Norte Surf Fest wants to enter the Guinness Book of Records on its very first edition

Between 27 and 29 September, 500 surfers will ride a wave simultaneously between Praia Internacional do Porto and Praia de Matosinhos. The first edition of the Norte Surf Fest aims to break the world record and establish itself as a national and international benchmark in wave sports.

Promoted by the Portuguese Surf School Association, and with the support of the Municipality of Porto, through Ágora, the festival programme features talks with national and international experts, approaching topics such as sustainability, innovation or technology; surf school competitions; educational safety and rescue activities, etc.

At the press conference to present Norte Surf Fest, César Navio, director of the municipal company, emphasised that 'the municipality considers this event an investment and not a cost'. 'This project covers three fundamental and strategic areas for cities: sports, encouraging their practice; tourism, aiming to beat a world record which is currently held by South Africa, with 110 surfers on a wave simultaneously', he says.

César Navio believes this objective is 'fundamental, because it will establish a new brand that will be registered internationally, which will attract people from all over the world. We have the perfect waves, here. This is an important fact for tourism, with an impact on hotels and restaurants'.

Ágora's director also emphasises the environmental component of the Norte Surf Fest, pointing out that 'Porto signed the 2030 Climate Pact and, as such, the environmental component is very important'.

Norte Surf Fest has the support of Turismo de Portugal. Telma Gonçalves, from the marketing team, says that 'surf is essential for disseminating the Portugal brand, because it emphasises one of the country's main assets: the sea. Surf is more than just a sport, it allows us to convey traditions, products, promote tourism and culture'.

Representing Turismo do Porto e Norte, Luís Pedro Martins stated that 'for those who have the mission of promoting the region, the Norte Surf Fest brand is very important and a fortunate choice. We have 140 kilometres of Atlantic coastline in Porto e Norte and it's very important to recover these sporting assets'.

For the institution's President, 'this event will have an international projection and can bring an important contribution to the internationalisation strategy'.

Representing the municipality of Matosinhos, a partner of the Municipality of Porto, Marta Pontes, Councillor for tourism and internationalisation, stressed the role of surfing in the economy, tourism and development of cities. 'Surfing has grown a lot in our territories, the municipalities are united and surfing is increasingly becoming a lifestyle. It adds to the quality of life that people are looking for in the city', she emphasises.