OUR STORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE TEAM SPONSORS
SEPTEMBER 2024 & MAY 2025
 

THE FESTIVAL

Want to know what’s happening every moment of the festival? Click here to see the full schedule of events!

 
 

Live Music Festival

Presented on the mainstage in downtown Surf City, Ocean Fest welcomes some of the region’s top musicians for a two-day live music festival to benefit the ocean. Our festival has featured incredible performers, stay tuned for our next amazing acts!

ECO ZONE

The main goal of Ocean Fest is to educate & inspire the local community about ways they can help preserve & protect our marine environment. During the festival, our Eco Zone presented by A New Earth Project will host over a dozen eco-related nonprofit exhibitors on-site to teach festival goers about ocean protection & sustainability.

Vintage Surf Contest

This ain't no high-stress, high-performance surf contest! Instead, the Ocean Fest Vintage Surf Contest presented by Salty Turtle Beer Co. is a fun & funky retro surf-off in which participants are required to ride vintage mid-length surfboards from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Click above for more info!

Beer Gardens

Ocean Fest features two large beer gardens presented by Corona where festival goers can enjoy a variety of high quality beers and seltzers. All proceeds from the sale of beverages in our beer gardens help make Ocean Fest possible each year and to fund our annual board-approved grants to our fellow eco-nonprofits.

 

Adaptive surf experience

One of the primary goals of the Ocean Fest is to share our love for surfing with others. In years past, we have provided children with autism and wounded veterans with a free adaptive surf experience. Click the button above for more info!

5K Beach Run

The Ocean Fest 5K welcomes seasoned runners & newbies alike to participate in a footrace held entirely on the sands of Surf City. This out-and-back race is professionally timed & signifies the start of the festival. Click above to find out more! 

 

VENDOR Zone

The Vendor Zone is curated by our team to include arts & crafts vendors, small businesses, & local food purveyors that represent the spirit of Ocean Fest.

OCEAN FEST 2022

Relive the stoke from last year’s festival.

 

EVENT MAP

 

Sure, we’re kinda partial, but we think quaint downtown Surf City, North Carolina, is pretty much the perfect backdrop for our annual Ocean Fest celebration. All of the action happens on the island right across the Surf City Bridge at the Roland Avenue Beach Access (adjacent to the Surf City Pier) with festival events going on beachfront in the sand as well as in the streets of the city center.


PARKING:
Paid parking can be found throughout the center city zone for $3-$5/hour depending on location. For more info on public parking, visit the Town of Surf City website.

LODGING:
Need a place to stay? We’ve got you covered! Book with Saltwater Suites, an Ocean Fest Exclusive Hotel Partner - https://www.saltwatertopsail.com/