Get set for the Port Alfred Easter Festival
Two surfing events will anchor event, along with tennis, music
The Royal St Andrews Hotel has announced the Port Alfred Easter Festival 2024. This four-day festival will take place in Port Alfred over the Easter weekend, from March 29April 1.
Two surfing tournaments anchor the Easter Festival: the Rip Curl GromSearch, presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel and the inaugural Rip Curl Cup, presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel, an open specialty surfing event.
The Rip Curl GromSearch is part of a five-event series along the SA coastline, with events in Cape Town, East London, Port Alfred, Scottburgh and Seal Point, Cape St Francis. The U16 division is the premier division in this series, and it has U12, U14, U16 and U18 boys’ and girls’ divisions.
The Rip Curl Cup is an open specialty event, with all surfers of any age invited to enter. Both events are Surfing SA contests, and Sea Harvest is a supporting sponsor.
Along with the two surf events, the festival will include an SA Bodyboarding Challenge, as well as the Sunshine Coast Tennis Open, a bowls event, a golf tournament, a music festival and beer garden, an open water swim event in the marina, the Port Alfred parkrun, a handball tournament at the beach, and the Ski Boat Club are going to hold a fishing competition.
Details of the event will be published soon, along with any other tournaments, races, competitions, or events that might still become part of the inaugural festival.
The ocean events at the Easter Festival will be in the safe hands of the local branch of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station.
“We are very excited about the Port Alfred Easter Festival, as well as our firm partnership with Rip Curl SA,” Royal St Andrews Hotel owner Justin Bekker said.
“We have wanted an event of this magnitude in Port Alfred for a while now to benefit the whole town, and it is finally coming together.”
The two surfing events will take place at East Beach, while the SA Bodyboarding Challenge will take place at West Beach.
The contests and the Easter Festival have the support of the Kowie Boardriders.
“We are very pleased to be a part of the Port Alfred Easter Festival and to be partnering with The Royal St Andrews Hotel, as well as with Sea Harvest for the Rip Curl events,” Rip Curl SA CEO Stuart Daykin said.
“It’s also a great thing to have the positivity from the Kowie Boardriders behind the events and the very appreciated assistance of the NSRI at the surf competitions. Working with
Surfing SA over the last two years with our GromSearch Series has been very successful and rewarding, and we are excited to introduce the Rip Curl Cup into the mix this year.”
The Port Alfred Easter Festival is supported by Port Alfred Tourism.
Surfing SA is the official national federation for surfing in SA and is a member of the SA Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee and is recognised as the governing body by the department of sport, arts & culture.
It’s also a great thing to have the positivity from the Kowie Boardriders behind the events and the very appreciated assistance of the NSRI at the surf competitions