This week the column travels to the Ohana Festival (September 25-27, 2026) at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California.
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder founded the fest in 2016, which is still held at Doheny Beach where Vedder, a surfing enthusiast, rode his first wave. Proceeds from the initial fest benefited the San Onofre Park Foundation and the Doheny State Beach Foundation. Since then, the event has only become more widely focused on the environment and sustainability.
Named after the Hawaiian concept for family, Ohana seemingly has become a fest that offers something for everyone, just like a family, albeit a modern one. For example, along with providing a collection of exhibits and panels with leading conservationists, environmentalists, researchers, and professional surfers, it also offers exclusive “lounges” with elevated viewing, and a culinary experience as diverse as the lineup itself. Ohana also acknowledges, at the bottom of every page of its website (along with logos of the fest’s 17 corporate and commercial partners), that the fest stands on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the Acjachemen Nation and its people.
For the third consecutive year, column veteran Liza Orozco was there to grab some photos and soak in the experience.
