Newcastle’s Bid to Catapult Surfest into Global Spotlight Gains Momentum

City of Newcastle has firmly backed discussions aimed at elevating Surfest into one of the world’s top 16 surfing contests. The proposal seeks to include the iconic Newcastle event in the Challenger Series, the second-highest tier on the World Surfing League (WSL) calendar, featuring some of the top male and female surfers globally.

This week, a Lord Mayoral Minute was unanimously adopted, urging City of Newcastle to advocate for the event with both the NSW Government and the WSL. This initiative has garnered support from Surfest founder Warren Smith, alongside the city’s top surfers, including Ryan Callinan, Jackson Baker, Julian Wilson, Sarah Baum, and Philippa Anderson, who joined Cr Nuatali Nelmes at Merewether Beach to rally for the cause.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes highlighted Newcastle’s track record in hosting major events, emphasising the city’s growing reputation as a preferred destination for global promoters.

“Newcastle has become a destination of choice for promoters around the world thanks to the success of major events such as the Supercars Newcastle 500, Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Pink concerts, as well as various international rugby union, league, football, and netball matches,” Cr Nelmes said.

“City of Newcastle also has a proud history of supporting world-class surfing as the founding sponsor of Surfest, which this year celebrated its 38th anniversary as the largest surfing festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Newcastle’s reputation as a premier surfing destination was further enhanced when we hosted the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup in 2021, the first time a combined male-and-female World Championship Tour event was held in NSW since 1999.

“That event showcased Merewether Beach and Newcastle to a global audience of more than 10 million people and injected an estimated $15 million into the local economy.

“Securing Surfest as part of the Challenger Series in 2025 and beyond represents a significant opportunity that would bring substantial economic, cultural, and tourism benefits to Newcastle and the wider Hunter region.”

Surfest founder and Freeman of the City of Newcastle, Warren Smith, is set to meet with WSL officials in Queensland this week. Mr Smith expressed his gratitude for the renewed momentum behind the dream of adding Surfest to the six-event Challenger Series, a crucial stepping stone to the prestigious 10-event Championship Tour.

“When the World Surf League restructured its competition structure three years ago, Surfest became a Qualifying Series event for the Asia-Pacific region, essentially a third-tier event,” Mr Smith explained.

“If we’re successful in being added to the Challenger Series, we’ll welcome the return of surfers from all over the world, all vying to earn a spot on the Championship Tour.”

Merewether professional surfer Jackson Baker shared his excitement about the prospect of a Challenger Series event in his hometown, especially being hosted at his local beach.

“Having won Surfest in 2022, it would mean the world to me to have an opportunity to win a Challenger Series event at home,” Mr Baker said. “I travel the world all year to compete at all the Challenger Series stops, so having an event at home would definitely boost my chances at requalifying for the Championship Tour.”

Fellow Merewether surfer Philippa Anderson reflected on how events like Surfest have inspired her from a young age.

“From the age of 12, I watched Surfest at Newcastle Beach, then when it moved to Merewether, where I started to compete a few years later. As an experienced surfer, I now look back on how much those events meant to a young girl who had dreams of becoming a professional,” Ms Anderson said.

“If the Challenger Series comes to town, all the young Novocastrians who aspire to follow in the footsteps of Mark Richards, Ryan Callinan, Morgan Cibilic, and Jackson Baker will get to watch and maybe even surf with amazing female and male professional surfers.

“There’s just nothing that can compare to that. I hope we can get the event here, and the rest is history.”