Surfing
Festival
6 music festivals for action sports fans
Can't decide between a music festival and a sports getaway? These events let you do both…
Why not go off-piste this year with a music festival that combines action sports with your favourite DJs? Here, we've lined up a selection of events that combine great DJ and live line-ups with the freshest powder and surf. So, grab your pals and pitch up at some of the most spectacular locations in Europe for an epic festival break.
1. Snowboxx
Snowboxx brings the rave to the Portes du Soleil
© James North
Something for the park rats...
© Flare Collective
Previous headliners include Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx
© James North
When: March 21-28
Where: Avoriaz, France
Who’s playing? Andy C, Annie Mc, DJ EZ
Taking place in Avoriaz in the French Alps, Snowboxx ticks all the boxes for a sensational week on the slopes: high altitude (1800m), guaranteed snow, and, for the more seasoned skier, ski-in/ski-out access to 11 snowparks and 600km of pistes across the 12 connected resorts of the Portes du Soleil – including the infamously steep, moguled Swiss Wall.
But even for those a little warier on skis, or those looking to go off piste in more ways than one, the end of season festival has such a jam packed calendar that you could find yourself barely touching the mountain at all. Start your day with ‘the highest bottomless brunch in the world’, slip and slide down the slopes in the sledging competition, or escape from the snow at indoor tropical waterpark Aquariaz. The music programme also offers something for everyone – from a cast of Radio 1’s finest like Annie Mac and Danny Howard, to drum’n’bass royalty Andy C, special guests The Sugarhill Gang, and a host of DJing talent siphoned from the UK festival circuit.
2. Boardmasters
Boardmasters is one of the UK's biggest coastal parties
© Alex Rawson (Boardmasters Festival)
Get stuck in to all the pro surf action over the weekend
© Jason Feast (Boardmasters Festival)
Catch some of the UK's biggest names like Loyle Carner on the main stage
© Alex Rawson (Boardmasters Festival)
When: August 5-9
Where: Cornwall, England
Who’s playing? Lineup TBC
After severe weather cancelled Boardmasters 2019 at the last minute and left its devotees devastated, the Cornish festival has confirmed its return for a 40th year in 2020. With a music history that has seen The Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream and Stormzy grace the main stage, you can expect they'll be pulling out all the stops for this year's line-up. But what really sets Boardmasters apart is its position at the forefront of the UK surf scene, hosting jaw-to-the-floor pro action as one of the World Surf League’s qualifying series on the peerless Fistral Beach.
If you're feeling inspired by the pros, the snaking stretch of coastline between Fistral and Watergate Bay offers plenty of surf schools and spots to get your fix on the waves. Not so sure-footed? Try kayaking, coasteering, or wild coastal running with The Chasing Lights Collective, and revitalise your aching limbs and weary mind with a wellness programme that includes gong baths, yoga and massages. There’s also hot tubs and champagne sessions because, well, you’re on holiday aren’t you?
3. The Unlimited Festival
When: March 31-April 5
Where: Chamonix, France
Who’s playing? Nina Kraviz, Richie Hawtin, Maceo Plex
Chamonix is like the tougher, wilder underbelly of French skiing. Barely an hour from Geneva airport, the resort is dominated by the towering presence of the Alps’ highest mountain, Mont Blanc, and the jagged beauty of some of the best off-piste skiing in the world. It's fitting, then, that when The Unlimited Festival producers, Black Crows Skis, began to thread together its music programme, they opted for a soundtrack as dramatic as their surroundings.
The six day long event shuns the bells and whistles of other slopeside festivals, instead rushing head-first into hard-hitting techno, agile and melodic electronics and sharp-edged, experimental sounds. Tale of Us, Ben Klock and Nastia, for example, are thrown into its mix with Трип experimentalists PTU and Parisian multi-hyphenate Kiddy Smile. You've likely not seen these acts in the stages The Unlimited Festival boasts, though, which stretch from the cosier spots in the charming Chamonix town to open-air stages as high up as a the needlepoint of Aiguille du Midi at 3842m (which is as close as you can get to Mont Blanc’s summit without climbing).
Even La Folie Douce – the après chain renowned more for saxophone licks over lighter shades of tech-house and a champagne-popping, fist-bumping clientele – slips into a heavier industrial palate with Rebekah, Paula Temple and Richie Hawtin all on its main stage bill.
4. GoldCoast Oceanfest
Kurupt FM's DJ Steve knows where the party is
© Rob Tibbles / GoldCoast Oceanfest
Who will reign supreme in the beach volleyball competition?
© Rob Tibbles / GoldCoast Oceanfest
Croyde Bay boasts great surfing for all abilities
© Rob Tibbles / GoldCoast Oceanfest
When: June 19-21
Where: Devon, England
Who’s playing? Lineup TBA
For a no-frills, easygoing festival that’s even kinder on your pocket, you could do little better than Devon’s GoldCoast Oceanfest. Hugging the sandy coastline of Croyde Bay, the intimate June weekender is a celebration of the best of the British seaside: beach sports, quaint village exploring, delicious Devonshire scones and jam. The festival moves with the ebb and flow of the tide, with surfing on the Bay – renowned as one of the UK’s best – a daytime focal point, plus beach soccer and volleyball competitions for those who’d rather embrace their competitive side on dry land.
This laid-back lifestyle seeps into the festival arena, where you can spend your days sampling local produce or getting crafty with the range of activities on offer. But things really heat up come sundown when the main stage gets going. Having hosted everyone from Chase & Status to Craig David and Tom Odell in recent years, you can expect similarly crowd-pleasing headliners when they announce this year’s line-up in the coming months.
5. Snowbombing
Think you've got the skills? Take on the kickers at the Vans Penken Park
© Andrew Whitton
Dress up in your best and brightest mountain gear is encouraged
© Max Miechowski
Catch DJ sets from Mall Grab, Sub Focus and Maribou State
© Jenna Foxton
When: April 13-18
Where: Mayrhofen, Austria
Who’s playing? The Streets, Chase & Status, Liam Gallagher
Snowbombing has long been a tour de force of snowsports festivals. Celebrating its 21st year in 2020 at the glorious Austrian resort of Mayrhofen, the week-long event cuts no corners when it comes to celebrating the mountain in one massive, week-long adrenaline rush. There's big air and boardercross competitions for the park rats and, for keen skiers, over 515km of piste to dig deep and carve your way across – including Harakiri, Europe’s steepest incline at 78%.
The music programme, set across a wide range of stages stretching up the mountain, is a heady mixture of live act giants (Liam Gallagher, The Streets, Foals) and high-energy DJs like Chase & Status, Wilkinson and Holy Goof all playing across the week. But you don’t need to ski or board to feel Snowbombing at its full force – the whole event is architected to get you embracing your silly side on and off the slopes. Think sledge races, cable car raves, and spa or sauna sessions for the ultimate festival escape.
6. NOS Alive
When: July 8-11
Where: Lisbon, Portugal
Who’s playing? Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift
The pull to NOS Alive may be more for its superstar pop, rock and indie-leaning bookings than any kind of physical activity, but being based in the sun-soaked city of Lisbon means access to some of the best surfing in Portugal. It's situated just outside the hustle and bustle of the centre along the coastal Cascais train line, with a wide range of beaches for all abilities dotted along the further west you travel. For those just starting out, Carcavelos beach offers surf schools and beginner-level swells to get you up on your feet in the water. Or after something a bit more challenging? Journey around 45 minutes north of Lisbon by car up to Ericeira and take on heavier and faster waves at stunning surf spots like Coxos and Cave.
Back on dry land, the festival packs a hefty programme of killer headline live acts and DJs into a mere handful of stages, with Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Caribou and Khalid all announced so far for this year's edition. And in true Lisbon style, music kicks off late and goes on well into the night – ideal for cramming in as much surfing in the day before partying through to the early hours.
