THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the second edition of the International Surfing Festival to be held at Varkala from Thursday. The famous Edava Beach of Varkala will host the surfing festival organised by Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) jointly with the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) with the technical support of Surfing Federation of India and International Surfing Association.
The competitions will be held under various categories -- National Women’s Open, National Men’s Open, National Groms (16 & under-Girls), National Groms (16 & under-Boys), International Men’s Open, and International Women’s Open.
Winners of the competition under each category will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. The event will feature competitions in categories like SUP Technical Race, Paddle Board Technical Race, and SUP Surfing. Around 60 local and international surfers will participate in the festival.
Besides the competition, the Surfing Festival also offers free surfing sessions worth Rs 1 lakh for 50 lucky winners through a special contest. They will be selected from five categories -general public, educational institutions, Techies, working professionals, vloggers/content creators/photographers and influencers.
The minister in a press release issued here said that the event will help attract more tourists to Varkala, which is already a trending destination internationally because of its beautiful beaches, vibrant cafes and diverse culinary experiences. He said that surfing culture has become a part of Varkala.
“There are many professional surfers, surfing clubs and coaches in there, making it a perfect destination to hold an event like an international surfing festival,” he added.
The tourism department will also organise the Mountain Terrain Biking Championship (MTB Kerala 2025) at Mananthavady in Wayanad in May and the International White Water Kayaking Festival in Kozhikode from July 24 to 27.