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. 

Visit Ventura celebrates 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.