The Sessions Surf Festival opens Saturday, Sept. 12, kicking off a weeklong celebration of surf culture across Encinitas, Solana Beach and Carlsbad that runs through Saturday, Sept. 19.

The sixth annual festival, founded by Solana Beach native and filmmaker Taylor Steele, began as the Solento Surf Festival centered on film screenings at La Paloma Theatre. It has since expanded to include live music, art exhibitions and beach events, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

"Each year we just sort of kept adding stuff and making it bigger and bigger … The big jump this year is the music side of it," Steele told the Union-Tribune in August.

Opening day features Music Sessions at Seaside Reef, 2504 S. Coast Highway 101 in Solana Beach, from noon to 10 p.m. The lineup includes Osees, Unwritten Law, Bully, Yoke Lore, MT Warning, Jack Shields and the Mojave Rush, and Emily Afton. Tickets start at $85, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune's events listing.

A free Beach Day follows Sunday, Sept. 13, at Seaside Reef. The day includes the Count Down Cup surf competition, live music, food and drinks.

La Paloma Theatre hosts film sessions

The heart of the Encinitas programming arrives Thursday, Sept. 17, through Saturday, Sept. 19, when La Paloma Theatre at 471 S. Coast Highway 101 hosts Film Sessions. The three-day lineup features surf films, filmmaker conversations, panel discussions and live music, curated by Steele, Patch reported.

The lineup runs nine films deep. A centerpiece screening is the 25th anniversary showing of "Shelter," the 2001 surf film directed by Chris Malloy and Steele. The film features Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Taylor Knox and Donavon Frankenreiter. Malloy and surfers from the film will join a discussion after the screening.

Other titles on the schedule include "Maps to Nowhere: In the Current," "In Pieces Together," "Unmakeable," "Kinder," "Blue Sunshine," "Silent Sound," "ProCasual," "HUCK 2" and "Problematic."

Art and more

Free Art Sessions run Monday, Sept. 14, through Sept. 19 at Hotwater Gallery, 6880 Embarcadero Lane in Carlsbad, featuring work by 11 artists alongside live music, food and drinks, according to Patch. The Union-Tribune separately listed artist showcases at the Outerknown Pop-Up Shop at Hansen Surfboards in Encinitas during the same dates.

Steele told the Union-Tribune in August that he schedules the festival in September so it stays accessible to locals rather than summer tourists. He described it as "the locals' summer."

The full schedule, ticket information and updates are available at sessionssurffestival.com.

Upcoming Encinitas community events

  • Monday, Sept. 14 – Sept. 19: Free Art Sessions at Hotwater Gallery, Carlsbad, and artist showcases at Hansen Surfboards, Encinitas
  • Thursday, Sept. 17 – Saturday, Sept. 19: Film Sessions at La Paloma Theatre, 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas