A Great Day in the Stoke returns Oct. 10 for fifth annual gathering

A Great Day in the Stoke returns to Huntington Beach on Oct. 10, 2026, bringing Black surfers from across the United States and around the globe together for its fifth annual event. The gathering runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT at 325 Pacific Coast Highway, on the south side of Tower 3.

Founder Nathan Fluellen has described the event as the largest gathering of Black surfers in history. Past editions have drawn competitors from South Africa, Senegal, Jamaica and Canada, and Fluellen says the goal is to welcome even more surfers this year, including riders from Barbados and Mozambique, and even Egypt, where he recently learned there is surf.

A lifeguard tower at Huntington Beach. The Oct. 10 gathering runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 325 Pacific Coast Highway, on the south side of Tower 3.

Jeremy Bishop, CC0 · Source

For many of the athletes, the day is a rare chance at exposure. Ismail Samb of Dakar, Senegal, placed third at the 2025 event, spent time in California afterward and returned to Senegal with an Outerknown sticker on the nose of his board. Fluellen has said the event is an important opportunity for surfers who might not otherwise get in front of potential sponsors and media.

"The US is a hub because there are so many surf competitions, and economically getting to the US is the cheaper route than trying to go from Africa to Asia or Australia. So the US is an important part strategically... From an athlete sponsorship standpoint, everybody's based here, so it would make sense to be able to meet with the athletes in person here," Fluellen said.

The Oct. 10 program extends well beyond the waves. A free lululemon 5K walk and run starts the day from 5 to 7 a.m., open to all paces and experience levels, followed by lululemon beach yoga from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Melanated Jump Squad leads double dutch lessons and competition from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with sessions for ages 12 and under, ages 13 and up, and an open competition, plus prizes for the most creative moves, best teamwork and overall crowd-pleaser.

Surf at Huntington Beach. Founder Nathan Fluellen describes the event as the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.

Jeremy Bishop, CC0 · Source

Now in its fifth year, the event has grown from a gathering into an institution on the Huntington Beach calendar, one of the few dates on the national surf calendar centered on Black surfing culture. Fluellen has said the US matters strategically for athletes from Africa and the Caribbean because so many competitions and sponsors are based here, making the trip to California cheaper and more consequential than traveling to Asia or Australia.

Registration details are available through the event's Eventeny page, and the full schedule is free to attend.