It’s Switchfoot Bro-Am week. The epic, annual, San Diego-est thing—one of the best free beach parties in the country that does good for kids who need a community to rally around them. Doesn’t just raise money, but makes the kids part of it.
For this episode of Happy Half Hour, we asked Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman and drummer Chad Butler to take us to one of their favorite local spots—and they manifested poke bowls at Fish 101. Bro-Am is more rare and awe-striking than most people realize.
A quick story. Before the Grammys, before they sold 10 million-plus records, the North County rock band took their first international tour to Australia in 2005. If you know anything about Switchfoot, the following story makes sense.
On the flight home, one of their first instincts was, essentially, “OK this might be the biggest thing we ever do. San Diego showed up for us and kinda gave this to us. So what are we gonna do for the city?”
They decided to stage a huge free concert at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, where they grew up surfing. They used the spectacle as a way to raise money for unhoused, at-risk, underserved kids across San Diego County. They had no idea about city permits. They were in way over their heads. But they pulled it off.
Twenty-two years later, Bro-Am has raised about $3 million for various organizations that help kids in various ways. Tens of thousands of people show up every year. Famous friends have joined in—Jason Mraz, Lauren Daigle, OK Go, John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls, and members of the Foo Fighters.
But again, it’s about the kids. In 2024, Switchfoot brought Rady Children’s patient Avila on stage and served as her backing band to sing her own song, “Live It Well.” The Eastlake Top Choir got onstage to sing “Love Alone Is Worth the Fight.” Special stuff.
The morning of the festival is a group surf and surf contest with the Challenged Athletes Foundation. There are vendors and exhibits and crowds and four bands: this year it’s Switchfoot, Sun Room, Telephone Friends, and local band Kimiku (winner of the annual “Battle for the Bro-Am” friendly competition).
As for Fish 101, it’s packed because it nails the local soul. Opened as a little Leucadia spot along Highway 101 by two friends and partners—restaurateur Ray Lowe and chef/surfer/spearfisherman John Park—it essentially distilled the laidback foreverness of North County surf culture into a casual fish shop that did it right—fish from local boats, treated simply and treated well.
Now they’ve opened a second shop in Cardiff. While filming the show, the legendary skate photographer J. Grant Brittain stopped in for a bite. The artist who designed Bubble Gum Surf Wax’s logo popped in. Pro surfers Jacob “Zeke” Szekely and Finn McGill casually crushed food on the patio, skaters Cordano Russell and Nyjah Huston showed up. None of this was planned (except for the show). Just kind of a usual afternoon at Fish 101.
Over poke and a killer grilled filet sandwich (lemon aioli + toasted Sadie Rose brioche), Foreman and Butler talk about the feel-good magic of Bro-Am, the similar quasi-mystical release of live rock shows and surfing. We also name our favorite fish tacos in the city—from Barrio Logan to Oceanside and Hollywood Park.
The festival’s fundraising night is tonight, June 11 (if you can’t make it, you can donate at broam.org—the first $75,000 will be matched and doubled). Then the big free festival is June 13, all day starting with the group surfs at 7 a.m.
This year, BroAm is raising money for six kid-focused nonprofits in San Diego:
- Rady Children’s Health — Pediatric care, research, education, and advocacy.
- Feeding San Diego — Hunger relief through food rescue and nutritious meals.
- A Step Beyond — Dance, education, academic support, and family services for underserved youth.
- Challenged Athletes Foundation — Adaptive athletic opportunities for people with physical disabilities.
- Monarch School — Education and support for students impacted by homelessness.
- Save The Music Foundation — Music education access for students, schools, and communities.
