International Beach Festival: Sally Fitzgibbons brings surfing elite to Cronulla
A world-class surf festival highlighting women in surf
The new, women’s only, World Surf League QS6000 event (the most prominent level on the qualifying series in 2016) featured an international field of 96 professional women the largest women’s surf event in the World.
Brazilian Pro Surfer Silvana Lima surfed her way to glory at the 2016 Sydney International Womens Pro. Competitors included; Coco Ho, Bethany Hamilton, Silvana Lima, Bronte McCauley to name a few. Lima took away $10,000 and 6,000 points towards the yearly total which determines her world qualifying series ranking.
The host and financial backer: Sally Fitzgibbons
The 2016 festival was hosted by Sally, an honorary Cronulla Sharks Boardriders club member.
“I have been competing on the World Tour for 7 years now and I have had a vision of running my own event for some time. I wanted the event to be more than just the best surfing competition in the world, I want it to be a full 360 Beach Festival for Women. This is a great opportunity for women’s surfing, we will have some of the best female surfers in the world here along with local boardriders, a girls junior comp and a Pro Assist for groms and the amazing Ironwoman competing for the richest prize of their season, it’s only fitting that we bring them together in a nostalgic setting like Cronulla Beach. It’s a fantastic chance for Sydney to get behind women’s surfing and be part of an amazing beach culture festival where we have something for the whole family.”
International Beach Festival: more than just a surfing event
The event included a host of competitive events in addition to the Women’s Pro event, including:
- Ironwoman Invitational
- International Boardriders Challenge – North of the Bridge vs South of the Bridge
- Sydney International U16 Junior Women’s Challenge
- The Shire Mile Street Run
- Sydney Shire 2km Ocean Swim
However, the festival was more than just a sports and surf carnival. It was a celebration of the best of Sydney’s beachside lifestyle.
The “Festival Village”, located in Dunningham Park, was alive with yoga sessions, market stalls and food stalls. To finish off an action-packed day, visitors enjoyed a bar and live music or the latest flicks at the outdoor Cinema by the Sea.