Jul 13, 2022 | Cover Story, Feature, Marina Dunbar, News, Ventura | 0 |

PICTURED:The Surf Rodeo team is excited about the event’s return. Photo by Chris Mortenson

The annual Surf Rodeo Festival is returning to the Ventura Pier on July 15, 16, and 17. Voted the No. 1 music festival in Ventura County, the event features three days of live music, surfing and various beach activities with a Western-themed twist. In addition to offering ample fun and sunshine to festival goers, the rodeo also supports several local charities. Surf Rodeo works to make sure that Ventura is not only having fun, but that the community is well cared for as well.

Good times are promised by organizers of the Surf Rodeo. Photo by Chris Mortenson

This year’s Surf Rodeo will feature a variety of activities, both classics and new additions. There will of course be the Surf Contest with vintage surfboards, the Cornhole Tournament, the Greased Pig Saddle Race, a hay bale obstacle course, the notorious Cowgirl (and now Cowboy) mechanical bull-riding contest, and many others. The festival also includes live performances by over 40 bands, a charity raffle of a 1963 Ford Econoline Pickup Truck, and the world’s largest beach bar.

“The original idea was to take the seriousness out of surfing and make it something really fun and that involved the community,” says Tami Winbury, one of the event’s organizers. “It started to attract big names . . . Jack Johnson used to come, Kelly Slater. It started in 1997 and continued for five years, they took a 10-year break and started again in 2013 and that’s when I got involved. We got together a whole big crew of people and we brought it back!”

But before it became a big crew and a massive project, it began as the brainchild of a small group of friends. This group included surf-enthusiast JD Drury. 

“We all come from a background of surfing, lots of contests and such,” explains Drury. “We didn’t want to make just another boring surf contest. That’s where the idea to use old-school surf boards, cowboy hats and to make it a western theme and call it Surf Rodeo came from.”

For over a century, Ventura has been the home to a prolific ranching community. Those from outside the area might not expect a California coastal county to accommodate cowboys, but any Ventura resident can tell you that the ranches of Ojai and Somis are just as central to the community as our golden beaches.

Surf Rodeo recognizes this juxtaposition. “We do have real cowboys that come to the rodeo . . . Ventura really does have a lot of cowboys and surfers, so it makes sense for those two cultures to co-mingle for a weekend,” explains Drury.

The Surf Rodeo is not just another day at the beach. Photo by Chris Mortenson

The festival also recognizes the importance of sustaining a community and is very involved with various local charities. It has given over $60,000 to the Boys & Girls Club since 2013. All the money from this year’s truck raffle will go to Boys & Girls Club as well as the Young and Brave Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing support to families battling cancer. Surf Rodeo also supports A Walk on Water, where pro surfers provide lessons and surf therapy to children with disabilities, in addition to several other charities.

“For us, giving back to the community has always been one of our top projects,” says Winbury. “We always make a point to include the nonprofits.”

“It’s important to give back and be a community,” Drury adds. “We’re a very community-based event . . . The energy is really bubbling as far as people wanting to get back out there and come to the rodeo. We have a lot of local bands performing but we have national acts, too. So, at the same time that it’s [the] community, it’s also people from beyond Ventura coming to have a good time.”

If enjoying Ventura’s iconic beach, connecting with your community and supporting local charities sounds like a good time to you, head on down to the Ventura Pier this weekend for the Surf Rodeo.

The Surf Rodeo takes place Friday-Sunday, July 15-17, at the Ventura Pier, 450 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Tickets start at $39. For tickets, full schedule and more information, visit surfrodeo.org.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to get VC Reporter Digital Edition, emails and newsletters delivered weekly in your email inbox.

For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website at https://vcreporter.com/privacy-policy/ By clicking to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress