It’s that time of year when surfers and skaters descend on Ballito and the town buzzes with activity for two jam-packed weeks.
On the North Coast, we are spoilt with balmy winters, and perfect beach weather even in the cooler months. It’s also the time of year when the world’s longest running surf contest returns to our shores, and with it, a festival of events for the community to enjoy. This year, the Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill Festival will take place from 27 June to 9 July, and locals and visitors will be out and about enjoying entertainment, activities and beachside fun.
GET INVOLVED
This year’s festival programme promises an action-packed and fun-filled line-up. There will be two nights of music concerts on 6 and 7 July on Salt Rock Beach, featuring the likes of DJ Merlon, Oscar Mbo, Chynaman, Matthew Mole and The South Port. There’ll also be a market set up at the Willard Beach parking lot, where visitors will have the chance to support local businesses and soak up the festive vibe at the food court and cider garden.
The After Dark programme will include events organised by local businesses, while beach soccer, sunrise yoga and pilates sessions, daily fashion shows, arts and crafts and exhibitions will keep the whole family busy. Overlapping with the school holidays, the festival will run events specifically for little ones — think face painting, sand castle building, and a kids’ dance programme.
ALL ABOUT THE BLUE
The theme for this year’s event is Konke KuLuhlaza — Zulu for Everything is Blue. Collette Bundy, The Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill Festival Organiser, explains that the event is a celebration of the ocean, and takes inspiration from the local Zulu word ‘luhlaza’ which means blue. “It is fortuitous that ‘luhlaza’ also translates to ‘green’ because we’ll be weaving stories of sustainability into our ocean narrative with a great festival line-up planned for visitors,” she says.
And when it comes to ocean health, the KwaDukuza Municipality has also taken steps to fully embrace environmental education, sustainability and beach safety. “We recently launched our Blue Flag Beach programme which will support our iconic tourism status as a key beach destination,” explains KwaDukuza Municipal Mayor Lindile Nhaca. “Through the event, we will bring awareness about protecting our coastline’s environmental richness.”
The thread of sustainability will extend to the event merchandise — O’Neill Blue — which will be manufactured from recycled cotton and polyester, as well as using a recycling process called Repreve, where used plastic bottles from the oceans and landfills are converted into durable fibres to make boardshorts.
DO YOUR PART
If you would like to get involved in a green initiative, look out for the eco-focused events that will be taking place throughout the festival. Litter4Tokens will be running an awareness campaign (with prizes worth R10 000 up for grabs!); the Litterboom Project is hosting beach and river clean-ups, as well as a 5km Fun Run; and the Weee are iLembe e-waste campaign will be dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of electronic waste.
DATES TO DIARISE
29 June: Abba show at The Pumpkin Theatre
30 June: Winston Smile at La Montagne
3 July: Groundswell Groove Night
4 July: iLembe Surf Riders fund raiser at Mozambik
5 July: Bra Golf Day at Simbithi Golf Estate
5 July: Battle of the DJs at KwaDukuza Town Hall
6 & 7 July: Music concerts at Salt Rock Main Beach
7 July: Lady L at La Montagne
Details: www.theballitopro.com
Feature Photo: Indonesia’s Rio Waida on his way to winning last year’s Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill. Pierre Tostee/WSL.
