Surf Festival powered by SALITOS: The best pictures from the 2026 Surf Festival

The news of the weekend came on Saturday evening: the surf festival will also be held on the south beach on Fehmarn in 2027, and an ideal site has been found for next year just a few hundred metres away from the long-standing location (more here). Many visitors were unsure how the festival would continue in view of the construction plans on the "Spielwiese".

Saturday was the highlight of the year: after two days of beach weather, a few passing clouds brought the odd shower, but also almost constant wind for action on the water. Almost all the test equipment over 100 litres and 5.0 was on the move at all times, and the exhibitors had their hands full. The Racer of the Sea was also very busy, with no fewer than 96 starters taking part. The German Freestyle Battles struggled a little with the gusty wind, which on the one hand did not allow a full competition, but on the other hand was also too strong for a tow-in session. At short notice, a Super-X was started directly on the beach in the evening, with a flying start and moves on each side. Lennart Neubauer was not only the most effective pumper in the wind holes, but also had the best condition for the final sprint up the beach.

Lennart had come to Fehmarn at the invitation of his sponsor and festival partner Blackroll. The stand offered not only the well-known fascia rolls, but also compression boots, recliners and many other products for regeneration. Guests at the daily morning run organised by the German Armed Forces and Sascha Lange's yoga sessions were also able to recharge their batteries there. As for the guests at the fully booked beach camp, there was a Bauck Mühle muesli breakfast for everyone at the surf stand every morning. Just the right start to the day after some long nights at the parties in front of the big SALITOS stage with first-class DJs and a great atmosphere!

Rush on courses and surf coaching

In addition to Lennart Neubauer, windsurfing legend Björn Dunkerbeck was also back on Fehmarn and provided extra motivation as patron of the surf and saltwater children's courses. The Bundeswehr once again offered free taster courses for older teenagers and adults, which were booked out almost immediately. There were two exclusive coaching sessions for surf subscribers, in which Manuel Vogel and Stephan Gölnitz explained all the details of trim and set-up. At the second coaching session, the participants went out on the water together with Manuel and Julian Wiemar and were able to get individual tips for their respective "construction sites" and try them out right away under the eyes of the surf editors.

For many of the 28,000 or so festival visitors, the focus was of course on testing: many of the major brands had brought along their new boards and sails. At Duotone, the freerace innovations Blitz and X_Pace were on display, NeilPryde had the Speedster Evo and the new Apex, the Quatro Polakow could be marvelled at as well as a new technology at Point-7. Sailloft had the first examples of the new Quad delivered to Fehmarn over the course of the weekend, while the revised Verso and the Fox Pro were on show at Severne. North Sails offered a glimpse of the brand-new Prisma, JP-Australia presented the fresh Magic Wave and Tabou a new 127-litre version of the 3S+. With Mojo Customs from Hungary and the young Danish Finn brand Flow Fins, there were also some smaller brands to discover. We have compiled all the highlights in terms of windsurfing equipment for you here.

NDR report on the surf festival

New location on Fehmarn: the surf festival moves to the Westmole in 2027 - merging with the Foil Festival