For decades Santa Barbara has attracted and cultivated a melange of surf innovators. From board shapers like Renny Yater, Al Merrick, Matt Moore, and George Greenough, who have taken shaping to a whole new level. To surfers like Bobby Martinez, Chris Brown, and Tom Curren, whose unique styles have stood the test of time. There is a certain element to “Santa Barbara Surf Culture,” which combines tradition with radical innovation, that has played an influential role in the international surf scene for over 50 years.

The Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival celebrates this rich surf history and the diverse storytelling styles of the filmmakers, artists, shapers, and surfers who started it all. The festival started in 2019 with the idea to combine the love of cinema, ocean conservation and community, and is a fusion of two events: Film Screenings and a vibrant Block Party.  Films screened at SBSFF include shorts, new independent films, documentaries and international films in in-person dialogue with the filmmakers. The festival also includes a "grom program" - giving local up-and-coming surfers a platform to screen their surfing highlights. The Block Party is a community centered event featuring local vendors and artisans, live music, fashion, wellness and fun.