The Vans Duct Tape Festival brought together a unique community of surfers, artists and shapers in an effort to engage the local surf community in collaborative ways and continue redefining what a surf event should be all about. For its debut in Portugal, the Duct Tape Festival brought world-class loggers together. Last year’s winner, Andy Nieblas, was joined by rising stars Eurico Romaguera, Diogo Appleton, Kaniela Stewart and Jack Lynch—alongside renowned icons in logging, Alex Knost and Justin Quintal.
For the first time, the event had a women’s division, with heavy hitters such as Kelia Moniz, Karina Rozunko, Victoria Vergara, Chloe Calmon and Honolua Blomfield all vying to be crowned the inaugural European champion of the women’s Duct Tape Invitational.
Unlike most surf events, there was more on offer than spectator sport. Led by four influential surf talents, Harry Bryant, Ivan Florence, James Parry and Ainara Aymat, (who presented a library of their own hand-shaped custom surfboards to share with the public) the three-day beach festival featured surf sessions, live music, board shaping, beach clean-ups, movie screenings, as well as interactive art and photography exhibitions hosted by the local community. Basically a complete sensory overload. A few of the names to take the mic and rock the crowd included Sunfoot, Mighty Sands, Kepa, Lee Ann Curren, Sun Flowers, Alek Rein, Ditch Days and Vans skate legend, John Cardiel.
