About this event
The Boardroom brings its 19th annual consumer surfboard show to the Del Mar Fairgrounds for a full weekend centered on the equipment, design and craft behind riding waves. Presented by US Blanks, the hall gathers working shapers, builders, surfboard brands, fins, wetsuits, hard goods, art and vintage boards, with live shaping and public judging running throughout both days. The headline Icons of Foam Shape-Off honors Australian surfer-designer Maurice Cole: eight invited shapers — Matt Calvani, Ryan Burch, Teiva Outters, Chris Christenson, Jordan Spee, Dan Mann, Matt Biolos and Timmy Patterson — work through four Saturday matchups, two Sunday semifinals and a Sunday final for a $2,000 winner-take-all prize. A separate Best In Show build-off is free and open to board builders worldwide; the 2026 brief is a functional Super El Niño big-wave gun, with expert, exhibitor and public votes deciding a $5,000 cash winner plus 2027 booth prizes. Spectators can also watch shaping demonstrations, vote on boards, attend talks and a book signing, browse the vintage surfboard meet-up, hear live music, and bring any-brand wetsuits for free Patagonia repair during published outdoor hours. Tickets are live: $20 plus a $1 fee for either single day, or $30 plus a $1 fee for the weekend; children 12 and under enter free. The first 100 paid attendees through the doors each day enter a surfboard giveaway. A separate Friday-night Maurice Cole VIP dinner is offered in the same checkout for $500 and showed two of eight places remaining at verification, but it is an optional pre-show add-on rather than part of the public show hours. Del Mar is roughly 100 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and is included as a major Southern California surf-industry gathering with rare live shaping, equipment education and direct rider value unavailable in the urban LA core.
At a glance
Best In Show is free and open to any surfboard builder worldwide. The board is judged for functionality, creative forward-thinking design, and construction quality; it is not an art-only contest. Icons of Foam participation is limited to the eight organizer-selected professional shapers. Spectator admission is open to the public.
open
Del Mar Fairgrounds — Exhibition Hall
In person
Event links
Official 2026 attendee guide
Official two-day program
Live TicketSpice ticket inventory
Del Mar Fairgrounds event listing
Icons of Foam — 2026 Maurice Cole tribute
Best In Show open board-builder call for entries
Official parking prices and policies
Del Mar Fairgrounds ADA and accommodation guide
Fairgrounds guest code and prohibited items
Official 2026 Icons of Foam announcement post
Del Mar Fairgrounds map
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