Striking a major blow to the Space Coast’s surfing community, the 2025 Beach ‘n Boards Fest, a fixture on Cocoa Beach for the past 11  years, will be canceled this year due to delays with a sand replenishing project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A note from Michele Goodwin, president and chief operating officer for Ron Jon Surf Shop, the leading sponsor for the event at Shepard Park, indicated that although the Corps’ schedule could switch in either direction, “we fear there is too much uncertainty to leave our event as planned. … We simply cannot proceed in good faith knowing the uncertainty of the venue.”

Beach ‘n Boards features four professional World Surf League divisions, along with events such as beach yoga and foil surfing demonstrations, the largest outdoor high school volleyball competition in the state, and a parking lot full of sponsor tents and festivities, such as skateboarding on a half-pipe and wave-ski jumping in a giant, portable pool.

Thursday’s announcement weighed heavily on Satellite Beach’s Mitch Varnes, founder and director of the event, who already had posted colorful signs from Melbourne to Cocoa Beach to advertise what would have been the March 12-16 surf festival.