A music festival scheduled for later this month in Santa Monica, California, has been cancelled due to significant beach erosion caused by recent storm activity. The two-day Ocean Way Festival, which was set to feature acts including The Killers, Olivia Dean, and Jack White, was called off after officials determined the event site was no longer safe for large crowds.
City authorities attributed the erosion to powerful waves reaching up to 4.5 meters and runoff from a nearby storm drain outfall. According to a statement from the city of Santa Monica, storm surf generated by Hurricane Marie and associated storm drainage severely degraded the beach area planned for the festival.
“Storm surf generated by Hurricane Marie and run-off from a storm drain outfall eroded a large portion of the festival site,” the city said. Mayor Caroline Torosis emphasized the safety concerns, noting, “The surf took the beach we planned this on, and we cannot put tens of thousands of festival-goers on that sand until it’s safe.”
The cancellation follows other recent impacts of intense coastal weather in the area. Just days prior, strong surf opened a large sinkhole on the driveway of a beachfront residence owned by Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage in nearby Malibu. In response to the sinkhole threat, Malibu officials have mandated the evacuation of 31 homes, citing safety risks from the ground instability.
The erosion and related coastal damage highlight ongoing challenges from storm activity along the Southern California coastline, raising concerns for public safety and local event planning in the region.