Overview Sessions Surf Festival is where surf culture comes together. Created by filmmaker Taylor Steele, Sessions brings the North County community, world-class surfers, musicians, filmmakers, and artists together for six days of programming across downtown Encinitas and the coast. This isn’t a single-day event with a stage and a banner. Sessions is a full week of shared experiences: a curated international art exhibition, intimate conversations with icons of surf and sport, film nights in the historic La Paloma Theatre, a community surf contest where locals paddle out alongside legends, and a 5,000-person sunset concert on the sand at Seaside Reef. The goal is simple. We want to build a culture around the things this community loves, and give people a reason to show up together. The Festival Hub on the 101 At the center of the week is a 17,000 sq ft festival grounds right next to La Paloma Theatre, directly on Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas, one of North County’s busiest stretches. From Tuesday through Sunday, the hub runs as an open-air gathering place with live music every night, immersive art installations, partner activations, and food and beverage. It’s free and open to the public all week, which gives partners daily, sustained visibility with a high-traffic local audience. The Week at a Glance Tuesday, Sept 14 · Art Session Opening night of a curated international exhibition of painting, photography, and mixed media, with live music. The exhibit stays up all week. Wednesday, Sept 15 · Story Sessions An afternoon of panels with icons from surf, skate, music, and film. Conversations will be broadcast through our partnership with Fuel TV, reaching households across the US and around the world. Thursday & Friday, Sept 16–17 · Film Sessions at La Paloma Two nights of screenings, live music, and on-stage conversations with the filmmakers and athletes behind the films, each hosting 400 guests in one of surf culture’s most beloved theaters. Saturday, Sept 18 · Seaside Takeover with Portugal. The Man The day opens with the free SSF surf contest, featuring legends and locals in the water together, plus Fire vs. Water, the Countdown Cup, and the Gromathon for kids. As the final heat wraps, Seaside Reef becomes a shoreline amphitheater for 5,000 guests, building to a headlining sunset set from Portugal. The Man. Sunday, Sept 19 · Sunday Session A slower day to reset: breathwork, sauna and cold plunge, and recovery experiences, followed by sunset drinks and live music to close out the week. Who You’ll Reach - 10,000+ attendees across the week - Core audience: adults 24–45, family-oriented, with an average household income of $150,000 - 2026 social impact: 5M+ accounts reached, 2.8M views, and 53.8K content interactions, amplified by Kelly Slater, Stab, SURFER, Surfline, and more - 2027 media partners: Fuel TV, Stab, SURFER, Surfline, and Life Without Andy - Press coverage in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Patch, KTLA 5, FOX 5, Yahoo News, and others