Overview The US Open of Surfing is nine days of professional surfing and beach festival at the Huntington Beach Pier, on the same sand where the first West Coast Surfboard Championships ran in 1959. The World Surf League runs the competition: in 2026 the World Longboard Tour opened its season here and the Challenger Series, the tour surfers ride to qualify for the Championship Tour, held its second stop of the 2026-27 season. MARI Group produces the event around it, with Lexus as title sponsor and Pacifico as presenting sponsor. On site Heats run beside the pier with the crowd on the sand. Brand activations sit in the Festival Village, and a ticketed music stage on the sand runs evening concerts; in 2026 it carried three nights with Local Natives, Real Estate, G. Love and Special Sauce, Matt Costa, Allah-Las and Arcy Drive. New names go into the Surfers' Hall of Fame and onto the Surfing Walk of Fame, both directly across from the pier, as part of the week. Every day of competition streams live on the WSL's channels. Talent and Influencers Jake Marshall of the United States and Sierra Kerr of Australia won the 2026 Challenger Series event. The contest's first winners, in 1959, were Jack Haley and Linda Benson; Haley shot the pier twice on a single ride, turning around to come back through. Track record The first championships in 1959 had five divisions and 75 entrants. The City of Huntington Beach put the crowd across the nine days of the 2024 edition at about 500,000, and credits the contest with helping make the town Surf City, USA. Brand presence Lexus holds the title and Pacifico presents. Beneath them the event sells an official sponsorship across the whole festival, a title position on the music program, and activation and display spaces inside the Festival Village, where brands run interactive experiences and product showcases.