New X Games format, including concerts, coming soon to Sacramento. What to know
Organizers for the X Games are finalizing their plans for the three-day extreme sports event coming to Sacramento this summer, which includes a trio of big-name musical acts that were announced this week.
The reformatted event happening June 26-28 at Cal Expo will be the first of three stops this summer including the newly formed X Games League, or XGL, featuring team events for skateboarders and BMX riders, along with motocross freestyle events under the traditional competitive format.
After the festivities during the day, Friday and Saturday nights will be capped with musical performances from Kaskade, Mustard and Subtronics. Tickets are on sale on the X Games website with or without access to the concerts, and for the concerts only.
The concerts will be held at Heart Health Park where Sacramento Republic FC hosts its soccer matches with a capacity of roughly 14,500 for concerts. Kaskade will play 8:30 p.m. Friday, while Mustard and Subtronics will each play on Saturday with the show scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Officials said ticket pricing is dynamic and prices will rise closer to the event.
Organizers are expecting 30,000 to 40,000 patrons to attend over the full weekend. Tickets run from $59 for single-day access to $660 for three-day access to the “Gold Lounge” premium areas.
The other stops on the X Games calendar are in Japan on July 4 and July 5, and a championship event in New Orleans July 24-26.
Event comes after 2025 postponement
X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said Sacramento officials have “rolled out the red carpet” for the event.
“Everyone from Visit Sacramento to the mayor’s office treated this like a Super Bowl moment,” Bloom said. “And you probably saw the music lineup, which is as big as it gets.”
The X Games, featuring many of the most renowned skateboarders, BMX and motocross riders, are currently scheduled to have 18 events along with “cultural and festival experiences” and sponsor activations.
The event is happening after it was initially planned for 2025 but was postponed. Officials held a press conference at Cal Expo in December 2024 to announce a three-year partnership to hold the event in the capital region, but the event was canceled in what Bloom termed a “strategic pause” to focus on the XGL launch.
The agreement to host the event was revised to a one-year deal with options for the following two years, The Sacramento Bee reported in December.
This June will mark the first time the event has been held in Northern California since taking place in San Francisco in 2000.
What is the new X Games League?
The XGL features four teams of 10 athletes each participating in skateboarding and BMX in the summer and snowboarding and skiing in the winter events. The individual athletes will earn points for there teams within each event with the most points winning the championship at the final event in New Orleans.
The four teams will represent Los Angeles; New York; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Tokyo.
California is well-represented. The XGL’s “founding athletes” include skateboarder and Davis native Nyjah Houston, skier and San Francisco native Eileen Gu, South Lake Tahoe snowboarder Jamie Anderson and Southern California skateboarder Ryan Sheckler.
