By Jorge Casuso
July 17, 2026 -- Santa Monica will launch its first major music festival on the beach in September, 13 years after the Twilight Dance Concert series brought major musical acts -- and enormous crowds -- to the Santa Monica Pier.
Goldenvoice -- the creators of Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival -- announced Thursday the headliners for the new two-day Ocean Way Festival September 26 and 27, which include The Killers and Olivia Dean.
Unlike the free Twilight series that attracted major musical acts such as Jimmy Cliff, Los Lobos, Buck Owens and Joan Baez, the Ocean Way Festival will be pricey, with general admission tickets starting at $399.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, July 23 at 11 a.m. at oceanwayfestival.com, with a Santa Monica residents presale beginning Wednesday, July 22 also at 11 a.m.
"For Goldenvoice, whose early reputation was built producing landmark shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium blocks from the festival site, Ocean Way is a homecoming as much as a debut," City officials said in a statement announcing the festival.
The festival, which will stretch across the beach between the Pier and Bay Street -- features a main stage with five acts per day, a second stage offering a more intimate setting, and "thoughtfully designed gathering spaces," City officials said.
"The grounds blend standing room and open blanket areas, designed for the way people naturally spend a day at the beach," officials said.
The festival's main headliners include two British acts that have topped the charts with smash hits.
Considered one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century, The Killers have released seven studio albums, with each topping the UK Albums Chart and selling a total of more than 35 million records worldwide.
English singer and songwriter Olivia Dean has won four Brit Awards and the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. the song "Rein Me," which she co-wrote and performed with Sam Fender was the longest-running number one single of all time by a British act.
Also headlining the festival is Jack White the guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock duo the White Stripes, a major player in the 2000s indie and garage rock movements.
The inaugural lineup also features Khruangbin, Sublime, Durand Jones and the Indications, Alvvays, SG Lewis, 54 Ultra, Hiatus Kaiyote, BLOND:ISH, Poolside and Hot Chip DJs.
"With the Santa Monica Pier framing the main stage, Ocean Way Festival brings together rock, soul, indie, house and beyond across two stages for an all-ages, day-into-night experience on the sand," promoters said.
Goldenvoice was selected through a competitive process by the City to develop Ocean Way Festival as part of its more than $60 million Realignment Plan to bring back the City's distressed economy.
“Santa Monica is in the middle of a renaissance," Mayor Caroline Torosis said in a statement. "The city is welcoming the world to its shores, and Ocean Way Festival is how we're making sure our own community is at the center of it.”
The festival comes 12 years after the City Council canceled the Twilight weekly summer series in early 2014 after police officials worried the massive crowds could increase the possibility of “eruptions of mass rage” and “riots.”
The Council voted to only book “emerging” talent for future concerts, scale back advertising and eliminate the jumbotron screen watched by spill-over crowds on the beach.
The festival stems from a discussion item placed on the May 13 Council agenda by Councilmembers Dan Hall, Jesse Zwick and Lana Negrete that called for bringing back "large music events and multi-day festivals" to the Pier.
Hall, a former member of the Pier Board, said that "safety and security are central to making Pier music festivals successful," adding that "this must be a money maker, not create losses to the City."