by Visit Ventura
The keyword “X Games Ventura 2023” saw over 500% Google search increase over the past 90 days. An estimated 52,000 fans attended X Games California 2023 in Ventura over the three-day weekend event. It was a weekend full of many firsts that aligned together from partnerships that spanned worldwide to local-wide.
“To say this past weekend was incredible would be an understatement. X Games finals weekend in Ventura will go down in history in more ways than one”, said Marlyss Auster, President and CEO of Visit Ventura. “We have been on the journey to getting the X Games to Ventura for years — it’s felt like a dream and now it has become a reality. So many of our partners had a hand in this and we are thankful to everyone. But most of all, we’re thankful for our local Ventura community. We hosted the world’s largest extreme sports competition and had an amazing time doing it. That’s what this community is all about.”
We celebrate the firsts achieved by both the X Games athletes this weekend and the firsts achieved by Visit Ventura, X Games, and the local Ventura community as a whole.
X Games Day 2, Saturday, July 22 was sold out. History was made — this was the very first time X Games had ever had a sold out crowd
Due to an unprecedented partnership between Visit Ventura, X Games, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, and Ventura County Coast, two train cars were wrapped in X Games creative for the first time
X Games’ merchandise sold out for the very first time. Official merchandise was sold onsite and also at the Ventura Visitor Center
X Games California 2023 witnessed the competition’s first Chumash blessing in which three Chumash tribe members performed the welcoming in front of athletes and media
Visit Ventura in partnership with the City, Visit California, and X Games held Ventura’s first press conference that announced a destination event on May 3
The Visit Ventura Drone Show was the first drone show in the city’s history. A few thousand attendees raised their eyes to the skies on Thursday, July 20 for the drone show’s first night in Downtown Ventura
X Games brought local businesses together like nothing else. Visit Ventura led a city-wide collaboration effort to integrate local businesses’ creativity and innovation to create X Games-themed products. The three collaboration series (special release beer, specialty cocktails, and other X Games-related products) was an effort unseen in the city’s history
Two brews from the X Games special release beer collaboration were featured and sold on the Pacific Surfliner for the first time ever
Reese Nelson, 10, set a record for youngest X Games medalist of all-time at X Games California 2023 finals weekend with her silver medal in Women’s SKB Vert
Arisa Trew, 13, smashed a record previously held by Shaun White for 20 years: youngest-ever X Games double gold medalist. Trew won gold in Women’s SKB Vert and Park
A new youngest-ever average podium age record was set: The average age of the Women’s Skateboard Vert podium was 13 yrs., 6 mos.
Plus, based on preliminary statistics from the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency (who manages the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner), efforts to promote sustainable travel by taking the train to X Games resulted in high ridership. Compared to the same weekend last year, in looking at preliminary boarding reports, there was a 482% increase in Pacific Surfliner boardings at Ventura. As a note, there was more service this year compared to last year, but even after removing the trains that didn’t operate last year, there’s still a 338% increase. Considering the average vehicle occupancy in the U.S. is 1.67, taking the train to the X Games in Ventura the ridership to/from the X Games CA Finals in Ventura is equivalent to 2,000 cars that might have otherwise been on the local highways and roads.
