US Open of Surfing Beach Festival July 28 - August 5, 2012

Time: Open daily till sunset. Location: Huntington City Beach, Pacific Coast Highway & Main St. next to Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, CA. Cost: Free admission. usopenofsurfing.com

Huntington Beach, California - US Open of Surfing and Beach Games is one of the largest beach festivals in the U.S. The nine day event is held each July / August and includes surfing, beach concerts, a Surfer's Village, Beach Games and vendor booths on the sand with many give-aways and samples.

Held as part of a surfing contest with large cash prizes for surfers competing in the World Qualifying Surf Series (WQS), surfing initially was the primary focus of this festival, but as it grew over the decades, it has encompassed extreme sports such as FMX, BMX and bowl skating (a special bowl is built with surrounding seating for the event).

Attracting an estimated 250,000 -300,000 people annually, the festival village includes tents with video games, places to hang out in the shade, and experiences such as drum circle where you can join in and beat a drum with the rest of the group (drums provided).

The event attracts all ages from young kids to old timers and includes sunshine and plenty of sandy activities. The event is completely free, and allows you to drop by and visit for as long as you like. Stadium seating (first come, first serve) is available for surfing, bmx and skateboarding.

For vendor participation and competition queries, you should contact the event planners and management firm, IMG Marketing. You'll often find the contact information for the upcoming annual event on usopenofsurfing.com.

2011 US OPEN OF SURFING SCHEDULE