Surf Shop Day 2025 sent a clear message: when the surf industry rallies around its core, exciting things happen. With foot traffic up, digital engagement spiking, and local shops buzzing, this year’s celebration proved that surf culture still moves people, literally.
According to data provided by ActionWatch and Placer Labs, Inc., which analyzed over 60 million cellphone signals across 183 leading surf shops, Surf Shop Day drove a 16% increase in foot traffic over the previous Saturday, making it the second busiest Saturday of the year, trailing only Easter.
“Surf Shop Day showed us what happens when the industry activates at the grassroots level,” said Vipe Desai, Executive Director of Surf Industry Members Association. “It wasn’t just a sales day, it was a community day.”
The event’s impact extended beyond store visits:
• 276 new Instagram followers
• 82.1K views
• 3.6K social interactions
For many retailers, the day was about reconnecting, not just ringing up sales.
Gorge Performance in Portland hosted their first Surf Shop Day event this year. “It proved super successful in terms of bringing people in, and we had a blast,” said Kim Reuter, Co-owner. “No hard-sell holiday pressure, just genuine connection. We gave away prizes, offered free beer and hot dogs, and celebrated the people who make our shop matter. We’ll absolutely be doing it again.”
Surf brands also stepped up, offering exclusive products designed specifically for local shops.
Instinct released a limited-edition tee that outperformed expectations. “The tee was a hit at retail, with strong sell-through,” said Todd Stanley, VP of Sales at Instinct/Silk Screen Shirts Inc. “It really proved the value of creating something special for core shops and helped put Instinct back on the map and opened doors with new dealers.”
Jetty focused on both product and profitability. “Supporting and promoting local surf shops is incredibly important,” said Cory Higgins, Co-Founder of Jetty. “We rolled out a limited edition shirt available only at core retailers and added extra margin to help those shops.“
Surf Shop Day is driven by the Surf Industry Members Association. It honors the people, places, and independent spirit that built surf culture from the sand up. And with results like these, it’s clear the stoke is only growing stronger.
