Wavescape Festival Bumper Lineup Of Ocean-conscious Events
The Wavescape Surf & Ocean Festival has announced a focus on big waves in an expanded lineup of ocean-conscious events, while welcoming Cape Town craft beer company Jack Black as their headline partner for 2018.
Taking place in Cape Town between 19 November and 9 December 2018, the festival will add several satellite events to its core favourites, which are the Wavescape Artboard Project, Clifton Beach Screening, Slide Night, Wavescape Film Festival and Wesgro Blue Ocean Master Class.
Wavescape also presents the world premiere of Satori Film, a documentary about Cape Town’s big wave surfing crew, at Jack Black’s Tap Room. The lineup includes the launch of a rollicking book The Sexy, Ugly, Beautifuls; Stories: a Big Wave Surfboard Exhibition and Big Wave Q&A night, and a Beach Co-op Beach Clean-up.
Meg McCulloch of Jack Black is excited to be on board as headline partner: “Jack Black Brewing Co is a long-time friend and supporter of Wavescape, and we’ve always admired how the festival communicates real passion for our oceans and our environment, very much in line with our philosophies. The festival is an amazing opportunity to bring communities
together, share stories, and celebrate those meaningful connections surrounding the love of surfing.”
Now in its 15th year, the festival has evolved this love of surf and beach culture into the fight for a greener earth and bluer ocean. Through the talks, film screenings, beach cleanups, book launches and charity events, Wavescape joins South Africa’s best creative and scientific minds who use the ocean as their muse to advocate change. This includes marine biologists, conservation influencers, artists, tourist boat operators, surfers, divers, fishers, photographers, authors, filmmakers and activists.
As Festival Director Shani Judes says, “It’s so special to showcase these amazing people and their acts of kindness, talent and genuine love for the ocean. This year we are really underlining our commitment to the elimination of single-use plastic, and our partners have agreed to do the same. There is a hard hitting meme going around “It’s only one straw,” said 8 billion people. That is the key. We have the power to make a difference as a collective.”
Several African premieres will be screened at the festival, with the Clifton 4th Beach screening taking place on Saturday 1 December, with four nights at the Labia Cinema in town, as well as movie nights at the Jack Black Tap Room.
Co-founder of Wavescape Steve Pike, known as Spike, says: “It’s special to see how our festival has grown into such a vital part of the Cape Town summer calendar, and how it brings together such a wonderful group of passionate people who are making a difference. An integral mandate of Wavescape is to remind us how crucial the ocean is to our survival, and to the earth we inhabit while embarking on a celebratory feast of ocean love and surf stoke. ”
All proceeds from the event are donated to beneficiaries such as the NSRI, Waves for Change, Shark Spotters, the 9 Miles Project, Ocean Pledge, Beach Co-op and South African Adaptive Surfing. Last year’s art auction raised R772, 000. The highest priced board by Kirsten Sims fetched R130, 000.
The Festival headline partner is Jack Black Beer. Supporting partners are Wesgro, Petco, Long Beach Capital, Gone, Mami Wata, and York Surf.
Wavescape Festival Programme 2018
9-15 November: Stories: a Big Wave Surfboard Exhibition, Jack Black Tap Room
15 November: Big Wave Surfboard Q&A, Jack Black Tap Room
19-28 November: Wavescape Art Board Exhibition at Jack Black Brewery
24 November: Satori Film Premiere at the Jack Black Brewery
28 November: ArtBoard Auction with Nik Rabinowitz at Jack Black Brewery
30th November: The Sexy Ugly Beautifuls book launch at Rolling Wood, with John McCarthy
1 December: Clifton 4th Beach Outdoor Screening
3 December: Slide Night at Centre for the Book
5 December: Wesgro Blue Ocean Master Class
6-9 December: Wavescape Film Festival at the Labia Theatre
1 or 2 December: Beach Clean Up hosted by BEACH Co-op
1-2 Dec and 8-9 December – Swim Free Confidence courses by John McCarthy
To find out more about all our events, please go to www.wavescapefestival.com
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