Council have unanimously supported bringing one of the most prestigious surfing competitions back to Newcastle.
Councillors are making moves to upgrade the iconic local festival Surfest to Challenger Series Status in the World Surfing League (WSL) in a bid to elevate it’s profile on the international stage.
The shift will not only attract top tier surfers to Newcastle but boasts thousands of spectators and substantial economic, cultural and tourism benefits for the region.
Newcastle had the chance to host a WSL series event during Covid lockdowns, but other than this, Newcastle hasn’t been a WSL tour event for around 20 years.
Surfest and Newcastle Council have been in discussions with WSL and will now advocate to the state government to secure the Challenger Series event in Newcastle next year and beyond.