Hailed as one of India’s biggest events, the annual Covelong Classic: Surf, Music and Fitness Festival will make its post-pandemic comeback on August 5,6, and 7. Hosted in Kovalam, close to Chennai, the fete will feature flea markets, live music, fitness workshops, and more. Here’s all about it. By Eshita Srinivas
The quaint, laid-back seaside town of Kovalam will soon see a flurry of activity as the much-awaited Covelong Classic Surf, Music, And Fitness Festival returns for its ninth edition. The event, which first began in 2013 is known to bring professional surfers, thalassophiles, and curious tourists together. However, it was later forced to go on a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. This weekend, organisers expect a grand turnout and have a lineup of exciting events in store.
Guide to the Covelong Classic: Surf, Music And Fitness Festival
View this post on Instagram
The festival is a delightful mix of music, food, and sport. Surfers from Sri Lanka, Maldives, and other parts of the world will take on local champions like Karnataka’s Ramesh Budhial and Goa’s Sugar Benarse in an International Open. Other popular names to look for include national stars from Kovalam like Appu, Santhosh, Shekhar Pachai, Sathish Sarvanan, and Ajeesh Ali. Besides this, a competition for children 12 years and under, a stand up paddle race, and a technical race have been slotted in.
Conducted from 7 am onwards on all the days, the weather has been on the side of the organisers so far for this. Arun Vasu, president of Surfing Federation of India was quoted by The Hindu as saying, “This year the difference is that we are running two back-to-back events for surfing. We wanted different conditions, to try and push the level of the surfers up a bit.” That aside, stages have been set up for indie music performances – from August 6 to 7 – with performances taking off across several stages from 11:00 am onwards.
View this post on Instagram
Dance, fitness, and yoga workshops are also on the itinerary for the weekend. This includes parkour, animal flow, gymnastics, dance, and silambam. As far as nourishment is concerned, the organisers have set up a host of stalls run by the local community, with 15 of them by the beach. Restaurants and cloud kitchens have a space here as well. For a rounded shopping experience, local handicrafts, merchandise, swimwear, and artwork will be on offer as well across shops. Best part? Entry is free!
For further details, follow Surf Turf India on their official Instagram page, here.
All images: Pixabay/Pexels
Related: Mamallapuram Skies To See A Flurry Of Colours For The First-Ever At International Kite Festival