As previously mentioned As announced at this year’s event, the Surf Festival and the Foil Festival will be merged in 2027 and will take place at a new venue on the Westmole at Südstrand. This means that two of the most significant water sports events on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast will be joining forces in future. The Surf Festival, which has been running since 2002, and the Foil Festival, which launched in 2021, are merging to form a single festival weekend. The merger marks a turning point in the German surfing scene: for the first time, windsurfers, foilers and surfers will come together at a single event. The new venue at the Westmole on Burgtiefe’s Südstrand offers around 45,000 square metres of space for a stage, a beach fair, catering facilities and competition areas. The organisers expect a significantly higher number of visitors as a result of the merger.
A shared platform for all surfing disciplines
“For 24 years, the Fehmarn Surf Festival was the home of the windsurfing scene. In just six years, the Foil Festival has shown just how rapidly the foil community and this new, fun sport are growing. Now we’re bringing everyone together and adding a good dose of fitness workshops, shows on the water and beach parties to the mix,” explains Torsten Schulze, managing director of Freiluft GmbH and organiser of both festivals. He adds that the technical differences between the disciplines are of secondary importance.
As usual, the new festival is aimed at surfers of all abilities. A large beginners’ area offers advice for those interested in surfing, hassle-free wetsuit hire and a range of taster sessions. “We’re creating a festival that brings the entire surfing community together in one place, whether someone has been surfing for 40 years or is just about to step onto a board for the first time,” emphasises Schulze. The programme includes over eight competition formats, including Racer of the Sea, Wings on Fire, Last Man Standing, Winger of the Sea and German Freestyle Battle. There’s also a She Surfs Camp, a Kids Camp and a ‘dead calm’ playground with a skateboard ramp. Expanded test areas for pump foil, wing foil, e-foil, wind foil and SUP foil round off the programme. When there’s no wind, alternatives on land such as skateboarding, e-motocross and Onewheel are available. Every surfing discipline and every surfing scene will have its own platform and stage, says Schulze.
New location right on the beach
The move to the Westmole brings all the festival elements directly onto the sandy beach for the first time. Previously, the different areas were spread across various locations. The new venue brings together the stage, the beach fair, catering and the Flautenspielplatz on a single, contiguous site covering 4.5 hectares. The beach fair is expanding to over 65 exhibitors. As well as the competitions, the programme includes windsurfing, pump foil and wing foil courses for beginners, kids’ camps, yoga, fitness and Longsurfvity workshops, as well as beach talks with professionals. Live music and a beach party round off the programme. Surf culture plays an even greater role at the new festival, which is taking place entirely on the beach for the first time.
For full details and to book your Beach Camp, visit surffestival.de
