Santa Monica Announces an Annual Music Festival

Photo Credit: Scott Trento

Santa Monica city officials announce five major events leading up to the 2028 Olympics, including a major music festival from Coachella organizer Goldenvoice.

On Wednesday, December 17, city officials in Santa Monica announced five major events leading up to the 2028 Olympics. These include a large-scale music festival next to the Pier, produced by the events company behind Coachella and Stagecoach, Goldenvoice.

Over the next three years, Santa Monica will see a wave of activity as several international events come to the Los Angeles area: The FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2026, the 2027 Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. To ramp things up, the city plans to launch a new beachfront music festival to take the region to the next level in the coming years.

On Tuesday, the city council approved partnerships with private entities on five major events to put Santa Monica on the global stage during an exciting time for the region:

• The Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club on Santa Monica Pier in June to kick off the FIFA World Cup 2026
• A large-scale music festival adjacent to the Pier and along the sand, produced by Goldenvoice in fall 2026
• An ESPN fan festival and broadcast presence on the Pier and beach in February 2027
• Club France, the official hospitality house of the French Olympic Committee at the Annenberg Community Beach House, for the Olympic Games in summer 2028
• A Santa Monica Nations Village and broadcast center concept led by Hochsitz at Crescent Bay Park and portions of Lot 4 South during the Olympic Games in summer 2028

“The next few years are a defining opportunity to showcase Santa Monica at its best, from our beach and Pier to the heart of our downtown along our iconic coastline,” said Mayor Caroline Torosis. “This is exactly what our Realignment Plan was designed to do. We are ushering in Santa Monica’s Renaissance by delivering results, revitalizing our core, and setting the city up for its next chapter. Our best days are ahead.”

After the World Cup, Santa Monica is partnering with Goldenvoice, a division of AEG Presents, to produce a large-scale music and cultural festival on the city’s coastline in fall 2026.

“Partnering with the City of Santa Monica to bring a yearly music festival to the Pier is a true honor for us,” said Melissa Ormond, Goldenvoice COO and COO of Festivals for AEG Presents. “We can’t wait to bring world-class music and artists to one of the most beautiful urban locations in the state.”

The inaugural festival concept envisions a single-day event with an estimated capacity of 30,000 to 35,000 attendees. Programming would include 12 to 15 musical artists, curated food and beverage offerings, festival and artist merchandise, art installations, partnership activations, and guest services such as restrooms, lockers, and water stations.

Goldenvoice has indicated its intention to design a festival that aligns with the “character of Santa Monica,” encourages attendance by residents, and drives economic activity for local hotels, restaurants, and retail prior to and during the event. The concert would return in fall 2027 and 2028 as an annual event.

The announcement signals a jumpstart of a cornerstone in the city’s Realignment Plan: to find new and innovative ways to activate the city, attract business investment, and foster economic opportunity and growth.