We’re only a week away from the 2022 Vans US Open of Surfing, and it looks like Vans and the WSL are going all-out to make this year the best US Open of Surfing yet.
The nine day, free-to-the-public festival will run from July 30 through August 7, and although the Challenger Series event will be center stage, there’s a lot more going on than just competitive shortboarding (longboarding, skatboarding, kid’s surf camps, and a surfboard swap to name a few). It is the world’s largest action sports festival, after all.
Keep reading for a rundown of some event highlights and descriptions. For the full event schedule, click here.
Fans check out the Vans Community Market at the 2019 US Open of Surfing. Photo: Vans.
Daily Activities
The theme for this year’s US Open of Surfing focuses on the importance of sustainability and eco-consciousness, with activities like a wetsuit repair pop-up with Stitchbox, live eco-board shaping and glassing at the Duct Tape Shaping Bay, and more. The Community Market, open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day of the event will feature vendors who work to integrate sustainability into their products and business practices. Don’t miss the Community Market Board Swap on August 4, where local surf collectors such as Dale Smith, Rocky Sabo, Mikey Whaley, and others will have unique surfboards and gear from their own collections up for sale.
Also on the list of “don’t miss” activities is the Van Doren BBQ. Every day from 12:00-2:00 p.m., Steve Van Doren, son of legendary Vans founder Paul Van Doren, will be manning the grill, serving up free food and Vans swag for fans at the Van Doren village. Free lunch is definitely not one to be slept on.
Griffin Colapinto and Caity Simmers took home the top honors in 2021. Photo: WSL/Kenny Morris.
Competitive Events
Front and center at the Huntington Beach Pier will be the surf events. The US Open of Surfing is an official stop on the WSL Challenger Series, with 160 of the best up-and-coming surfers vying for a spot on next year’s Championship Tour. And I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the current roster of CT surfers take part in the competition as well, as they look ahead to the Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o which runs August 11-21. Challenger Series competition will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, with the finals scheduled for August 7.
August 2-7, the Vans Duct Tape Invitational will be hitting the water as an official stop on the WSL Longboard Tour. Forty of the world’s best male and female longboarders will be competing, and with a total prize purse of $50,000, there’s a lot on the line for surfers like Justin Quintal, Harrison Roach, Honolua Blomfield, and others.
Fans catch the finals day action at the 2019 US Open of Surfing. Photo: Vans.
July 30-31 will see top BMXers take the stage for the BMX Waffle Cup, with events such as the Bunny Hop and High Air contests, with competitors like Dakota Roche, Kevin Peraza, and Angie Merino, among others.
On August 6-7 the Vans Showdown will take place, bringing together the world’s most exciting street-style skaters to compete. Following the theme of sustainability, at the end of the event all of the build materials will be repurposed through the Skatepark Project to help build a local skatepark in Southern California.
Click here for more info such as a full list of vendors, Surf Camp registration, and more.
Map of the 2022 event area. Photo: Vans.
