Santa Monica beach with a headliner slate this strong is worth watching - and worth grabbing passes early, since inaugural editions with The Killers on the marquee tend to move.