The Pacífico Surf Open Cerritos comes back to Playa Cerritos from November 19 to 22, 2026. It's the third year for the event, which counts as a World Surf League Qualifying Series QS 2,000 stop and will bring more than 120 national and international surfers to the beach. As of mid-September, organizers still hadn't released the heat schedule, the concert lineup or the festival timetable. They say those details will come through Surf Open League, WSL and Cerveza Pacífico channels "in the coming weeks."
Residents don't have to wait for that announcement to start planning. The first two editions ran on a similar outline. Heats started at sunrise, and festival activity spread out to businesses along the Cerritos road. In both years, surfers from this stretch of coast made it deep into the draw. Anyone who lives in El Pescadero can plan around that outline now.
The contest runs on a sunrise clock
In 2024, the first edition's published calendar set competition hours at 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time each day at Playa Los Cerritos. In 2025, WSL's daily updates had organizers meeting at 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. for possible starts at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. Finals day followed the same routine. According to El Sudcaliforniano, the 2025 program ran from 7:30 a.m. until after sunset. Attendance was free, and organizers estimated more than 3,000 people came.
In 2024, the Reyes del Pacífico area and the Surf Village ran from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. That covered the last hours of competition and the rest of the afternoon. The surfing is best watched with coffee in hand, and the festival carries the day from there.
The surf itself fits the season. WSL reported two-to-four-foot, clean conditions on the 2025 Saturday, with more swell on the way for finals day. Encinitas surfer Cole McCaffray called the wave "a super fun beachy with this running left." Eeli Timperi of Finland pointed out how the waves "bowled up" as the tide dropped. A local surf guide calls November through March the winter window at Cerritos, when waves get bigger and more consistent. The same guide suggests a 3/2-mm wetsuit for winter sessions. For residents who surf, the event lands at the start of the season they've been waiting for.
The names on the heat sheet are from here
The international field gets the headlines. The results tell a more local story.
Lucas Cassity reached the semifinals in 2024. In its 2025 coverage, WSL called him a Todos Santos competitor and a local hero, and he was 17 that year. He made the 2025 quarterfinals and finished as the best-placed Mexican man. After his round of 16 heat, he told WSL, "It's so special coming in from every heat with everyone on the beach walking up and showing their support." WSL also named Cooper Roberts as a local contender who advanced to the 2025 round of 32 alongside Cassity.
The women's national division has been even more local. Coral Bonilla of Baja California Sur won in 2024, beating Maya Larripa of Oaxaca 15.07 to 13.83. Her sister Moana Bonilla finished third. In 2025, 24 Mexican surfers entered the division. Coral won again, and Moana moved up to second.
Organizers are building the event around this. Gustavo Duccini, director of Surf Open League in Mexico and Central America, said after the 2025 contest that Mexico had gone from about five flags on the rankings to 40 ranked Mexican surfers. "That's the objective," he said: Mexicans competing, entering the rankings and joining the Tour. The confirmed 2026 roster so far includes Alan Cleland Jr., Jhony Corzo, Sebastian Williams and Lucas Cassity, whom TravelPulse calls the Playa Cerritos local favorite. Organizers have also promised a dedicated Mexican women's division.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | November 20–23 | November 20–23 | November 19–22 |
| Level | WSL QS1000 plus women's national Open | WSL QS2000 plus women's national division | WSL QS2000 plus Mexican women's division |
| Field | n/a | 137 surfers from 14 countries | More than 120 announced |
| Men's winner | Jett Schilling | Hayden Rodgers | To be decided |
| Women's winner | Coral Bonilla | Coral Bonilla | To be decided |
| Best local result | Lucas Cassity, semifinal | Lucas Cassity, quarterfinal | Cassity confirmed |
The men's finals were close both years. Schilling beat Taro Watanabe 17.90 to 17.70 in 2024. Rodgers opened his 2025 final against Ryan Huckabee with a 9.75 and won with a 16.25 heat total. A local reaching that last heat would make it the most-watched morning Cerritos has had.
Where the afternoon goes
When the heats end, the event moves off the sand and into town. In 2024, the published map split the week across several locations. The contest and the Reyes del Pacífico area, with live music and seafood, were on Playa Los Cerritos. Morning yoga was at Surf Point. The Surf Village at Big Fun had lessons from Mario Surf School and CRT, plus beach soccer and volleyball. So Far So Good hosted the Surf Film Fest. The Saturday cleanup ran under the name Surf Sin Plástico, and Barracuda Cantina Cerritos hosted the closing party.
In 2025, the program added beach cinema, beginner clinics, environmental workshops and a parasurfing exhibition. Cero Basura BCS returns as the sustainability partner in 2026, with a zero-single-use-plastic initiative, recycling and ocean conservation education.
This year, Big Fun Beach Club has announced a three-day Cerritos Beach House Music Festival and a beach volleyball tournament for the contest weekend. It hasn't named any DJs yet. The official festival plans include surf-film screenings, beach cleanups, a local market, live music and a closing concert, all free.
The 2024 guide also recommended nearby places to stay and eat: So Far So Good Hotel, Cabañas 33 y 1/3, Paradero, Surf Point Village, Cerritos Desert Moon, Cerritos Surf Town, Proyecto Palmita, Perro Surfero and Olas de Cerritos. If friends or family want to visit that week, those are the places likely to book first.
A resident's contest day, based on the last two years
Until the 2026 timetable comes out, this is the rhythm past editions suggest:
- Early morning on the sand. Heats started around 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. in both prior years. That's the time to watch local surfers, before the day heats up.
- Late morning, find parking. El Sudcaliforniano says the beach is at kilometer 64 of the federal highway between Todos Santos and San José del Cabo. It has paved access and temporary event parking. In 2024, Surf Point Village listed parking, food trucks, showers and restrooms near the Cerritos main beach access.
- Afternoon at the festival venues. In 2024, the market, music and lessons ran until about 6:00 p.m. at the beach and at Big Fun.
- Evening films or the closing concert. On Sunday, the finals in the morning are followed by the concert.
El Sudcaliforniano also reported that emergency medical services, hydration stations and tourist information points operate throughout the competition, in coordination with local response teams.
What to watch for before November 19
The full schedule of heats, concerts and festival programming is still to come from Surf Open League, WSL and Cerveza Pacífico. Until it's out, the safest plan is to arrive early, when the surfing is on anyway.
The 2024 edition was streamed live through WSL channels, which helps when a heat you care about lands on a workday. If you'd like more on the town itself, our Pescadero ownership guide, the Cerritos Beach neighborhood page and our Pacific side overview cover the rest of this coast.
Own In Cabo Real Estate follows the Pacific side the same way our neighbors do, one season and one swell at a time. If the Surf Open weekend has you asking questions about homes, lots or builds near Cerritos, Patrick Neal and our team are one call away. Call the Broker and start your search.
