Surf Revolution: Covelong Point Surf and Music Festival

“Covelong Surfing Fest looks like a happy festival that will soon catch attention of the nation!” said an excited  Raghu Dixit after his exhilarating performance to a full house (or rather, beach) this past weekend at the Covelong Point Surf and Music Festival. The Raghu Dixit Project was just one of the many exciting independent acts who took to the stage on these three action packed days of surf and song. Some of the other artists wowing audiences included T.M. Krishna, Nischay Parekh, Jiver (Jivraj Singh), Klypp, The F16s, Kutle Khan Project, Tritonik, Filter Coffee, Pinch, and others. The festivities on Day 3 ended rather dramatically as a thundershower took the beach by storm – but that didn’t stop the music. The Raghu Dixit Project played on, fans danced in the rain, volunteers and Kovalam village children ran onto stage armed with a canopy to shield the band from the sudden downpour and fireworks exploded in bursts of colourful chaos in the dark night sky above.

With an attendance of over 8000 people over the course of three days, the audience has grown exponentially with fans from across Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Mumbai and from different parts of the globe – all flocking to the beach at Kovalam, to experience the festival, united by a passion for surfing and music. “It was a great feeling to see such an increase in the number of participants and level of the surfers in the competition – and also an increase in the number of spectators and level of public interest,” said organiser Arun Vasu of TT Logistics, commenting on the sheer number of people who turned up at the beach. “We’ve been using surfing as a way to draw awareness to social issues Kovalam village faces, and are positioning the festival as a way to also encourage economic growth in the village and provide business opportunities for local vendors.”

“It’s truly amazing to see is how drastically the level of surfing in India has increased, and at such a fast pace,” said organiser Yotam Agam of EarthSync, impressed by the skill levels of many of the young surfers competing this year. “And what’s incredible, is how connected these surfers are to the ocean – especially the ones who come from fishing communities like Kovalam village. They naturally understand the sea, its rhythm, they can intuitively anticipate a wave even before it breaks – that beautiful connection to the ocean, is what makes for a true surfer. We want to continue to support and nurture these talented young surfers, and empower the community with initiatives surrounding their passion for surfing.”

A huge thanks to everyone who came out, surfed, danced and supported the festival – the future of surfing and independent music in India is bright!
Instagram picture credits to: @yotamagam, @biplabmahato, @michsimoes and @saxophonestories.
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