For the first time ever, Sacramento is about to host one of action sports’most prestigious competitions—and it’s not just a one-off event. The X Games League (XGL) kicks off this weekend at Cal Expo (June 26–28) as the inaugural stop of a brand-new co-ed, team-based circuit that will run year-round across multiple cities.
What makes this historic for Sacramento isn’t just the skateboarding, BMX, and motocross competitions happening Friday through Sunday. It’s validation that the city has quietly become a genuine hub for action sports culture—something local skateboarding legend Mike Rafter, who worked with Thrasher magazine, predicted back in 2006. The 90s suburban sprawl that built schools, churches, and parks across Sacramento inadvertently created an ideal playground for skateboarders and BMX riders to discover and innovate. Those early crews are now watching world-class athletes compete in their backyard.
Four teams—Los Angeles, Tokyo, New York, and São Paulo—will battle for a $500,000 purse split among athletes. Each squad fields 10 athletes (five women, five men), including some recognizable names: Sacramento native Nyjah Huston competing for New York, BMX legend Brady Baker (an Auburn resident on the LA team and a two-time X Games gold medalist) looking to reclaim gold after settling for silver in 2025, and international stars like skateboarders Gui Khury and Sky Brown for São Paulo.
Beyond the competition itself, there’s X Fest—a festival zone featuring a freestyle trampoline area, a wake jam with professional wake boarders and jet ski performers, and showcases from the Sacramento Low Rider Commission and Velocity Car Club. Post-event concerts from electronic artist Kaskade (Friday), Grammy-award-winning producer DJ Mustard, and EDM artist Subtronics round out the weekend. X Games Chief Marketing Officer Kevin O’Connor called Sacramento the perfect spot, noting California’s deep relationship with the X Games across two decades of previous events in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.
For local skateboarders and BMX riders—especially the up-and-coming ones—this is the kind of rare, in-person window into elite competition that doesn’t come to every city. Rafter’s advice to the community is straightforward: if you can get out there this weekend, don’t miss it.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
