Pier 360 Is Back: Your Guide to Santa Monica’s Best Free Beach Festival (June 27–28)
Santa Monica’s answer to summer has always been the same — get on or near the water. On June 27–28, that answer comes with a festival attached: Pier 360 returns to the Santa Monica Pier for two full days of paddleboard races, skate demos, live music, and enough Southern California beach culture to make even the most jaded Westsider feel something. It’s the best free event of the summer, and most people in LA have never heard of it. That’s on them.
What Is the Santa Monica Pier 360 Beach Festival?
Pier 360 is the Santa Monica Pier’s annual ocean sports and beach culture festival, and it may be the most underrated free event on the Westside. It traces its roots to the 1930s, when paddleboard racing first took hold at this very pier, and today’s version honors that legacy with a full slate of ocean and land-based competitions, live entertainment, and more niche Southern California activities than you can responsibly fit into one weekend. The festival transforms the entire pier footprint — from the sand up to the Pier deck — into a proper celebration of what Santa Monica beach life actually looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders.
The Competition (And It Gets Serious)
The water program is the real draw for locals who know what to look for. Paddleboard races run across multiple skill levels — so whether you’re a weekend paddler or a serious waterman, there’s a division for you. Ocean swims, beach volleyball, and tandem surf contests round out the beach competition slate. The Lifeguard events are worth watching even if competitive ocean rescue is not your usual scene: surfboat races, Junior Guard relays, and ocean safety contests that serve as a reminder that Santa Monica’s lifeguards are not messing around.
On land, the Santa Monica Strongman Classic returns as one of Pier 360’s signature spectacles. Elite male and female athletes compete in high-energy strength events directly on the sand, which is exactly as dramatic as it sounds. The crowd that gathers around this event grows throughout the morning. Do not sleep on it.
Ghost Jam Skate & the Roller Rink
The skating component of Pier 360 has quietly become one of the weekend’s most compelling events. Ghost Jam Skate brings skateboarding culture to the beach in a way that feels authentic: free skate sessions, clinics and lessons for newcomers, and competitions with actual cash prizes drawing serious regional talent. It runs throughout the weekend on a purpose-built course set up near the pier — the kind of event that draws a local crowd instead of a tourist one.
The POP SK8 Roller Rink returns to the Pier deck for the full weekend, with free roller skating sessions overlooking the Pacific. This is the one that will get your kids out of the house, or make you feel like one. Lines move quickly, and the view from up top is, objectively speaking, excellent. If you’re looking for a genuinely fun Santa Monica afternoon that doesn’t cost anything, this is it.
“If there’s a more quintessentially Santa Monica way to spend a Saturday than skating on the Pier deck with the Pacific spread out below you, we haven’t found it.”
Museum of Beach Life
One of Pier 360’s quieter highlights is the Museum of Beach Life — an immersive exhibit exploring the history of surf culture, the original Muscle Beach, Santa Monica’s legendary paddleboard racing heritage, and the pier’s role in shaping the identity of West Los Angeles. It’s the kind of thing you walk into expecting five minutes and stay for thirty. Good for curious adults, great for kids who don’t realize they’re learning something.
The Beer Garden & Food
For those 21 and up, the Beer & Spirits Garden is exactly where you want to be between events: cold drinks, ocean views, and live music providing the afternoon soundtrack. It opens both days and runs through the late afternoon. Food vendors are spread across the festival grounds — expect the usual Westside festival spread (tacos, hot dogs, açaí bowls) with a few better options if you arrive early and have the patience. The live music program runs throughout both days and gives the whole thing the kind of easy, unforced energy that’s hard to manufacture. After the festival wraps, the stretch of bars on Main Street is a ten-minute walk south — plan accordingly.
What You Need to Know Before You Go
General admission is free. The optional $25 Festival Pass gets you an official T-shirt, a swag bag, one Pacific Park ride ticket, and a complimentary beverage ticket — worth it if you’re making a full day of both days. Saturday runs from 9am to 7:30pm, with beach activities beginning at 8am. Sunday runs from 8am to 4pm, with the Pier deck opening at 10am. The address is 200 Santa Monica Pier. Parking near the pier on a summer weekend is a nightmare; the Metro Expo Line stops at Downtown Santa Monica, a four-block walk away. Use it. You won’t regret it.
