Sessions Surf Festival Brings Unwritten Law and Osees to Seaside Reef
Sessions Surf Festival is returning to North County San Diego with a full week built around the culture that has always connected surfing, music, filmmaking and art.
The 2026 festival runs September 12 through September 19, opening with a beachside music festival at Seaside Reef headlined by Osees and featuring San Diego punk veterans Unwritten Law.
For Revolt In Style, this is exactly the kind of event worth paying attention to. It is local, independent-minded and rooted in the crossover between surf sessions, live music, creative expression and the people who have shaped Southern California culture.
Unwritten Law Returns to the Beach
The opening-day Music Session takes over Seaside Reef on Saturday, September 12, from noon until 10 p.m.
Osees headline the seven-act lineup, joined by:
- Unwritten Law
- Bully
- Yoke Lore
- MT Warning
- Jack Shields and the Mojave Rush
- Emily Afton
Unwritten Law is the homegrown anchor. Formed in Poway and forged in the San Diego punk scene, the band has spent decades carrying the sound of Southern California beyond the county line. Songs including “Seein' Red,” “Save Me,” “Cailin” and “Up All Night” helped the group move from local skate-punk favorite to national alternative-rock mainstay.
Putting Unwritten Law on a stage beside Seaside Reef feels less like a conventional booking and more like a return to the band's natural habitat. This is music shaped by the same coastal neighborhoods, parking-lot gatherings, surf videos and independent venues that helped define a generation of San Diego culture.
A Parking Lot Becomes a Beachside Amphitheater
Sessions is transforming the Seaside Reef parking lot and an adjoining section of beach into a temporary music venue for the opening day.
The setup is designed to let the audience move between live music, partner activations and art installations before settling into an evening set against the Pacific. According to the festival, the location also carries a direct connection to surf filmmaker Taylor Steele, whose films helped establish a soundtrack-driven approach to modern surf cinema.
There is no on-site parking during the music festival because the lot is being used as the venue. Organizers recommend arriving by bike, rideshare or festival shuttle. A complimentary bike valet is planned, and the shuttle is scheduled to operate every 30 minutes.
The Festival Continues Beyond the Concert
The September 12 concert launches a broader week of surfing, film and art rather than functioning as a stand-alone music event.
On Sunday, September 13, Sessions returns to Seaside Reef for a free community beach day featuring an unconventional surf contest, entertainment and live music.
The art program opens Monday, September 14, at Hot Water Gallery in Carlsbad. The free exhibition features work from 11 artists and turns the gallery into a creative hub with live music, food and drinks during the festival run.
Three Nights of Surf Films at La Paloma
La Paloma Theatre becomes the festival's film hub September 17 through September 19. The program includes surf films, filmmaker conversations, athlete panels and live music inside one of Encinitas' most recognizable cultural landmarks.
The announced program includes new work alongside a 25-year reunion screening of Shelter, the Chris Malloy and Taylor Steele film featuring Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Taylor Knox, Donavon Frankenreiter and Jon Swift.
Other scheduled films feature surfers including Caity Simmers, Stephanie Gilmore, Ryan Burch, Leah Dawson Lopez, Torrey Meister, Mathea Olin, Sanoa Olin, Soli Bailey, Tosh Tudor, Balaram Stack, Nathan Fletcher and Greyson Fletcher.
That combination gives the film program real range. It connects established names and influential surf cinema with current athletes, emerging filmmakers and conversations about where surf culture is going next.
Sessions Surf Festival Event Details
Festival: Sessions Surf Festival 2026
Dates: Saturday, September 12 through Saturday, September 19, 2026
Opening Music Session: September 12, noon to 10 p.m.
Music location: Seaside Reef, 2504 S. Coast Highway 101
Music lineup: Osees, Unwritten Law, Bully, Yoke Lore, MT Warning, Jack Shields and the Mojave Rush, and Emily Afton
Community Surf Session: September 13 at Seaside Reef
Art Session: September 14-19 at Hot Water Gallery, 6880 Embarcadero Lane, Carlsbad
Film Sessions: September 17-19 at La Paloma Theatre, 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
Schedules and availability can change. Visit the official Sessions Surf Festival website for the complete program and current ticket information.
Revolt Side Note: Jack White Goes Phone-Free at The Sound
North County gets another notable live show later this month when Jack White plays The Sound at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Wednesday, September 30.
The venue has confirmed that the concert will be phone-free. On arrival, guests will place their phones in lockable pouches that remain with them during the show. Anyone who needs to use a device can take the pouch to a designated Phone Use Area for unlocking.
The policy means no phones, photos, video or audio-recording devices in the performance space. The venue also recommends bringing a physical credit card for bar and merchandise purchases.
In an era when half the audience can seem focused on recording the concert, White is asking the room to put the screens away and experience the show as it happens. At a venue as focused and intimate as The Sound, that should make an already important North County date feel even more immediate.
Get the official phone-free policy and ticket information from The Sound, and read Revolt's original preview of Jack White's 2026 Southern California tour dates.
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