It was paradise on Earth. On Saturday, Feb. 18, the cast of Outer Banks and thousands of honorary Pogues made their way down to Huntington Beach, California for Poguelandia — a live music event with great grub, good vibes and good times to celebrate the upcoming third season of the series. But if you weren’t able to party with John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Cleo (Carlacia Grant), Rafe (Drew Starkey) and Topper (Austin North) in-person, it’s all good because we rounded up the most woogity moments so you can feel like you didn’t miss a thing. Here’s everything that went down at Poguelandia 2023:

Here's What Happened at Poguelandia 2023

Fans Rushed In As Soon as the Doors Opened

Fans started lining up at 5 a.m. (!) for the chance to see their favorite Pogues and Kooks, flying in from Georgia or even driving down seven hours from Sacramento. So when the clock struck 12 p.m. PT, they couldn’t wait to rush through the Poguelandia bamboo entrance to be the first to experience the P4L lifestyle IRL.

The Pogues Plant the Poguelandia Flag

Stokes, Bailey, Daviss and Grant drove fans wild as they strutted down the boardwalk with their arms around each other, making their way to the entrance. Stokes shouted “Welcome to Poguelandia!” as Grant planted the trademark Poguelandia flag in the sand. As fans screamed, “I love you, Chase!” he made sure to say, “I love you,” right back. Throughout the day tons of fans donned the signature Pogue style – there were plenty of folks in John B’s signature surf shirts and even one group of friends who met on Tumblr who tracked down Kiara’s postage stamp shirt solely based on the stills that were released of Season 3 so far. 

A Giant, Inflatable Chicken Takes Center Stage

At the center of the event, fans took photos with a 33-foot-wide inflatable Poguelandia mascot — you know, the giant chicken in a coconut bra. It even had crocs that said “OBX3” on the bottom. There were loads of other Easter Eggs for fans to peruse, too, like digging for Royal Merchant gold coins in the sand to exchange for prizes (Pogue-approved socks, tote bags, hats and bracelets), grabbing a Pogue-friendly friendship bracelet from Kie’s Treasures hut or posing in front of the “Welcome to The Outer Banks - Paradise on Earth” sign from the show. Fans also popped by a replica of John B’s Twinkie, which was plastered with every sticker you remember from the show (even JJ’s infamous phrase: “Stupid things have good outcomes all the time”), and the OBX bulletin wall that was adorned with gold nuggets like behind-the-scenes photos of the cast from Season 3, a real estate ad for Sarah’s stepmom Rose Cameron (Caroline Arapoglou), John B’s “Wanted” poster from Season 2 and a “Missing” poster for Poguelandia dwellers JJ, Kiara, Pope, Sarah and John B.

The Cast Hit Up Downtown Kildare

Fans and cast alike strolled by hometown spots from Kildare Island, like Kiara’s parents’ restaurant The Wreck (with menu items like Cleo’s Cheese on Bread and Kie’s Veggie Bowl) and The Boneyard for specialty cocktails like the “Woogitarita.” Daviss took selfies from behind the cash register at Heyward’s, Poguelandia’s grab-and-go bodega based on Pope’s family’s business. And Outer Banks co-creator and executive producer Josh Pate was seen wearing a red Heyward’s Seafood shirt all day. Fans could buy their own Outer Banks threads at the Kildare Island Surf Co., a.k.a. American Eagle, which sells their own collection inspired by the show. Kook princes Drew Starkey and Austin North also took a tour of the Poguelandia grounds, stopping at JJ’s Sign Co. where they decorated their own Poguelandia signs, Cleo’s Coconuts where they sipped on coconut water from coconuts with “Poguelandia” carved on them and the Kildare Tattoo parlor where Austin got gold bars tattooed on his wrist. Not sure what Topper’s mom would have to say about that…

The Pogues Hung Out in Kook Kove – But Just for Today

But his mom would be happy to see that all the VIPs were hanging out in Kook Kove. Fans were clamoring to sneak a peek at their favorite cast members, including Ward himself Charles Esten, who took photos with fans as he ascended the stairs to the private viewing platform. And even if Rafe yearns for affection in Outer Banks, one fan made her adoration for him known with her own “I LOVE DREW” sign that she waved at him. Her friend naturally filmed her face screaming after he thanked her. Bailey, Cline, Grant, Daviss and Stokes signed fans’ Poguelandia flags and took selfies all day from the banisters of Kook Kove – with Stokes even kissing and signing one fan’s shoe. 

The Netflix Family Was Out

Also hanging around Kook Kove were some of the cast’s Netflix family, including Callie Haverda, Max Donovan, Reyn Doi and Sam Morelos from That ‘90s Show and Bryana Salaz, Zaire Adams and Michael Solomon from Freeridge. Haverda even had a go at surprising her co-star Donovan, as she placed the legendary “Thing” hand from Wednesday on top of his head from behind.

The Pogues Partied to a Killer Setlist

But they were all there to see the musical lineup taking over Huntington Beach: The Nude Party, Surf Mesa, Elley Duhé, alt-J, Lil Baby and Khalid. The Nude Party kicked off the day wearing Canadian tuxedos, and frontman Patton Magee teased the audience that they “have a number of songs in the upcoming season.” Surf Mesa played his hit remix “ily (i love you baby)” to shrieks from the crowd, as he shared how he “wrote this song in my dorm three years ago and it changed my life because of Tik Tok.” In a stunning sequin outfit, Elley Duhé shimmered as she performed her 2022 bop “Middle of the Night” after Grant and Bailey introduced her, with Grant calling Season 3 “the best one yet – biasedly.” 

Pankow, Stokes and Esten – who was wearing a “King Kook” shirt, since Ward really is the King Kook – reminded the fans who brought them Outer Banks’ unofficial anthem, “Left Hand Free”: alt-J, who arrived mere minutes before they took the stage. So when Alt-J closed their set with the TikTok hit that originally played in the Outer Banks series premiere, fans sang along to the entire song while tossing around eight huge beach balls with the Poguelandia chicken on them.

The Pogues (and Starkey) danced front row for Lil Baby, who Daviss in particular couldn’t have been more excited to introduce to the fans. Stokes went live on Instagram a few times during Baby’s set, too. One of Cline’s favorite artists, fellow Texan Khalid, closed out the night at sunset, performing fan favorites like “Location” and “Talk.” During his set, the artist revealed that he recently turned 25 and took a selfie video with his fans behind him to commemorate the special night.

You can’t be all that surprised that Poguelandia had such a stellar roster – the Pogues know how to party.

Season 4 Was Officially Renewed

After Lil Baby's set brought the house down, the cast shared a huge surprise. The Pogues and the Kooks announced that Outer Banks has been renewed for a fourth season – all before Season 3 even premieres next week. “You’re the first to know,” Stokes told the legions of Outer Banks fans, as he sat on the edge of the stage. But that wasn’t all. The cast dropped the first nine minutes of the upcoming season for fans to watch in shock and awe. As Cline told the audience, “We figured since we got all you Pogues here from near and far, the day wouldn’t be complete without a little sneak peek at Season 3.” Khalid took the stage after the clip rolled to cap off an epic day of partying, music, and incredible vibes. P4L, indeed. 

Season 3 of Outer Banks premieres on Feb. 23.