Ocean Way //
Santa Monica State Beach – Santa Monica, CA
September 26th-27th, 2026 //
No matter how many concerts we have the opportunity to attend in Los Angeles, living on the “Westside” has always felt more detached from the city’s diverse and vibrant live music scene that has helped make it one of the world’s premier entertainment capitals.
Even for those of us fortunate enough to call it home, the beautiful coastline stretching from Marina del Rey to Malibu with the Santa Monica Mountains as its backdrop can’t hide the fact that live music rarely happens on this “side” of town.
That’s just the way things in LA have always been since the early 1900’s when downtown became the place to go see a concert before the Sunset Strip transformed Hollywood into a rock ‘n’ roll epicenter by the mid-60’s. And although there have been a handful of commercially successful bands that were born west of the 405 such as The Doors, Weezer, Mazzy Star and Suicidal Tendencies, the amount of music venues on the “Westside” — particularly new ones — has been fewer and far between. A select number of small bars or clubs like Harvelle’s and TRiP in Santa Monica as well as The Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice had been some of the only spaces to consistently host live music over the last two decades until The Venice West took over what was formerly known as WitZend in 2021 well after its closure, opening as an homage to the Beat-generation Venice West Cafe that shuttered more than half a century prior.
But six months ago word spread when famed LA-based concert promoter Goldenvoice was approved for a license and permit to organize a music festival on the beach in Santa Monica, marking an exciting proposition for the coastal city that has not had much in the way of live music since putting a stop to its free Twilight Concert Series each summer that drew overwhelming crowds at the pier near the end of a 35-year run (read our previous coverage here).
Well, live music fans on the “Westside” won’t have to wait much longer to have their moment in the sun (no pun intended) now that the cat is finally out of the bag with the inaugural Ocean Way Festival taking place over the same weekend as the 10th anniversary of Ohana Fest this September. With only a little more than two months before takeoff, it’s a rather bold move for Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett and his team as they go up against a well-established event in Ohana, which was founded by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam to mix outstanding live music with environmental activism, ocean conservation and coastal preservation down at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.
Ocean Way, nevertheless, has compiled a strong cast for its first run on the sand, lining up The Killers and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Olivia Dean to headline the two-day party that will also boast performances by Jack White, Khruangbin, Sublime, Durand Jones & The Indications, Alvvays, Hiatus Kaiyote, SG Lewis, BLOND:ISH, 54 Ultra and Poolside. Take a peek at the poster above to see who else has been booked for the fest’s 2026 edition.
It will be a busy stretch in particular for Mr. White, who will visit the Fox Theater Pomona the night before Ocean Way and then has two more sold-out tour dates scheduled at the Hollywood Palladium days later in support of his exhilarating new album Frozen Charlotte that arrived last week.
Tickets will be made available first for all Santa Monica residents during a pre-sale next Wednesday, July 22nd, but you can register here to snag them next Thursday July 23rd at 11 a.m. PT before the general public sale begins next Friday, July 24th at 12 p.m. PT. GA admission for two days starts at $399 in Tier 1 before rising to $429 in Tier 2 and $459 in Tier 3, while single-day passes have been priced at $229 in Tier 1 but jump up to $249 in Tier 2 and $269 in Tier 3. Not afraid to splurge? The Premium Pit option starting at $749 for two days and $449 for one puts you right at the front of each stage with access to the VIP lounge for what should be truly a memorable experience. Whether you choose to go big or not, the debut of Ocean Way is sure to be one not to miss!
