Hawke Media unveils Hawkefest 2026 lineup for Santa Monica Pier

Hawke Media announced the speaker roster and event details for Hawkefest 2026, set for Oct. 1 at the Santa Monica Pier in California. The company expects 1,500 attendees, making it the largest Hawkefest yet, as the conference expands into a themed, experiential gathering for founders, marketers and operators.

Why it matters: - Hawkefest is scaling into a larger industry gathering as growth-stage brands, founders and marketers look for in-person forums focused on commerce, brand building and entrepreneurship. - The event’s expected jump from more than 800 attendees last year to 1,500 this year signals stronger demand for premium business conferences with networking and content built around operators. - The Santa Monica Pier setting and RASA World production aim to turn a business conference into a higher-touch experience that blends programming with live entertainment.

What happened: - Hawke Media announced the Hawkefest 2026 speaker lineup on Sept. 9, 2026. - Hawkefest 2026 will take over the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. PT. - The event is expected to welcome 1,500 attendees, which would make it the largest Hawkefest to date. - Hawke Media is producing the event with RASA World, an experiential production company with events in Los Angeles, Miami, London, Dubai and Ibiza.

The details: - The 2026 theme is Renaissance. - Planned on-site experiences include live period actors, sword-fighting demonstrations, carnival games, turkey legs, seafood bags, a mead bar, a live pitching competition and other surprises. - Programming will focus on marketing, brand building, growth and the realities of entrepreneurship. - The speaker lineup includes Rob Dyrdek, Sean Frank, Brian Lee, Fiona Ma, Shaun Neff, Shadi Bakour, Peter Pham, Miles Rogers, Chris Detert and Scott Kelly. - Sean Frank is CEO of Ridge. - Brian Lee is CEO and co-founder of Arena Club and the founder of LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle and The Honest Company. - Fiona Ma is California State Treasurer. - Shaun Neff founded Beach House Group, which is behind Shay Mitchell’s BÉIS and Tracee Ellis Ross’ PATTERN. - Peter Pham is co-founder and partner of Science Ventures and an early investor in Liquid Death and Dollar Shave Club. - Chris Detert is chief communications officer at Influential, which was acquired by Publicis Groupe for $500 million. - Hawkefest 2026 is supported by Greenlight Cyber, Banc of California, Reitler Law, Threecolts, ShipBob, Pressed Juicery, Drip Hydration, Oya Femtech Apparel, Stack Adapt, Black Dog Venture Partners and OUTFRONT Media. - Tickets and more information are available at hawkefest.com. - Media inquiries go to Anya Avedissian at anya@hawkemedia.com, and complimentary media passes are available.

Between the lines: - Hawke Media is positioning Hawkefest as more than a panel-driven conference, leaning into experience design to deepen engagement and differentiate the event. - The speaker list mixes brand builders, investors, operators and a public official, which suggests an effort to broaden the event’s appeal beyond marketing alone. - Sean Frank’s return as a speaker adds a founder-to-founder narrative that fits Hawkefest’s emphasis on candid operator conversations.

What's next: - Attendees will gather at the Santa Monica Pier on Oct. 1 for the 2026 event. - Hawke Media is likely to use the larger turnout and expanded production to reinforce Hawkefest as a recurring platform for its brand ecosystem. - Media coverage, interviews and on-site reporting will build around the speaker sessions and live experiences during the event.

The bottom line: - Hawkefest 2026 is growing from a conference into a full-scale commerce event, with a bigger crowd, a high-profile speaker slate and an experience-first format.