Surf Del Mar Festival 2026: Your Guide to Four Days of Surf History

The Del Mar Historical Society's first Surf Del Mar Festival runs Thursday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Oct. 11. Every event is free, and they're spread across Del Mar Plaza, St. Peter's Parish Hall, L'Auberge Del Mar, Powerhouse Park and the Del Mar Train Station. The headline names come from all over the surf world, with Shaun Tomson, Jeff Divine and Todd Glaser among them. The last event on the schedule belongs to Del Mar, though. At 5 p.m. Sunday, St. Peter's Parish Hall screens "Del Mar Surf History: Roots," Jim Lischer's film built on stories and interviews from more than 75 Del Mar surfers. Organizers call it the first film of its kind about the town's surfing history.

That order is the key to the festival. The Historical Society calls itself an independent nonprofit, founded in 1985 to collect, preserve and display Del Mar history. Surf Del Mar applies that mission to a living subject. The visiting authors and filmmakers fill the early days, and the weekend moves toward the people who surfed these breaks themselves.

Where the idea came from

The festival began with a brainstorm about a year before the San Diego Union-Tribune's June 13 preview. The people talking were Susie Stevenson, the Society's events chair and festival co-founder, and James Gooding, the Society's vice president and festival co-chair. Stevenson calls Gooding "the roving ambassador of surfing goodwill." Stevenson is a third-generation Del Martian who grew up in the beach culture and married a surf writer and board tester.

"Surfing is so important to this community. Even people who don't surf understand that." Susie Stevenson, in the Union-Tribune

She calls the stretch from La Jolla through Del Mar and into Orange County in the early '50s and '60s "the Silicon Valley of the surfing world." In her telling, it was a hub for board shapers, photographers, artists, clothing manufacturers, filmmakers and writers. San Diego State University professor David Cline has recorded oral histories of local surfers and what they gave Southern California surf culture. Stevenson puts the goal plainly: "What we hope younger generations take away is an appreciation for these stories. They're part of who we are."

The festival also honors Don Hansen, who founded the Cardiff surf shop that carries his name. NBC San Diego listed the 50-50, Competitor, Classic and Superlight among the board models he shaped.

Thursday sets the coast's present against its past

The first day pairs science with art. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., St. Peter's Parish Hall hosts the Surfing and Sustainability Climate Symposium, moderated by Jeff Lehmann. The speakers are Kevin Whilden of Seatrees, Patrick McDonough of San Diego Coastkeeper on plastic nurdles, Ryan Simkovsky of Algenesis, Yehuda Ben-Hamo of WILDCOAST on Mexico's surf breaks, and Adam Young of Scripps Institution of Oceanography on coastal mapping and erosion research.

From 1 to 6:30 p.m., the art walk fills the Canyon View Garden Patio at Del Mar Plaza. The artists include Kevin Anderson, Wade Koniakowsky, Sarah O'Connor, Michael Leyva, Jesse Martin, Mac Hillenbrand, Ted Emrick, Andy Wright, Jim McConlogue and Norm Daniels. The opening reception, a surfers' meet-and-greet, runs at the Plaza from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Peter Sprague and his group play from 5 to 7, and Jim Kempton of the California Surf Museum emcees the Legends and Champions Awards from 5:30 to 6. The Plaza's address is 1555 Camino Del Mar.

Friday's films lead up to Saturday night

The Surfing Film Festival fills St. Peter's Hall on Friday and is presented with the California Surf Museum. Here's the lineup:

1. 11:30 a.m. Godpower, 8 minutes
2. 11:45 a.m. Birth of The Endless Summer, 83 minutes
3. 1:30 p.m. The Rising Dawn, 70 minutes
4. 3 p.m. Wade In the Water, 45 minutes
5. 4 p.m. Shaped By The Sea, 60 minutes
6. 5:30 p.m. Bustin' Down The Door, followed by a Q&A with Shaun Tomson

The 11:45 slot connects to the next night. Friday brings Birth of The Endless Summer, and on Saturday The Endless Summer itself plays on the Powerhouse Park lawn as soon as it gets dark. Snacks, coffee and water are provided between films. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so registration through delmarhistoricalsociety.org is requested.

Saturday puts the whole Village to use

Saturday, Oct. 10, is when the festival spreads outdoors. It also falls on the Del Mar Library's 30th-anniversary party and the usual Saturday farmers market, so you can fill the day from mid-morning to after dark without leaving the Village:

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Surfwriters' Book Fair takes over L'Auberge's Ruby Room and Patio, run with Camino Books. Chris Ahrens, author of "Windansea," speaks at 10. Shaun Tomson follows at 11 with "The Surfer's Code." T. Jefferson Parker is on at 1 p.m., and Kim Dwinell of the "Surfside Girls" graphic novels closes at 2. Signings are booked through caminobks.com.
• 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Del Mar Library at 1309 Camino Del Mar marks 30 years in its current building. The party includes a chamber gamelan ensemble, an mbira performance and an instrument petting zoo, presented with the Center for World Music and supported by the Del Mar Foundation.
• 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Surfers' Reunion takes over Powerhouse Park.
• Noon to 3 p.m. Woody wagons are on display at the Del Mar Train Station after the Woody Wagon Parade. Festival merchandise is for sale there until 7 p.m., including posters, T-shirts, beach towels and vintage shirts.
• Noon to 4 p.m. The Del Mar Farmers Market sets up at the Civic Center lower lot as usual. It marked its 40th anniversary in August.
• 2 to 5 p.m. The Mar Dels play an afternoon concert at Powerhouse Park.
• 5:30 p.m. Silent auction bidding closes under the welcome canopy at Powerhouse Park, and winners are announced at 6.
• Around 6:30 to 7 p.m. The Endless Summer starts on the Powerhouse Park lawn once it's dark. The schedule says to bring a picnic.

The reunion is the center of the festival. The Union-Tribune describes it as a reunion across generations, bringing together people who surfed Del Mar in the 1950s and 1960s, and some even earlier, with today's surfers and the ones coming up next. The Union-Tribune's festival coverage also includes a photograph of a 1981 Del Mar Surf Club contest at the 15th Street reef.

The festival hasn't published a street-by-street parade route, parking guidance or closure notices. The City of Del Mar's Sept. 25 newsletter lists the festival without traffic instructions. If you're driving or expect cars along the route, check surfdelmarfestival.com before Saturday.

Sunday ends where the town's own story starts

Sunday morning returns to L'Auberge for a second book fair day. Todd Glaser presents "Kelly Slater: A Life of Waves" at 10. Jeff Divine follows at 11 with "Divine Surf," in conversation with Grant Ellis. Patrick Moser discusses George Freeth and the birth of California beach culture at 1 p.m., and photographer Tom Keck closes at 2. From 11 to 3, the Student Art Walk fills the Jim Watkins Outdoor Amphitheater at L'Auberge. It shows work by students from Torrey Pines High School and Earl Warren Middle School, with a table where young artists can make their own pieces. From 1 to 5 p.m., Women on Waves at St. Peter's Parish Hall and Patio features women whose lives have been shaped by water, with artist Olga Freedman and author Kim Dwinell among the speakers.

Then comes the 5 p.m. screening of "Roots" at St. Peter's Church Parish Hall, with a short tribute to Don Hansen shown first. The schedule added this screening late, as a special showing. Thursday's symposium covered where the coast is headed, and Friday's films and the weekend book fair brought in surfers known worldwide. "Roots" is the one event built from the memories of people who surfed here. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so register through delmarhistoricalsociety.org under the festival events.

Getting a seat

The open-air events, including the reunion, the Mar Dels concert, the woody display and the lawn screening, are listed without any sign-up. The indoor events at St. Peter's ask you to register through delmarhistoricalsociety.org. That covers the climate symposium, the Friday films, Women on Waves and "Roots." Book signings at L'Auberge are booked through Camino Books at caminobks.com. If you plan to see the Saturday reunion and "Roots" on Sunday, the reunion needs no reservation, and "Roots" should be reserved now.

The Bing Crosby Season, Del Mar's fall racing meet, runs Nov. 6 to 29, so the festival comes about a month before it. We covered how this summer's racing season reshaped the Village in our look at Del Mar's 2026 racing season. You'll find more about the area on our Del Mar neighborhood page.

At Olga Stevens Group, we believe a coastal town's history belongs in any conversation about its homes. If you're thinking about a home near the beach and the Village where this festival takes place, schedule a private consultation with Olga Stevens Group.