Three pro specialty events will offer a total of $7000 at the Noosa Festival of Surfing, presented by Global Surf Industries, March 11-17. Festival director Phil Jarratt said that while the emphasis at the 2012 festival was on fun for all competitors, with free beach entertainment every day, the money events would be hotly contested by an international field.
Money events are:
- Laguna Bay Longboards Logger Pro ($2500)
- Golden Breed Noserider Pro ($2500)
- Seaglass Project Finless Pro ($2000)
“The specialty divisions are filling up fast, with world champion Taylor Jensen leading a top class international field,” Jarratt said. “The pro divisions will have a different look this year, with the focus on particular skills, and that’s going to really open up the field. In the Laguna Bay Logger, for example, we’ve got the best all-round longboarders going head to head with the traditional specialists. Some of these guys are maybe not so well-known, but they have mastered the art of traditional longboarding and it’s beautiful to watch. It will be interesting to see how the pros like Taylor and Josh Constable will adapt to that challenge.”
The festival’s entertainment schedule is also filling fast, with three surf movie premieres on the beach screen, plus live music every night on the Zinc Stage from sunset at the PJ Burns Festival Village on the beach at First Point. Legendary surf guitarists Tim Gaze and Peter Howe will head up a house band playing every night, with special appearances from Band of Frequencies, Asa Broomhall Band, Frank Benn, Carl Wochner, and Mayor Bob Abbot’s killer blues band rocking the house on opening night. The Village will also host book launches, shaper’s forums, a Captain Goodvibes live appearance, Summer & Salt fashion parades and zumba classes. All beach entertainment is free and all ages, with the festival beach bar open daily from 4pm.
