Category: News

While the surf action heats up the day, The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM and Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out after parties will light up the night. Taking their cue from the world class surfing event’s theme for the year, ‘The Ballito Pro Version 20.15 – The Evolution of Epic’, Tropika and 5FM have joined this legendary event and are bringing some of SA’s hottest musical acts and DJ’s to rock out on the Salt Rock stage for three nights of non-stop music from 2-4 July.

Tropika are title sponsors of the Free Music Concerts this year, bringing their own unique smoooth and fresh flavour to the successful music event. “After nearly 30 years in the South African market, Tropika is searching for partnerships that support the brand as it continuously grows at an innovative pace. The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts is a partnership that is in true spirit of the Tropika brand. It’s smoooth, fresh and cool. It’s the white beaches, palm trees swaying in a balmy breeze and sunny days that go on and on. And what better way to celebrate this by supporting a line up of exceptionally talented South African musicians while sipping a Tropika,” explains Miantha Padayachee, Brand Group Manager for Tropika.

“We will be ‘living loud’ together with Tropika and 5FM at the Free Music Concerts this year and we are very excited to present an epic line up. We welcome you all to come along, take up your spot on the beach under the stars at Salt Rock Beach and celebrate the stellar selection of top SA talent with us, totally free. It’s time to ‘Live loud’ and be proud,” said the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong coordinator, Collette Bundy.

5FM is famous for being the music authority. “The station offers its listeners the best in music and entertainment, the finest DJs and the station has the biggest on air personalities in the business. Our partnership with The  Ballito Pro presented by Billabong enables 5FM to entrench what we are famous for. Three continuous nights of the hottest free concerts set against a backdrop of beautiful beach settings. This speaks to 5FM’s brand essence of Living Loud! 5FM can also offer ways for the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong’s brand to Live Loud; 5FM has planned two live broadcasts from the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong and through our strong digital and social media presence we can promote our participation in the event,” says Natalie Frank, 5FM’s Marketing Manager.

Music fans are in for an impressive line-up on Thursday, 2 July with stars like multi-talented rappers Riky Rick and K.O and the dynamic DJ Milkshake performing audience favourites on the The League of Loud night. One of 5FM’s most popular DJs, Poppy Ntshongwana, will anchor the first concert night, introducing additional high energy performances by the talented Benny Maverick and the popular DJ Tira.

Crowds can expect pop, rock and dance tunes to reverberate the Salt Rock air on Friday, 3 July with the 5FM Live on Stage evening MC’d by 5FM’s Stephanie B. Musical acts include the acoustic duo The Kickstands, local indie musician Majozi and the wildly popular electro folk singer-songwriter, Matthew Mole. Party favourites Desmond & the Tutus and live electronic act The Kiffness continue to heat the evening up with their fun and catchy tunes. SAMA award winners Gangs of Ballet are also set to rock the Ballito Pro stage with their unique blend of alternative, melodic, anthemic and electronic sounds. DJ duo Pascal & Pearce end off the evening with some delicious beats guaranteed to get everyone grooving on the dance floor.

5FM DJs take centre stage on the final night of the free music concerts with the 5FM Live Loud party on Saturday, July 4. MC’d by 5FM’s on-air favourite DJ Nick Hamman, the night kicks off with the Battle of The DJ competition winner with MsCosmo shaking up the audience with her hip hop tunes. Dance fans are also in for a treat with 5FM’s Nicole da Silva and DJ Warras who are ready to entertain with their fresh mixes. Ensuring that the Free Music Concerts are all about living loud and being epic, the three night musical extravaganza will close with the extremely popular radio personality Roger Goode’s dance tunes and the sounds of one of South Africa’s most loved and diverse DJs, Euphonik.

The party doesn’t end on the stage as Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out, the official after party venue for The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, will continue each night’s music celebrations late into the night. Partygoers can look forward to exciting battle of the DJ contests, bar flaring competitions and of course, out of this world after parties.

The free Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM and Crush Nightclub and Big Night Out forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and lifestyle festival from June 29 to July 5.

The Tropika Ballito Pro Music Concerts Powered by 5FM Lineup:

July 2 – 5FM THE LEAGUE OF LOUD
16h00 – Dj Comp Winner
17h00 – DJ Feel
18h00 – Benny Maverick
19h00 – Riky Rick
20h00 – K.O *
21h00 – Dj Tira
22h00 – Dj Milkshake *
MC – 5fm POPPY *

July 3 – 5FM LIVE ON STAGE
16h00 – The Kickstands 4pm
17h00 – Majozi 5pm
18h00 – Matthew Mole 6pm
19h00 – Desmond And The Tutus 7pm
20h00 – Gangs of Ballet 8pm
21h00 – The Kiffness 9pm
22h00 – Pascal and Pearce 10pm
MC – 5fm Stephanie B

July 4 – 5FM LIVE LOUD
16:00 & 17:00 Dj Comp Winner
18h00 – Ms Cosmo
19h00 – Nicole Da Silva
20h00 – Dj Warrus
21h00 – Euphonik
22h00 – Roger Goode
MC – 5Fm Nick Hamman

After parties at Crush
June 29 – Battle of DJ – Qualifying round
June 30 – Battle of DJs
July 1 – The Ballito Pro Annual Flare Competition
July 2 – The Ballito Pro Music Concert after Party – 5FM Milkshake
July 3 – The Ballito Pro Music Concert After Party – Pascal & Pearce
July 4- The Ballito Pro Music Concert After Party – 5FM Roger Goode & Euphonik

South Africa’s top surfers, young and old, are excited about competing in the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong, the first internationally rated women’s surfing event to be staged in the country since 2009.

A World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 event, the Ballito Women’s Pro will be run at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza on Sunday June 28 with a total prize-purse of R30 000 and invaluable QS rankings points on offer.

Tanika Hoffman from Hout Bay, the highest QS ranked surfer amongst the 18 women entered, has already competed in four events in China, Australia and New Zealand this year and is enthusiastic about competing in her home country.

“I love to compete locally and even though I’m not from Durban I am familiar with the waves in Ballito,” Hoffman said. “It’s great that all of South Africa’s top best surfers have entered and the event is going to tightly contested. Hopefully the Ballito Women’s Pro will be a stepping stone towards more and bigger QS events for women being run here.”

Heather Clark from Port Shepstone, the most experienced competitor in the lineup, was the undisputed ‘Queen of SA surfing’ while competing at the highest international levels of the sport from the 1990’s until the mid 2000’s. She is the only entrant who participated in the last QS event held in South Africa and cannot wait to get back into a competition vest.

“I’m actually so excited to be competing again and even though many of the other girls will be half my age, surfing against younger girls makes me really up my game,” Clark said.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the water so my fitness levels are right up there and my goal is to finish better than the equal 9th place result I got when the event had to be called off in 2009 because the surf was dangerously big. I can’t wait and hope that the waves will be good for the event.”

Another competitor who reached the top echelons of surfing is Nikita Robb from East London, who qualified among the world’s top 17 women on the elite Championship Tour (CT) in 2010 and now works as a surf tour guide.

“I’m physically ready as I’ve been doing lots of surfing and training,” Robb said. “There is a good variety of surfers in the event, from very experienced to rookies. I think the local girls will have the upper-hand because of their local wave knowledge so I’ll be going to Ballito early to get used to the waves at the contest venue.”

Locals will be cheering for Sophie Bell and Jade Mets from Salt Rock along with Teal Hogg from Umhlanga. Others in contention for a podium finish include former QS campaigner Faye Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth), Heidi Palmboom (Bluff), the Smith sisters, Emma and Gina from Jeffreys Bay, and Chrystal Hulett (St Francis Bay). Promising young Durban talent Samukeliswe Cele will be making her first appearance in an internationally rated event.

The format for the Ballito Women’s Pro sees a four-person trials heat where the top two finishers will advance to the Quarterfinals of the main event.

The Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong will be run on the same day as the women’s event with a field of 32 men. The top two finishers in the trials will qualify for the elite 96-man field in the R3 million Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, a QS 10,000 rated contest that runs from June 29 to July 5 at Willard Beach.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while Big Night Out and 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Extreme sports enthusiasts have a host of thrilling attractions to look forward to at the popular surfing and lifestyle festival, The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong. Festival goers can leap off the SevensevenSports bagjump, watch the Le Riche Brothers break out some impressive motocross moves and be part of the surreal 2nd Lunar Project Event.

An absolute must for anyone looking for their next adrenalin rush, the SevensevenSports bagjump is a big air discipline that involves leaping off a six meter high tower onto a custom made stunt airbag. As one of South Africa’s newest extreme sports, and definitely a first for the coastal town of Ballito, bagjumping is certainly not for the faint-hearted. It’s also not just a spectator sport and from July 2 to July 5 the whole family can experience the heart stopping free fall feeling of bagjumping.

“We are excited to bring a new element for all adrenaline junkies to The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong this year. If you have ever wanted to know what it’s like to be a real life stuntman or stuntwoman- bagjumping is definitely not to be missed!” said Eben Combrinck, from SevensevenSports Bagjump.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong wouldn’t be complete without some death-defying motocross stunts from famous motocross duo, The Le Riche Brothers. As two of South Africa’s best trail bike riders Brent and Bruce Le Riche have been wowing festival crowds for three years with their powerful freestyle motocross displays. Together they hold a plethora of South African titles as well as multiple US national round wins and spectators can catch the wildly popular event from July 2 to July 5 in the Extreme Sports Park.

On Thursday July 2 from 6:30pm until 9pm skateboarders and spectators are invited to the 2nd Lunar Projects Event in collaboration with the Mamba Skate Park and organised by Peg Lunar Projects. The action filled evening of technical racing will take place at Eden Village in Salt Rock and is set in a jungle of trees, complete with techni-coloured lasers and pumping music. Entry is open to all but pre-registration for racers must be done at mambaskate.com.

The Extreme Sports Park forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and epic beach and lifestyle festival taking place in Ballito from June 29 to July 5.

Bursting with an assortment of foodie experiences Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition (June 30- July 2), which runs concurrently with The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, returns to La Montagne Resort in Ballito for three nights of fine wining and dining and quality fashion and lifestyle entertainment.
“Coastal Living Bru is about celebrating and showcasing the very best cuisine the North Coast has to offer. We are very proud of our local restaurants, chefs, food and beverage artisans and proudly showcase their talents at our three night celebration of food and wine. Come and join us for glass of wine and an exquisite bite to eat whilst being entertained in an idyllic outdoor setting under the stars overlooking the lapping waves of the seas below, “ said Collette Bundy, coordinator of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong.

The popular culinary event hosts a number of exciting cooking competitions, including the tightly contested ‘Fleur du Cap So You Think You Can Cook Ballito Style’. A crowd favourite the pro chef competition pairs together professional and amateur chefs to prepare a mouth-watering dish from mystery box ingredients, with the contest culminating in an exciting finale on July 2. Chefs have to cook to the theme ‘liquid motion – evolution of epic’, and impress the panel of expert judges. Prizes include a Smeg appliance to the value of R20 000 and a marketing and publicity package from Caxton Magazines for the pro chef and a R5000 Hirsch voucher and cash prize of R10 000 for the amateur chef.

Another popular cooking competition is the Fine Young Cooks Awards. A group of budding young chefs are paired together with students from the International Hotel School to rustle up a delicious dish to impress the judges and hopefully win themselves some amazing prizes. The three night competition will have a four teams competing each night with a winner announced every night.

Catering to the more culinary-minded other foodie highlights at the three night event include a restaurant, coffee and wine showcase, a wine auction, live entertainment and the opportunity to sample the best culinary delights of KwaZulu-Natal has to offer at the artisanal food and beverage market. With sponsorship from the Lifestyle Centre and some of their Foodies Market traders the market will offer the best in organic vegetables, free range eggs, meat cheeses, sauces, fresh baked goods, ice-cream and so much more.

Coastal Living Bru visitors will once again be treated to a fashion extravaganza, with the spotlight falling brightly on the bevy of beauties gracing the glittering catwalks as part of The Miss Ballito Pageant. A Rotary Club of Zimbali initiative the pageant not only equips young ladies to excel at life but raises money for local charities too. Other exciting attractions include a fashion show and designer and dance extravaganza.

A brand new addition to this year’s event is the Monster Beach Surf Movie Night on July 1. Hosted by popular personality Kai Linder the epic movie night is bringing the beach to the big screen with a range of impressive movie titles including, Cluster, Strange Rumblings in Shangri La, and My Road Series. The movie night will be free to the public but seats are on a first come first served basis.

The Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world’s longest professional surfing event and epic beach and lifestyle festival taking place in Ballito from June 29 to July 5.

Like ‘The Ballito Pro’ on Facebook and follow @theballitopro on Twitter.

A stellar lineup of the world’s best current and emerging surfers has been confirmed for the prestigious 2015 Ballito Pro presented by Billabong which runs from June 29 to 5 July at Willard Beach in Ballito on the KwaDukuza Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

When entries for the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 rated event closed last week more than 140 surfers from every corner of the globe had applied for a spot in the elite 96-man field for the third of only 11 events that will carry the highest QS ranking in 2015.

The lineup is headed by current QS rankings leader Jeremy Flores (FRA) who will be joined by 17 of the world’s top 32 ranked Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour (CT) competitors and seven of the top 10 on the QS in the battle for a share of the R3 million prize-purse and priceless rankings points in the spectacular mid-winter waves in Ballito.

Flores is one of 2015’s standout surfers, having posted three wins over CT stalwart Taj Burrow (AUS) along with victories over John John Florence (HAW) and Michel Bourez (PYF) this year. The 27 year-old from Reunion Island also finished runner-up in QS 10,000 rated events at Trestles in California and Saquarema in Brazil and will be determined to clinch his first event win at the Ballito Pro.

Jordy Smith, the current world No. 14 and 2010 Ballito champion, loves competing in his home surf and will employ his exciting repertoire of power turns and aerial manoeuvres as he attempts to become the first multiple winner of the event since Brad Gerlach (USA) clinched his second title in 1991 and just the fifth in the 47 year history of the world’s longest running pro surfing contest.

Tim Reyes (USA) will be back to defend his 2014 title, as will runner-up Matt Wilkinson (AUS) who at No.11 is the equal highest ranked CT surfer with dangerous rookie Italo Ferreira (BRA), who has already upset a host of the world’s best competitors this year.

Other former Ballito champions in contention again this year include Ricky Basnett from the Bluff (2006), the Gudauskas brothers, Tanner and Patrick, from America who won in 2009 and 2011 respectively and Ireland’s Glenn Hall (2012).

With Willard Beach capable of producing perfect ramps for above-the-lip moves, the likes of new-school rippers Kolohe Andino (USA), Jack Freestone and fellow Australian Matt Banting, Caio Ibelli (BRA), rising star Noe Mar McGonagle (CRI) and South Africa’s Beyrick de Vries from nearby Umhlanga will all be challenging the established campaigners.

While Smith and de Vries are the only South Africans to qualify for the 96-man field on the strength of their 2014 rankings, Michael February (Kommetjie) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) are the next highest ranked QS locals, at Nos. 58 and 92 respectively, and have been allocated the two WSL Africa regional wildcards

The two sponsor’s wildcards selected by Billabong are Joshua Moniz (HAW) and Australian phenom Jack Robinson while the WSL wildcards, picked by newly appointed WSL QS Commissioner Travis Logie (Durban), are Evan Geiselman (USA) and Ryan Callinan (AUS).

The final two spots in the main event will go to the top finishers in the 32-man Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong which will be run at Willard Beach on Sunday 28 June. The lineup for the Trials will comprise the 16 next highest ranked entrants on the QS rankings, then the 12 next highest ranked South Africans plus two Billabong wildcards and two selected by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the country’s national controlling body for surfing.

The 16-strong field for the QS 1,000 rated Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong, the first internationally rated women’s event to be staged in SA since 2009, is currently headed by Tanika Hoffman (Hout Bay) and Teal Hogg (Umhlanga). They will be up against veteran campaigner Heather Clark (Port Shepstone), who in 2000 became the only SA surfer, male or female, to claim the prestigious Triple Crown title in Hawaii and also earned ISA World Women’s Masters titles in 2008 and 2010.

The Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong will run in conjunction with the Trials on Sunday 28 June. Entries close on 16 June.

The competitors in the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong will also be competing for valuable specialty prizes in the Monster Energy Expression Session presented by Zigzag and the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag which will reward the respective winners with R20 000 and R25 000 each.

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while Big Night Out and 5FM bring some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage in Salt Rock.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).

Surfing’s elite performers will return to KwaDukuza for a seventh successive year when the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, a QS10,000 rated event on the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS), runs from 29 June to 5 July.

The third of nine events that carry the highest ranking on this year’s QS, the Ballito Pro offers a US $250 000 (approx. R3 million) prize-purse and an invaluable 10 000 points on the world rankings. It will feature a 96-man field of the world’s best surfers from every corner of the planet, all of whom are striving to qualify for a spot on next year’s WSL Championship Tour (CT).

“As the host and Licence holder of the Ballito Pro event, we as KwaDukuza are very pleased to take the event forward together with the World Surf League and our new partners,” said the Mayor of KwaDukuza, Cllr Ricardo Mthembu. “The Ballito Pro International Surf Festival event is a key economic and tourism driver for our region, and together with the communities of KwaDukuza we look forward to expediting yet another successful event come 28th June.”

Continuing the legacy of being the world’s longest running professional surfing event worldwide that started 46 years ago when Port Elizabeth teenager Gavin Rudolph won the Gunston 500 back in 1969, all aspects of the Ballito Pro will be bigger and better this year with the support of global apparel and equipment giant Billabong who have come onboard as presenting sponsor for the main event and the trials.

“Billabong is really excited to be the presenting sponsor of the 2015 Ballito Pro, said Billabong SA Group Marketing Manager, Chad D’Arcy. “It is such an iconic event and an integral part of the history of competitive surfing in South Africa. We’re looking forward to being part of another world class event on African shores.”

With more than a month to go until entries close, the entry list already includes a dozen CT surfers headed by current world No. 9, Jordy Smith, the 2010 event winner and 2013 runner-up, who is always happy to compete in his home surf, along with another 40 highly rated competitors from 15 countries.

“Yea I’m super excited to come back home and compete,” said Jordy from his home in California. “It’s my favourite time of year in KZN, so hopefully we get great waves!”

The event provides the local WSL Africa registered surfers with the priceless opportunity to earn prize-money and highly coveted rankings points in their home surf.

“It’s fantastic for South African surfing, KwaDukuza, Ballito and the WSL that we are able to host the biggest WSL QS event at this superb venue for the seventh year in a row,” says WSL Africa Operations Manager, Colin Fitch. “Ballito has become a truly world class surfing destination and I look forward to seeing 96 of the world’s best surfers put on an spectacular display of high performance surfing in Africa again this year.”

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with an action packed programme planned for the week-long festival that includes: daily doses of beach soccer and volleyball, regular stage performances by local dancers, singers and performers and an exciting retail area.

In addition to this, the extreme sports programme is guaranteed to thrill with Freestyle Motocross displays by Monster Le Riche brothers; a Monster Surf Expression Session powered by Zig Zag and a Monster Beach Surf Movie Night. Crowd favourite, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival, returns to La Montagne for a ‘flavoursome’ few nights, playing host to the artisan food market, a wine and coffee showcase and the return of the popular cooking competitions.

Music lovers won’t be disappointed either with 5FM taking over the music reigns, bringing some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage with Crush Night Club after-parties continuing the celebrations late into the night.

Internationally rated women’s surfing returns to the shores of South Africa for the first time since 2008 with the announcement that the Ballito Women’s Pro presented by Billabong will be run at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza, just north of Durban, on Sunday 28 June.

This QS1000 rated event offers prize-money totalling R30 000 along with priceless points on both the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) rankings and the WSL Africa regional women’s rankings.

First run in Durban back in 1992 when the event was known as the Gunston 500, the women’s event established a proud tradition over the next 17 years with former winners including World Champions Layne Beachley, fellow Australian Stephanie Gilmore and Sofia Mulanovich (Peru).

Run once in Ballito, in 2008 when gigantic waves and inclement conditions forced the cancellation of the event with 32 women still in contention, South Africa’s top female surfers are ecstatic about the return of the Ballito Women’s Pro.

“I’m so excited to be competing in the Ballito Women’s Pro and it’s great for women’s surfing in South Africa to have a Qualifying Series event in our local waves,” said Tanika Hoffman, SA’s highest ranked QS surfer. “The event will be an excellent stepping stone for local up-and-coming girls to get valuable QS experience and points without having to travel too far!”

The organisers and sponsors are also elated to be involved in making top-class women’s surfing available again for both the local competitors and spectators.

“It’s a great privilege to be part of such a prestigious event,” said Vangie Boettger, Women’s Marketing & Team Manager for Billabong SA. “Internationally the standard of women’s surfing is at an all-time high and an event of this calibre will help raise the bar amongst the local South African contingent. We are excited to be part of an awesome team to bring back an International women’s competition to the South African shores.”

Organisers are hoping that the country’s top international competitor Bianca Buitendag (Victoria Bay) will compete in the event. Buitendag, ranked No. 11 after the opening three events on the 2015 WSL Women’s Championship Tour (CT), is currently competing in the Oi Rio Women’s Pro in Brazil.

Willard Beach will also host the Ballito Pro Trials presented by Billabong on Sunday 28 June, giving up to 32 men the chance to clinch the two coveted trials slots in the elite 96-man field who will contest the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong that starts the next day and runs until Sunday 5 July.

The field for the trials is made up of the next 16 highest placed surfers on the QS rankings who missed the cut for the 94 competitors in the R3 million, QS10000 main event. These 16 will be joined by the 12 highest ranked WSL Africa members plus two Billabong wildcards and two surfers to be selected by Surfing South Africa (SSA).

This gives local surfers an invaluable opportunity to earn rankings points that will enable them to qualify for higher rated events internationally and prize-money to help finance their travel costs. The recipients of the two trials slots are guaranteed a minimum of 550 points plus US $750 (about R9 000) in Round 1 of the main event

While the surfers ride the waves, the Ballito Pro Festival is set to turn up the heat in KwaDukuza by offering the best in beach, music and extreme sports entertainment. Locals and holiday-makers will be spoilt for choice with the week-long festival featuring an
extreme sports programme, the Coastal Living Bru Food & Wine Festival and an exciting retail area while 5FM brings some of South Africa’s most talented music acts to the stage.

The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong is proudly supported by the KwaDukuza Municipality, Billabong, 5FM, Monster Energy, Zigzag Surfing Magazine, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA).