Lou: I’ve been Executive Director since 2018, curating the festival through my background in music, film, and surf culture. Outside OIFF, I co-host 91X Loudspeaker, a legendary local music show that’s been championing the San Diego scene for over 37 years.
Sterling: I’ve worked in the film festival world for 16 years, from San Diego Underground to Horrible Imaginings. I joined OIFF back in 2011 and have watched it evolve into something truly special for the community.
Carly: I’ve spent three decades in Hollywood as a producer, director, and writer. As OIFF’s Artistic Director and Executive Director of KOCT Television, I love bringing my industry connections and passion for storytelling home to Oceanside.

Built in 1929 and designed by famed architect Irving Gill, Oceanside’s Fire Station No. 1 is not the typical place you’d expect to find ghost stories. But those who’ve worked long nights there have a different tale to tell. Reports have surfaced of phantom footsteps, doors mysteriously slamming shut, and the eerie feeling of being watched. The origin of these hauntings seemingly ties back to its inception as a dual-purpose fire station and police station. The firemen identify three locations as having the most paranormal activity—jail cell #1, the “drunk tank,” and the women’s holding cell. All three have been converted into bunks where the guys refuse to sleep. “The guys get messed with all the time and a lot of the guys won’t even sleep (in the bunks). That’s where the jail cells used to be. They’ll usually stay in the front room. Whatever is here holds you down, you can’t move, and you can’t speak. In the beginning it’s unnerving, but after awhile you get used to it.” – Former Captain Tim Scott

READ MORE from The Osider Magazine’s overnight ghost hunt. 

Chef Roberto Alcocer is the visionary behind Valle, Oceanside’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, and a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist. With more than 25 years of experience in acclaimed kitchens across Baja, California, France, and Spain, Alcocer has been at the forefront of modern Mexican cuisine, blending vibrant, playful flavors with refined technique.

He first gained attention at his celebrated Valle de Guadalupe restaurant, Malva, before bringing his distinct perspective north to Oceanside. At Valle, his seasonally inspired, California-sourced menus are elevated through soulful Mexican traditions and nuanced presentation. Every dish reflects both his Baja roots and global training, creating an experience that is simultaneously approachable, refined, and deeply personal.

Through this artistry and storytelling, Alcocer is helping define Southern California’s evolving gastronomic identity – one that celebrates cultural exchange, coastal abundance, and Always O’riginal creativity.

• Morning:
  Begin your Oceanside adventure at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Explore Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean (through February 5, 2025), celebrating the fusion of art and environmental awareness.
• Afternoon:
  Immerse yourself in the creative vibe of Oceanside’s downtown arts district. Discover galleries, boutique shops, and striking street art that showcase the city’s cultural heartbeat. Make sure you stop by The Beauty of the Sea Will Always Be With Me by Skye Walker. 
• Dinner:
  Indulge at 24 Suns, where the Transformative Currents dish—featuring bycatch choux farci, cheung fun, and abalone mole—transforms a meal into a work of art.

Valle is the first and only restaurant in Oceanside to be honored with a prestigious Michelin Star. Chef Roberto Alcocer’s much-buzzed about restaurant near the Oceanside Pier pays tribute to Baja California’s vineyard-studded Guadalupe Valley, “which furnishes the restaurant’s wine list and serves as inspiration for Chef Alcocer’s refined, modern expression of Mexican cuisine,” Michelin inspectors said. They praised the four-course prix fixe meal, which “might start with a fluffy tamal made with creamy requeson cheese, paired with earthy mole and bright herbs.” The recognition is a major coup for Alcocer, who moved to Oceanside from Baja in 2021 with the express purpose of earning a Michelin star.

Follow Along: @ValleOceanside