COAST 2026 caps Santa Monica’s World Cup celebration with a look toward LA28
COAST 2026 transforms downtown Santa Monica’s streets into a pedestrian
celebration of soccer, music, culture and community during the FIFA World Cup Final festivities.
After more than a month of welcoming the world, Santa Monica is preparing for one final celebration that reflects how global sporting events can transform a city.
On Sunday, the city will close out its six-week World Cup programming with COAST 2026, a free open streets festival that will transform more than a mile of downtown into a pedestrian-first celebration of soccer, music, culture, wellness and community.
Stretching across Ocean, Arizona and Colorado avenues, Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier, COAST invites residents and visitors to walk, bike and explore downtown through live entertainment, interactive art, wellness programming, family activities and public watch parties for the FIFA World Cup Final.
More than simply celebrating the tournament’s championship match, COAST reflects a broader vision for Santa Monica’s future—one where public spaces become gathering places, local businesses thrive and major global events leave a lasting civic legacy as Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The festival revives Santa Monica’s beloved COAST open streets event, which had been paused since the pandemic, and returns this year thanks to funding from Metro’s Open Streets Program. Produced by Revel Republic in partnership with the City of Santa Monica, COAST brings together public agencies, local businesses, artists, performers and community organizations for the city’s largest World Cup celebration.
Throughout the past six weeks, Santa Monica has embraced the World Cup through activations that transformed Third Street Promenade and the surrounding downtown into one of Southern California’s premier fan destinations.
Helping bring that vision to life has been Revel Republic, the experiential production company behind COAST 2026 and much of Santa Monica’s World Cup programming. For Sunday’s finale, Revel Republic is coordinating more than 80 vendors and activations across downtown, including partnerships with Red Bull, Therabody, Verizon and AI Wellness, creating an immersive celebration that blends sports, culture, music, wellness and local business.
The scale of participation reflects more than just a festival. It demonstrates how major sporting events can create meaningful economic opportunities for local businesses while transforming public spaces into vibrant places where residents and visitors gather together. “One of the best things about the World Cup is the way it brings people together,” said Debbie Lee, CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. “Throughout the tournament, Downtown Santa Monica has become a place where residents, visitors and soccer fans from around the world can gather, celebrate and create lasting memories.”
Lee said COAST builds on that momentum by transforming downtown into an all-day celebration. “COAST 2026 builds on that energy by filling our streets with music, entertainment and experiences that invite people to spend the day exploring Downtown Santa Monica,” Lee said. “When people come together like this, our local businesses benefit, our community comes alive, and our downtown continues to grow as one of Southern California’s most vibrant destinations.”
Mayor Caroline Torosis said the festival represents more than the conclusion of the World Cup, it signals Santa Monica’s continued resurgence as an international destination. “Hosting the world this summer has been a preview of what’s ahead for Santa Monica,” Torosis said. “The World Cup brought thousands of visitors to our businesses and our beach, and the grand finale caps a month that showed our comeback in full swing. When the world comes to Los Angeles, Santa Monica is where they come to celebrate.”
Throughout the Promenade, each block offers a distinct World Cup experience. The 1400 block, dubbed “The Warm Up,” features community yoga, youth soccer activities, outdoor games and the FIFA Pop-Up Store. The 1300 block, “The Tailgate,” gets fans match-ready with World Cup face painting, photo opportunities and interactive activations. Arizona Avenue’s “Grandstand” serves as the festival’s primary outdoor watch party with a large viewing screen, fan seating, food vendors and interactive experiences, while the 1200 block’s “Huddle” pairs live music from Jam in the Van with outdoor match viewing and dining from local favorites including 1212 Santa Monica, Cabo Cantina, Casa Martin and Ugo.
Thousands of fans are expected to gather around multiple LED screens throughout downtown to watch the FIFA World Cup Final together, with viewing available at the Grandstand, the Santa Monica Stage near Ocean and Arizona avenues and participating businesses throughout downtown.
One of this year’s featured partners is Red Bull, whose North American headquarters is based in Santa Monica. The company will debut an interactive Energy Zone where fans can enjoy live DJ sets from the Red Bull Event Vehicle, test their soccer skills and grab an ice-cold Red Bull before joining festivities across downtown. “With Red Bull North America’s headquarters based in Santa Monica, supporting COAST 2026 is an opportunity to show up for the community we call home and help create an unforgettable experience for fans visiting and from the city,” the company said.
Therabody will also bring recovery and wellness experiences to COAST, complementing programming that includes guided breathwork, movement classes and meditation in Palisades Park’s Superbloom Garden and reinforcing wellness as a central part of the festival experience.
Music and performance will unfold across four stages throughout the day. The Main Stage at Ocean Avenue and Broadway will feature Bomba Borikén, Masanga Marimba, Sangre Nueva and Esther Anaya before transitioning into a community salsa celebration curated by Salsa Way’s Cesar Romero following the World Cup Final.
The Indie Stage will spotlight emerging musicians and DJs, while the Santa Monica Stage will serve as both a primary viewing location for the championship match and home to afternoon performances from Funky House Collective.
Families will have their own dedicated destination at the Kids Stage, where programming curated in part by Nicole Blaine and The Crow will feature comedy, live music, youth performances, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Jason Mesches, Rangeela Dance Company and The Crow’s Kid Rock Band.
Visitors can also experience “Memory World” at the Camera Obscura Art Lab, participate in community art projects, enjoy family activities and explore dozens of local businesses participating throughout the festival footprint.
COAST also reflects Santa Monica’s commitment to creating people-first streets and encouraging alternative transportation. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by Metro’s E Line, Big Blue Bus, bicycle or on foot, while free bike valet stations and temporary street closures allow thousands to experience downtown without cars.
When the final whistle blows Sunday afternoon, COAST will mark more than the end of the FIFA World Cup. It will celebrate six weeks in which Santa Monica welcomed the world, demonstrated the power of community partnerships and reimagined its streets as places of connection.
If the World Cup showcased what Southern California can accomplish on the global stage, COAST offers a hopeful reminder that some of the tournament’s most meaningful victories happened not inside the stadiums, but in the communities that came together around them.
Source: SMDP
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