Last weekend, 40,000 people came together for the sold out debut of Surf City Blitz at Huntington State Beach in Orange County, California to enjoy one of the greatest punk rock lineups in the history of Southern California along with Roland Sands Presents The Moto Beach Classic’s world-class motorcycle racing.
This brand new all ages event was held Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28 at Huntington State Beach as part of the SeaLegs Live Event Series, and featured an all-star lineup of punk rock legends and breaking talent including The Offspring, Social Distortion, Pennywise, Rancid, Suicidal Tendencies, Bad Religion, FEAR, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, T.S.O.L., Mad Caddies, The Interrupters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and more performing on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in picturesque Orange County, California.
The concerts, performed on a huge stage built right on the sand, featured the best of California punk rock bands, and almost all were openly grateful to be able to perform on the beach they played at growing up, surrounded by friends and family. This sense of community was illustrated when Dave Quackenbush and Warren Fitzgerald from The Vandals and Brooks Wackerman (Avenged Sevenfold, ex-Bad Religion and Suicidal Tendencies) joined Pennywise on stage Saturday night for The Vandals’ classic “Urban Struggle.”
The second annual Moto Beach Classic combined Super Hooligan street bike flat track racing, drag and mini bike racing, art, and custom motorcycles. The event featured a dirt track on the sand for the first time ever, and two days of Super Hooligan flat track racing. As the sun set, the Super Hooligan National Championship by Indian Motorcycles finale began. Returning champion Andy DiBrino cleaned up with the Dunlop Dash 4 Cash and kept his #1 Super Hooligan National Championship plate, earning $2,500 from Bell Helmets and a RSD custom designed Indian FTR 1200 motorcycle.
The WCBR Hurley Surf and Turf competition combined surfing and motorcycle racing, with Justin Mulford winning both of the motorcycle races and leading the Huntington Beach team to overall victory. BMW hosted the Salty Sprint races, giving racers a chance to hop on some BMW R Nine-Ts and wait for the rag to hit the ground before ripping down the 400 foot line to the checkered flag. Local Kevin Duke took the Bell #1 Helmet as a prize for being the fastest. Del Amo Motorsports hosted the Kawasaki Z125 Gymkhana race where Nicky Rymer took the trophy. Bell Helmets hosted the stunt show where big bikes got their front wheel at 12 o’clock and shredded endless tires in a plume of smoke while spectators shouted for more.
In addition to fantastic music sets and thrilling motorcycle events, Surf City Blitz offered beach games and activities, photo opps, great food (with vegan options), craft beer and cocktails, and more. Lisa Johnson’s Goldmine Garage featured a photo exhibition with a collection of images from the vaults of SoCal music photographers Lisa Johnson, John Gilhooley, Rob Wallace, Madison Stern, Jason Cardwell and KRK Dominguez, plus featured art on display from Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. Signings included Pennywise frontman Jim Lindberg (signing copies of his book Punk Rock Dad), author and T.S.O.L. frontman Jack Grisham (signing his books), Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Sharp Shock, while DJ Shiragirl spun the ultimate Surf City Blitz Mixtape, OC street photographer James Bennett took roaming portraits, and Rock & Sock offered vintage vinyl and more. Visitors to the Goldmine Garage included Noodles from The Offspring and Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal, as well as members of Rancid, The Vandals, The Interrupters, and The Aquabats.
Surf City Blitz is produced by Synergy Global Entertainment, Inc. (SGE). Surf City Blitz partners include: 95.5 KLOS FM, Rockstar Energy Drink, Yachak, Cupcake Vineyards, Sailor Jerry, Deep Eddy Vodka, Don Julio, Golden Road Brewing, Stella Artois, Corona, Black Feather Whisky, Health-Ade, Cosmic Fog, Layrite, Dixxon Flannel Co., SPY, Body Glove, Wienerschnitzel, Screaming Images, Musician’s Institute, Gringo Bandito, BMW Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycles, Hurley, Dunlop, Ducati, Motul, Husqvarna, Law Tigers, Kawasaki, West Coast Board Riders, Yamaha, Geico Motorcycle, Super Hooligan, Bell, Motul, K&N, SOKFY, Cycle Zombie and Fast Surfboards.
A portion of Surf City Blitz proceeds will be donated to the Junior Lifeguard Program and the Living the Dream Foundation. LTD Foundation bridges together the music industry with fans who are fighting terminal illnesses by giving them All Access VIP experiences backstage with their favorite bands and artists. For more information, visit: www.ltdfoundation.org.
Check out video highlights from the festival here:
https://www.facebook.com/surfcityblitz/videos/308960819703805/
For more information on Surf City Blitz, visit:
Website: www.SurfCityBlitz.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SurfCityBlitz
Instagram: www.instagram.com/SurfCityBlitz
Hashtag: #SurfCityBlitz and #MotoCityBlitz
Slideshow of photos of Surf City Blitz 2018 Artists:
Slideshow of photos of Surf City Blitz 2018 Moto Beach Classic and Crowd: