The Coast Film & Music Festival returns to Laguna Beach October 16 to 25, 2026, for its eighth year: ten days of adventure and documentary films, talks, workshops, and a closing weekend of concerts at the Irvine Bowl with Rainbow Body, Ben Harper, and Amos Lee. Opening night is SURFILMUSIC, Emmett Malloy’s documentary about how surfer and filmmaker Jack Johnson became a globally known musician.
One change to know about: two earlier Coast concerts at the Irvine Bowl, set for October 3 and 4, were postponed because of unresolved licensing issues at the Festival of Arts property, and ticket holders are being refunded automatically. The festival itself and its closing weekend concerts remain on the schedule as of September 28, 2026.
The quick version
| When | Friday, October 16, through Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
| Where | Venues across Laguna Beach, with the main hub at the Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Rd. |
| Opening night | SURFILMUSIC with the short Lester, Friday, October 16, 7 p.m., Rivian South Coast Theater |
| Concerts | Rainbow Body (October 23), Ben Harper (October 24), Amos Lee (October 25) at the Irvine Bowl |
| Passes | $200 to $2,500 |
| Families | Family friendly, per the festival |
| Official site | coastfilmfestival.com |
What’s screening
The 2026 film guide lists about 80 shorts and features, heavy on surf, mountains, conservation, and people doing things their own way. A few that stand out:
- SURFILMUSIC (Emmett Malloy): Jack Johnson’s story, told through rare surf footage, family archives, and new interviews. It opens the festival on October 16 and screens again Saturday, October 24, at 5:15 p.m. on the Festival of Arts Main Stage, both times paired with Lester, a short about an 83-year-old artist, surfer, and craftsman.
- Big Wednesday, the 1978 surf film, is in the feature lineup.
- Los Lobos: Native Sons, for the music fans.
- Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, about the poet.
- More features: Actually, It is Rocket Science, The Ascent, Cookie Queens, High Ground, Kikuyu Land, The Last Place on Earth, The Lost Cache, Montana Grind, Remaining Native, Sensing Home, Superfish: Salmon, Teeth to the Wind, and Your Attention Please.
- Shorts worth circling for the titles alone: Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage, Searching for SuperCrust: The Lost Tapes, The Search For Milliseconds: Jackson Goldstone, and Rán: a Scandinavian Surfing Saga.
Hobie Night and the Coast Summit
Hobie Night is billed as the locals’ favorite: a celebration of surf culture presented by Finisterre and Patagonia, with surf tunes by Par Avion, screenings of Granny Grommet and Sensing Home, and a talk story with surfer, filmmaker, and scientist Cliff Kapono.
The Coast Summit, presented by A New Earth Project, focuses this year on The Intelligence of Nature, with guests including Andy Mann, Garth Stevenson, Len Necefer, Nicole Miller, and Cliff Kapono.
Closing weekend at the Irvine Bowl
| Night | Who’s playing |
|---|---|
| Friday, October 23 | Rainbow Body |
| Saturday, October 24 | Ben Harper, with Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love, and Lily Meola |
| Sunday, October 25 | Amos Lee, with Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love, and Lily Meola |
Single concert tickets are sold through the festival’s site. Several passes include all three nights, and pass holders need to reserve their concert seats in advance through Eventive.
Passes and tickets
Passes are sold on the festival’s Eventive page. They are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Students and industry professionals can apply for a discount on the All Film pass.
- Opening Weekend, $200: films, workshops, and ticketed programs October 16 to 18.
- All Film, $400: every film and workshop. Does not include Hobie Night, the Changemaker Dinner, or the Coast Summit.
- Closing Weekend with Concerts, $450: all three Irvine Bowl concerts (general admission) plus programs October 23 to 25.
- All Access, $750: all three concerts (general admission), unlimited films, programs, and workshops, Hobie Night, and the Coast Summit.
- Closing Weekend VIP with Concerts, $1,000: VIP seating for the three concerts plus closing weekend programs.
- Patron, $2,500: everything, including VIP concerts and the Changemaker Dinner at The Ecology Center.
Individual film tickets go on sale September 28, based on remaining capacity after pass holders reserve. Pass holders got reservation windows in order of pass level, so some screenings may already be spoken for. All ticket orders are final.
How to plan
- Reserve, then arrive early. Most pass holders must reserve each event. The FAQ also says seating is first come, first served and no ticket guarantees a specific seat, so show up early.
- Just here for the music? Buy a single concert ticket, or the $450 Closing Weekend pass if you also want films that weekend.
- Bringing kids? The festival calls itself family friendly and asks parents with rating questions to reach out before a film.
Venues
- Festival of Arts (main hub, Forum Theater, Main Stage, and the Irvine Bowl), 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
- Rivian South Coast Theater, 162 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
- Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center, 235 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
- Hobie Surf Shop, 294 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
- Surfing Heritage & Culture Center, 239 Broadway St., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Getting there
The Rivian South Coast Theater and the Cultural Arts Center are each about a 10-minute walk from the Festival of Arts. The festival recommends the free Laguna Beach Trolley. Downtown Laguna has paid parking, and the festival points to Lot 1 (Broadway), Lots 3 and 4 (Ocean Avenue West), Lot 10 (Laguna Canyon Road), and Lot 11 (Forest Avenue, Laguna Canyon).
Accessibility
The festival’s FAQ says that if you cannot attend a screening because it lacks accessibility features you need, you can request a refund by emailing boxoffice@coastfilmfestival.com. That address is also the place for access questions before you buy.
Still to come
Individual film ticket prices, the full daily schedule, and any rescheduled dates for the postponed October 3 and 4 concerts have not been posted. Whether the Festival of Arts licensing issue is resolved before closing weekend is also still open. The 824 Journal will update this guide as the festival shares news.
Sources
- Coast Film & Music Festival, official site
- Coast Film & Music Festival: CFMF 2026
- Coast Film & Music Festival: FAQ
- CFMF 2026 passes on Eventive
- CFMF 2026 film guide on Eventive
- Best of Laguna Beach: Licensing issues at Festival of Arts postpone 2 Coast Film October concerts (September 16, 2026)
Featured photo: Festival of Arts via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
