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Sunday, June 8, 2014

The lowdown on Switchfoot's next Bro-Am

The 10th Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am surf contest and concert returns to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas on July 12.

A free daylong beach event, it features a charity surf contest, a nerf surf jousting exposition between surf contest heats, the Rob Machado Bro Junior, and live music performances from Switchfoot, The Future's League, Run River North, and Cody Lovaas on the beach. The evening will round out with a screening of Switchfoot's documentary, Fading West, along with an intimate performance from Switchfoot at La Paloma Theatre, presented by Macbeth. 

Bro-Am weekend kicks off July 11, with an auction night event at a private Olivenhain estate at which guests will savor signature dishes and sips from the area's leading restaurants including Sea & Smoke, Truluck's, Jake's Del Mar, Table 926, Bull Taco, Pacific Coast Grill, Daphne's, Pizza Port Brewing Company, and many more.

Highlights also include an exclusive live performance by Switchfoot, opportunity drawings, and silent and live auctions featuring Switchfoot's Drew Shirley as auctioneer and emcee alongside action sports personality Chris Cote. Tickets are limited, and are $175 per person; $250 for VIP, which include a special pre-event meet & greet reception with Switchfoot. 

The Bro-Am was created to give back to the San Diego community while benefiting local children's charities through funds raised at the pre-event auction night soiree, as well as from vendors on the beach day-of, corporate surf team entries, and sponsorships. Since its inception in 2005, the Bro-Am has raised more than $900,000 for San Diego-based children's charities.
Members of Switchfoot recently created the Switchfoot Bro-Am Foundation to continue their mission of supporting local at-risk, homeless, and street kids year-round. This year, the band will also partner with SIMA, whose goals and beneficiaries resonate with Switchfoot's efforts. A portion of this year's Bro-Am proceeds will benefit SIMA's 2014 Humanitarian Fund, which raises money to support surf or boardsport related social and humanitarian non-profit organizations focused on improving the quality of life, health, and/or welfare of people.

"The Switchfoot Bro-Am is my favorite day of the year. It's an entire community of surfing and rock and roll joining together for a surf contest and concert on the beach, all to benefit homeless and at risk youth - what could be better? And this year means even more than ever - it's our 10th Anniversary!" said Switchfoot's Jon Foreman.

This year's event will welcome back the 3rd annual Rob Machado Bro Junior. Open to ages 16 and under, the Rob Machado Bro Junior places a premium on the competitor having the most fun. Kids compete on one of Rob Machado's boards, and stick around for the day's festivities. Rather than a financial donation, entrants bring gently-used surf clothes to the beach on competition day as their entry fee.

Four-person corporate surf teams secure their participation via sponsorship donation to the Switchfoot Bro-Am Foundation. Participants thus far include riders representing Hurley, Surf Ride, Shaper Studios, Dragon, Nixon, Rusty North America, Univ, and Macbeth, as well as surf legend Rob Machado, and members of Switchfoot.

Thanks to Bro-Am's relationship with Hurley H2O, the Bro-Am beach experience is a single-use plastic water bottle-free event. Attendees are encouraged to bring a re-usable water bottle to fill up at the H2O station for free, and Hurley H2O provides stainless steel bottles with funds raised supporting nonprofit eco-partners.

Continuing its eco-friendly efforts, the Switchfoot Bro-Am will again offer cutting-edge solar-powered sound and staging by using renewable energy sources of the sun to deliver 100% pollution-free concerts. By using solar power rather than a diesel generator or grid power, the Bro-Am will avoid emitting approximately 1,000 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere (the equivalent of not driving your car approximately 1,100 miles or the annual sequestration of 66 trees).

The Rob Machado Foundation, dedicated to teaching youth about their impact on the environment, will once again have a team of surfers and environmentalists managing waste at Bro-Am. The Green Team of high school and college students will ensure that as much waste as possible is diverted from the landfill. The team will educate attendees on proper sorting of trash and recyclables as well as tabulating the total landfill diversion rate. The ultimate goal is to empower attendees to reduce their trash footprint beyond the event.

To continue to help ease the traffic in the neighboring areas, the Switchfoot Bro-Am will again offer parking and traffic solutions, which include a free shuttle from San Dieguito Academy. Attendees are encouraged to utilize the parking lot at City Hall, located at the corner of Vulcan Avenue and E Street. Attendees are also encouraged to take the Coaster.

Tickets and more info: switchfoot.com/bro-am

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