Concerning the Huntington Beach event: I may have repeated what I heard, that the fields were going to be clay, not sand. It seems that I was wrong from what I'm hearing now. I heard from someone involved that they will scrape the sand to the more firmly packed sand and play on that surface.
So, no grass, no clay. Sand. But, I was reassured that no-one will even see it as an issue once they're there and have started playing. And that the beauty and overall coolness of the venue will leave people with smiles on their faces.
We'll see!
(Damn, I hope I make it!)
Steve