California 2023 X Games

Signal Staff
July 2, 2023
6:00 am

An 8-day, multicity event that starts in San Diego and ends in Ventura.

By Michele E. Buttelman

Signal Staff Writer

From July 15 to July 23 the Summer X Games will travel the coast of Southern California from San Diego to Ventura for the 28th summer edition of the extreme sports competition.

The inaugural X Games were founded by ESPN and held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, R.I. Today, participants compete to win bronze, silver and gold medals, as well as prize money.

This year, more than 150 of the world’s best action sports athletes will compete as the X Games return to the birthplace of skateboarding and BMX. California is a natural fit for welcoming fans back to the X Games for the first time in three years.

“For decades, California has been the epicenter of action sports, producing some of the most talented athletes in the world,” said Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta. “It’s only fitting that the X Games makes its way back to the ultimate state for play to celebrate the culture that inspired these incredible events.

“We’re honored to host the X Games and can’t wait to see the next generation of extreme athletes take the stage.”

X Games California officially kicks off in San Diego on Sunday, July 16, with Real Street and Real BMX Best Trick contests. Ten of the best street skateboard and BMX athletes will battle for the first gold medals of this year’s competition.

Continuing its tour up the coast, X Games will host a pop-up event and competition with a kick-off launch party in Los Angeles during the following week before culminating with three days of finals competition in Ventura.

The finals for most events will be held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center. The games will also feature X Fest, an interactive festival with live musical performances and featured athlete appearances.

In the Past

Not all events from past X Games have stood the test of time. The original X Games featured a slew of “exotic” extreme sports including surfing, street luge, wakeboarding, bungee jumping, barefoot waterski jumping and rally and off-road truck racing have exited the X Games arena.

New Ownership

If longtime X Games fans sense a new look and feel around the games it may be because this will be the first Summer X Games under new ownership. Private equity firm MSP Sports Capital acquired a majority interest in X Games from ESPN Productions in October 2022. ESPN retains the rights to broadcast the X Games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

Getting There

The Ventura Fairgrounds is a quick 50-minute drive from the Santa Clarita Valley. If you want to avoid the possible hassles of driving and paying for parking, you can also take the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner which drops you off in the fairgrounds parking lot, a few feet away from where finals weekend will be held. Board the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner in either Northridge, Chatsworth or Simi Valley and take the short trip to Ventura.

A total of 10 Pacific Surfliner trips operate to Ventura daily. During the event, an additional trip will be added to the schedule to provide customers with a late-night departure option from Ventura.

More information about the Pacific Surfliner, including schedules, special offers, and station details, as well as a 15% savings on X Games admission, can be found at www.PacificSurfliner.com/XGames.

Tickets

Tickets are still available for the finals weekend in Ventura. Visit www.xgames.com/events/x-games-california-2023/tickets. Prices start at $48. For the most up-to-date event information, follow @xgames on social media and visit xgames.com.