7 Of The Best Surf Festivals In Europe

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Surf festivals you need to put on your bucket list

Festival season is upon us, and tickets to this summer’s hottest events are selling like hot cakes! Embrace the wanderlust with Rad Seasons’s guide to the best Surf Festivals this summer!

Surf spots have even more to offer as festival destinations. You are almost guaranteed to find a chilled out atmosphere, a cool crowd and a vibrant music scene. It comes as no surprise that a number of festivals have popped up that offer people the chance to catch the waves in addition to the latest music acts. Here are some of the unmissable ones!

Sumol Summer Fest, Ericeira

Where: Ericeira, Portugal

Sumol Summer Fest is the perfect destination for those who are after a chilled out and relaxed vibe. It takes place in the Portuguese Surf hub of Ericeira.

The Summer Fest is a Hip Hop festival full of culture that offers ticketholders fantastic music in a beautiful location, right in the heart of some of Portugal’s best surf spots. Spend your days exploring the beautiful coastline enjoying the surf, and your evenings swaying to the beats.

Previous artists to have played here include Tinie Tempah, Azaelia Banks, Robin Schulz, Rudimental, Ky-Mani, Anthony B, Netsky, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Matisyahu amongst others.

This years epic line up features Joey Bada$$, French Montana, Vic Mensa and The Jillionaire headlining plus heaps more epic acts, skateboarding and surfing and chilled beach vibes.

International Surf Film Festival Anglet

Where: Anglet, France

The festival takes place on the beaches of the Chambre d’Amour in Anglet, France. There are three projection sites, open-air screenings, surfing, movies, art and concerts – all entirely free and open to the public. 2018 will mark the 15th anniversary of the International Surf Film Festival.

Over the course of four days, Anglet will be home to one of surfing’s major cultural film events, assembling both amateurs and professionals around this year’s best cinematographic achievements.

Salinas Longboarding Surf Festival

Where: Salinas, Asturias, Spain

The Salinas International Longboard Surf Festival is an annual surfing event which takes place in the Spanish seaside town of Salinas at the end of July.

This four day event promises ticketholders a solid mix of great surf, good music, fun people and lots and lots of parties. 2018 marks the 12th year of the Salinas festival. It is considered to be the largest festival of its kind in Europe and is in the top three longboard events globally.

The Salinas festival is well located very close to some top surf breaks so many people visit as part of a surf trip.

Boardmasters

Where: Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Boardmasters is a 5 day festival that offers ticketholders both an amazingly mixed variety of musical genres and a whole host of extreme sports.

This festival mixes the best boarders in the world – whether they’re surfers or skaters – with BMX kings. They soundtrack the action with dance dons, folk stars, and pop favourites.  Throw in some cliff-top sessions and surf shack shows, and it’s merely a cocktail short of the best weekend of the year.

2018 is being headlined by The Chemical Brothers, Catfish and the Bottlemen and George Ezra. The festival is set in Newquay, on the South West coast of England. Boardmasters welcomes a mix of pro boarders, riders and skaters and throws in some sports aficionados who just want to enjoy a piece of the action!

There are also amateur comps as well as surf lessons for those who feel inspired by the action!  Partygoers even get the chance to enjoy cosy live performances as the sun sets!

Bordeaux Surf Festival

Where: Quai Des Queyries, Bordeaux, France

This festival was born from the desire and passion of surfers from Bordeaux who wanted to create an event to showcase their sport to a large audience. The festival transforms the Bordeaux Quays into a surf camp that is open to everyone.

The aim of the festival is to unite all of the local players in the surf world (the companies, the shapers, the schools, the teachers, the technology developers, the media) and bring them together to strengthen the network and develop the surf industry in Bordeaux.

Ticket holders should expect to find: conferences on surf and the surf industry, screenings of surf movies, concerts, an open air screening of Endless Summer 2, games, surf board expos and much more!

It has also become known as an ‘ecofest’ due to the heavy emphasis placed on respect for the environment and particularly the surroundings of the festival.

Wheels and Fins Festival

Where: Joss Bay Beach, Broadstairs, Kent

Wheels and Fins Festival is a three-day action sports, music and film festival with great views over the ocean.

The festival includes events such as: the UK Mini Ramp Champs, The UK BMX Flatland Champs, Surf & Sup events, Soapbox Racing, Mad Drop Air Bag, Slacklining Outdoor Main Stage, Live Music Venues, DJ’s, Craft Beer & Cider, Retail Stalls, Awesome Food and way more.

Wheels and Fins Festival is conveniently located only an hour and a half away from the centre of London. This years headline acts include Feeder, The Libertines, Faithless DJ Set and plenty more epic artists.

Quiksilver Pro France and ROXY Pro France

 

Where: Hossegor, France

When the summer has started to wind up in Northern Europe, Hossegor in South West France holds on to the tail end of the warmth and also gets incredible waves, worthy of the best surfers in the world.

If you wish to prolong your summer, get down to the Quiksilver Pro France! Watch the world’s top surfers battle it out, and then celebrate with them in the evenings as part of Quiksilver’s festival. The Quiksilver Pro offers much more than just sports, they also host concerts, outdoor film screenings in addition to other events.

Feature image credit: Boardmasters

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Stephanie Contomichalos

Cosmopolitan, well read, thrill seeker, Stephanie Contomichalos is an avid wakeboarder and has just qualified as a Level 1 CrossFit coach. She is an advocate for women’s sport and for using sport as a tool for development.

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