Surfest Newcastle 2022 will begin on March 29 where local and visiting champions will go head to head and compete in the largest festival of surfing in the southern hemisphere.
This year will mark the event’s 36th anniversary and attract over 800 male and female competitors from across the Asia-Pacific who will compete for cash prizes and World Surf League rating points.
Nine professional and amateur surfing events will take place between March 29 and April 3 at Merewether Beach, including the City of Newcastle Pro presented by Burton Automotive, the Surfest Womens Pro, the Lake Mac City Pro Junior and the Wandiyali Indigenous Classic.
Surfest Newcastle 2022 organiser, Warren Smith, said it was great to be back after the event’s postponement in 2021.
“The main events have attracted more than 150 surfers in the City of Newcastle Pro and the AAP Consulting Women’s Pro,” Smith said.
“It’s terrific to see the 2020 finalists Julian and Ryan back at Surfest and to welcome back previous champs Philippa Anderson, Ellie Brooks, Dimity Stoyle and Matt Banting.
“Surfest also has the Wandiyali Indigenous Classic which offers the biggest purse in Australian Indigenous surfing and the Evolution Charity Cup which supports the Mark Hughes Foundation for brain cancer research.”
Smith said the City of Newcastle Pro presented by Burton Automotive, was a World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series 5000 point event (QS5000) with prize money totalling $50,000.
He said he was excited to partner with the Burton family and City of Newcastle to bring the WSL QS5000 City of Newcastle Pro to life.
“Some of the world’s best male professional surfers will return to Newcastle to entertain locals and a worldwide live digital audience.
“I cannot thank Kim and Jeanine Burton of Burton Automotive enough for their long-term unwavering support of Surfest and surfing in the Hunter Region … we could not present Surfest at this level without their support.”
After many years of support from the Burton family, the City of Newcastle Pro presented by Burton Automotive has transformed into an event rich in surfing history, including past world champions Mark Occhilupo, Kelly Slater, Tom Curren and Joel Parkinson.
Other Surfest Newcastle 2022 supporters include the NSW Government, Destination NSW, Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota, City of Newcastle, crowd funding from the Newcastle business community, Wandiyali, and Lake Macquarie City Council.
A number of local surfing champions will compete in this year’s event including former world number two and Olympic surfing athlete Julian Wilson.
Wilson, who announced in July 2021 that he intended to take an indefinite break from competitive surfing, will return this year and defend his 2020 title in the City of Newcastle Pro.
Merewether Championship Tour surfers, Ryan Callinan and Jackson Baker, will also join Wilson in the event.
Wilson and Callinan provided a nail biting final at the 2020 Surfest, both racking up scores of 14.27 when the final siren sounded—Wilson took the title on countback.
Callinan and Baker both grew up surfing at Merewether beach and are both vying to become the first locally born-and-bred male competitor to raise the Mark Richards trophy.
Baker said he had been surfing in both Pro Junior and QS events at his home break for as long as he could remember.
“There’ll be less pressure on me at this Surfest than before, but I’d love to win at Merewether,” Baker said.
“It’s good to be on home turf.”
Other surfers to compete include Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti and Portugal’s Frederico Morais.
The AAP Consulting Women’s Pro will start with a round of 64.
Sunshine Coast surfer, Keely Andrew, will enter as top seed and Macy-Jane Callaghan, who has two Surfest Pro Junior titles under her belt, will be looking to add her name to an enviable list of women’s champions.
See the full schedule for Surfest Newcastle 2022 at surfest.com
Hayley McMahon