Let's get real for a moment, all over the world, these small, community feel surfing festivals are popping up. It's not a new thing, it's an old thing, local comps and after parties are the core of surfing. The feeling of togetherness, mixing, community and above all, stoke.
The age old saying of 'only a surfer knows the feeling' has truth to it, but there are all those that live the life of a surfer without going in the water. They are the family and friends of surfers, those precious humans who allow us selfish stoke seekers to get away with 'dropping life' for a bunch of energy moving through the ocean.
As professional surfing seems to become more corporate, acquisition and profit based, so the masses of actual surfers seem to be taking a different path and bringing back the roots of community surfing. There is a turning of the tide, one of togetherness and a feeling that no matter what we are in the rest of life when in the water we are all the same, we are all just surfers.
One particular surfing festival which is relatively close to our head office is Gliding Barnacles in Figueira da Foz which is run by some of the nicest humans on the planet, with surf art, bands, booze and just a great feeling of equality among wave searchers and extended family.
GB18 Starts on the 28th August and runs to the 2nd Sept at Cabadelo Beach, get down there, go for a surf, meet and chat to folks from all over the world who all have one thing in common. Sliding waves.
GB 18 is a go on August the 28th