The southwest of France is probably the best place in the world for surfing at the end of September.
I guess you could go to Fiji if you’re rich and/or want to win the 2025 WSL World Championship. Or Central America if you want significantly less full lineups than you had two months ago. Or even Indonesia towards the end of the season if you have a commercial driver’s license and want to give back to the community by helping them raze Uluwatu to the ground.
But I would bet that you would get more joy out of your fleeting time on this planet (you are not getting any younger) if you chose that instead liberté, égalité and fraternity of France.
Tubes. Light wetsuit in the water (if any). Light clothing on the beach (if any). Sandbars so good they mimic point breaks that prove to be incredibly tear-resistant when not exactly square. The food. The wine. The autumn skies when you get back from surfing late at night.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
Now we have a good reason for you: The Quiksilver Festival, presented by Swatch, will take place for the second time this year from September 21 to 29.
After over a decade of Quik being kind enough to put together an aperitif platter and host a CT event in the fall, the ever-popular (lol) new finals format made the annual stay impossible, so they changed their strategy – first by sponsoring a CS, and then by organizing their own surf festival for the first time last year.
And what a damn hit it was.
The waves were as rough as the Atlantic usually is in late September. Everyone from Noa Deane to Clay Marzo to Coco Ho showed up to compete. And on the sidelines, Steph Gilmore and newly crowned 2023 world champion Caroline Marks showed up despite not being able to compete. Even Dane was seen kicking around. I told you this is the place to be in late September.
Once again, the format will be anything but Woz-esque. Jeremy Flores will personally select 24 surfers who will be split into 12 teams of two. The event has a 10-day window but only requires four days of racing. Conditions will dictate the format, with competition director/Hossegor local/former CT surfer/Euro Lord Miky Picon giving the teams categories such as Best Turn, Best Tube, Best Air and Best Combo.
The list of confirmed surfers so far includes xxx, xxx, xxx and Kelly Slater, who became the world’s best free surfer in Fiji.
Just like last year, every night there will be a reason to go out and paint the town red (and maybe white and blue to match the flag). Music. Parties. Movie premieres. And just a lot of damn fun.
Since everything will be lean and mobile (see: Core), there will be no webcast. But Baguette TV will be back and we will report daily here on Stab.
See you there.
