Because of severe impacts initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic that have yet to be fully overcome, the San Clemente Ocean Festival will not be held in 2023, the nonprofit tasked with organizing the yearly event has announced.
“Like many nonprofits, ‘The Greatest Show on Surf’ was weakened by its cancellation during Covid, and its volunteer board is now struggling to continue its mission of promoting ocean safety, the environment, and the community by providing an athletic venue and enjoyable family event,” the Ocean Festival said in a media release.
The event was canceled for both 2020 and 2021 before coming back in 2022.
Peggy Vance, SCOF executive director, and SCOF official Maureen Henry spoke with the San Clemente Times on Tuesday, Feb. 21, to provide the details behind the organization’s decision.
“We left the 2019 event feeling good,” Vance said. “We had some new people that joined the board and we felt strong and ready for 2020.”
The pandemic shutdown left the 501(c)(4) organization with expenses it couldn’t recover, especially as it was situated within the few categories of nonprofits that were ineligible for financial aid.
Heading into the preparation phase for last year’s event, Vance said they were already shorthanded.
The combination of one board member dying from COVID-19 and multiple others stepping away from their positions forced the rest to take on several roles in order to put on the 2022 event.
Organizing each Ocean Festival requires people to handle the youth pavilion, athletic results from events, product sales, logistics and setup, and the awards among other aspects.
Henry said that only a few weeks passed after the last Ocean Festival before the idea to shut down for 2023 was initially floated. The organization then spent time trying to ask other local organizations if they could participate in presenting any event to San Clemente, but the groups didn’t have the capacity to actively engage in the weeks leading up to a possible event.
Ocean Festival leadership knew it would be best not to host the two-day spectacle this year, but dragged their feet on making a final decision between September and January, according to Vance.
Henry provided her own assessment of what happened.
“All of us, I think, were on both sides,” she said. “We didn’t want the event to happen, but we didn’t want to see it go away.”
They’ll spend the next year or more recruiting and rebuilding the organization and theorizing what other changes might need to be made before the next Ocean Festival in 2024.
In the media release announcing the decision, Henry wrote that the thought of the event not continuing well into the future “leaves a gaping hole at our core.”
“Unique events, engaged individuals, and a picturesque beach landscape are at the center of what creates community and makes a town special,” Ocean Fest said in the release. “If not you, then who? Hear the call of the ocean, grab a friend, and find out how you can make the beach come to life at the Ocean Festival next year.”
Visit oceanfestival.org, email pvscof@yahoo.com or call 949.440.6141 to learn more about volunteering with the organization.
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