Solento Surf Festival 2025 Guide

Surf’s up on Saturday, September 13th for the Seaside Reef Beach Day at Seaside Beach at Cardiff State Beach! The official first day of the festival kicks off with a full day of events set for the beach!

Surfing Contests

There are multiple surfing contests set for the beach day event, with the Countdown Cup kicking the day off at 8:00am.

Countdown Cup

If you’d like to enter the Countdown Cup surfing competition, make sure to register on the official site by September 11th and pay the entry fee of $25.

There will be a men’s and women's division, each offering four heats with the top scorers advancing to the next round until we have a winner.

United Air Show Competition

There will also be a United Air Show Competition where the grand prize is a round-trip ticket to Australia! Participants will be selected from the Countdown Cup surfing competition and the best overall air will be crowned champion!

Gromathon

The whole beach day is family-friendly but for me and my kids, the Gromathon at 1:00pm is a big highlight.

Kids will have the chance to hit the waves during the free Gromathon event. The 13-and-under competition combines a beach run, paddle, and wave. Just be sure to bring your own soft top.

Food & Drink

It wouldn't be a proper day at the beach without some quality food and a few beverages!

And the good news is that you won’t go hungry at the Seaside Reef Beach Day! Coffee and pastries will be available from Prager Bro’s starting at 8:00am. Food and drink vendors will open at 11:00am. Pavilions and Rudy’s Tacos will be there serving up their favorite dishes.

Live Music

The details about who will be playing have yet to be released but know that the sounds of the waves won’t be all that you’ll hear during the event.

Live music starts at 2:00pm. Check the festival’s website for details.

While the sand and surf are amazing and what the event is all about, you won’t want to miss the film festival and art exhibit as well that are both overflowing with talent!

Solento Surf Festival Art Exhibit

The Solento Surf Festival Art Exhibit is set for Tuesday, September 16th, 2025, from 6:00pm until 9:00pm at Four Moons Spa in North Encinitas.

Artist Andy Davis will be showcasing his amazing artwork during this free event. Called the ‘best surf artist of our generation’ Andy has been obsessed with Southern California surf culture from a young age. His passion for surfing and surf history started to shape his art into a colorful collection of fresh pieces that honor classic surf iconography.

It’s some pretty awesome art for sure and enjoying the art with live music, complimentary drinks and light bites sounds to me like an incredible way to spend a Tuesday night!

As I mentioned above, just make sure to click on the RSVP button for this event so you don’t miss out.

Film Festival at La Paloma Theatre

The 3-day film festival is the third part of the event and the one our founder Todd will be attending this year for the first time!

La Paloma Theatre on South Coast Highway in Encinitas sets the stage for the film festival that will take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each day will start at 5:30pm offering panel discussions and a surf film.

If you’ve never been to the historic La Paloma Theatre, the 1920s-style movie theater is an event by itself and a visit I highly recommend!