The 2026 US Open of Surfing ran last week in Huntington Beach, Calif., with high energy in the waves from Hurricane Genevieve, which gave surfers a solid playing field throughout the annual competition. Sierra Kerr and Jake Marshall won the event, signaling a new guard on the rise.
Brands Bring the Activations to Main Street and the Sand
Meanwhile, on the sand, brands turned the event into a weeklong activation hub. Goodr and Red Bull entertained the thousands of attendees with games, a DJ and free drinks to cool off from the heat. On Main Street, Billabong, Former, Rip Curl and many more brands brought in high profile athletes for signings, including Billabong’s Sky Brown and Former’s Dane Reynolds, giving fans a chance to meet and get autographs from surf stars on their rosters.
Goodr’s activation on the beach at the US Open of Surfing 2026. Photo by SESO.
The activations extended into the evening as well, with Quiksilver and Stab teaming up to host a joint party around the event. The combination of competition, commerce and culture is part of what has made the US Open one of the anchor events on the surf calendar, drawing not just competitors and hardcore fans but also curious onlookers pulled in by the scale of the brand presence.
And up on Main Street, spirits were high as the Surfing Walk of Fame and Surfers’ Hall of Fame each inducted new honorees into their pantheons of surf icons.
Kanoa Igarashi and fans at the Lexus US Open of Surfing. Photo by Tommy Pierucki, courtesy of World Surf League.
Surfing Walk of Fame Honors Pioneers and Champions
The awards events kicked off Thursday, July 30, with the Surfing Walk of Fame. This year, the event honored Mike Purpus as the annual Surfing Pioneer, artist Phil Roberts for Surfing Culture, Jordy Smith as Surfing Champion, and Patti Paniccia, who co-founded the women’s championship tour, as Woman of the Year. Jack’s Surfboards and the World Surf League (WSL) were among the event’s sponsors.
For Brooke Farris, Chief Marketing Officer and President, North America, WSL, the event — and the US Open overall — were important parts of both competitive surfing and supporting surf history and culture.
Of the honorees, she said, “I’m particularly excited about Patti Paniccia. I love that she is now being acknowledged for everything she did for women at the start of female professional surfing in particular, fighting for the women to be in the waves and have a world champion. To see that her story is being told to more and more people is incredible for the sport.”
Jordy Smith speaking at the Surfing Walk of Fame festivities. Photo by SESO.
Farris also saw the US Open as a key part of surfing’s past and future.
“The US Open of Surfing is one of the longest-running events we’ve got and it connects all the dots when it comes to professional surfing, and especially in North America.
“I first came here in 1998. It was my first international competition and it was a big deal to come here and be part of this event.
“So, for me personally, what an absolute honor to be a part of this event and to be contributing to those years that have gone past — incredible people like PT Townend (1976 men’s world champion), who have surfed here over the years. It’s a rite of passage for any surfer who’s trying to make it on tour.”
Surfers’ Hall of Fame Cements Legacies in Concrete
The honors continued Friday, July 31, with the annual induction ceremony for the Surfers’ Hall of Fame. Huntington Surf & Sport has been running the event for the past 29 years, in which inductees quite literally cement their places in the pantheon of surf culture, with fresh squares of sidewalk poured for them to imprint their hands, feet, names, and messages into the corner of PCH and Main street.
This year, longtime WSL championship tour surfer Courtney Conlogue and cultural surf icon Jay Larson were inducted, with wet cement and trophies. The ceremony opened with a prayer and the 10 grandchildren of HSS owner Aaron Pai singing for the crowd. It set a familial tone, which lasted throughout the event.
Honorees Jay Larson and Courtney Conlogue and their supporters at the Surfers’ Hall of Fame event at HSS. Photo by SESO.
At points during the cement imprinting, Pai handed the mic to various attendees, including a local surf coach, to each of Conlogue’s parents, and eventually to both Conlogue and Larson for their respective speeches. For Pai, that sense of community is integral to the event.
“The Pai family, we all surf,” he said.
“The reason why we exist on this earth is to surf and to share the sport of surfing with future generations.
“So (the Surfers’ Hall of Fame) is our way of giving back to the sport and our way of giving back to the community. We just do what we feel from the heart.”
