Surf Park Summit 2026 will take place Sept. 1-3 at Atlantic Park and the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The event brings together surf-anchored real estate developers, operators, wave technology creators and investors. Organizers said the conference will focus on built surf park projects, emerging developers and surf park operators.
“Surf Park Summit continues to be the place where the industry’s builders, operators, and investors come together to move the space forward,” said Jess Ponting, Partner at Surf Park Central. “This year’s conference reflects just how far the industry has come over the last 14 years – this year featuring a review of Atlantic Park’s first year in operation to celebrating the next wave of developers pitching their projects on stage.”
The program includes a host of panels and activities including a real estate tour of Atlantic Park, which has been operating for one year now. Officials from the World Surf League are scheduled to deliver a keynote presentation on the future of surf parks and their potential role in competitions. Cole Cannon, founder of Cannon Beach, is also scheduled to deliver a keynote presentation. Participating developers and operators include Beach Street, Aventuur, Thinking Adrenaline, Lost Shore and others.
The conference will also host the popular Surf Park Sharks pitch contest, which highlights surf park development projects. Applications close July 30, 2026.
Sessions for developers include Designing Surf Parks for Different Audiences: Private Clubs, Attraction Parks & Mixed-Use Developments, which examines how surf park design changes across private clubs, public attraction parks and mixed-use developments. The session will bring together architects, planners and designers to discuss design considerations linked to different business models.
Another developer-focused session, Community Buy-In: Getting Surf Park Projects Approved and Addressing Opposition, will examine community engagement, regulatory approvals and responses to organized opposition. Speakers will discuss strategies for addressing community and environmental concerns and navigating political and planning processes.
For operators, Making Safe Surf: Operational Best Practices & Risk Management for Surf Parks will focus on risk management, operational protocols, surf park design considerations and regulatory and insurance requirements.
A separate operator session, Understanding the Surf-Anchored Hotel, will examine hotel design, feasibility, operations and hospitality offerings built around surf experiences. The discussion will cover programming, pricing, guest expectations, length of stay and revenue performance.
Registration and sponsorship information is available at thesurfparksummit.com.
