WA’s biggest free youth surf, skate and street event, the Drug Aware Groundswell Festival, is returning to Scarborough for its 8th instalment! The epic festival will stretch across three massive days – October 1, 2 & 3.
Scarborough Beach and surrounds will see an action-packed weekend full of surf, skate and 3×3 basketball comps, BMX bowl comps and stunt demos, DJs and live music, street art, food trucks, markets, and loads of free workshops and activities. If that’s not enough – the sand will be packed with beach volleyball, beach soccer and even a free dodgeball arena thanks to The Lookout Scarborough.
The latest and greatest additions to the festival are Groundswell LIVE; a live music showcase from some of WA’s best up and coming musicians thanks to Propel Youth Arts and West Australian Music (WAM), and Tipi Village; a wellness and sustainability hub championed by local saltwater heroes, Cold Nips, who bring with them an
entire program loaded with free ice baths, workshops, talks, yoga classes, men’s circles, beach dips and everything in between to encourage a healthy lifestyle, mind, body and earth.
SURFING:
Surf Boardroom’s Surf League:
Surf League first ran back in 1986 and ever since it has been a breeding ground for stoke a excitement amongst WA board riders clubs who’ll converge on Scarborough Beach to compe for over $5,000 in cash and prizes thanks to Surf Boardroom and Rip Curl. The Surf Boardroom’s Surf League embodies what Australian sport is all about; mateship, team spirit, loyalty and unbelievable camaraderie. Surf League’s unique competition format will see clubs nominate their six strongest surfers (4 xopen age surfers, 1 x Over-35 master, and 1 x Under-18 junior), with each surfer’s best two scores added together for an overall team total. Surf Boardroom’s Surf League will take place on either Saturday 2 or Sunday 3 October, conditions depending (the call will be made on the Thursday).
2021 celebrates the 29th year that The Surf Boardroom will be supporting this iconic event that has become a rite of passage for many of WA’s best and most aspiring surfers.
Groundswell Amateur Surf Comp:
Continuing the long running partnership with Surfing WA, the Groundswell Surf Comp is a celebration of local community talent and spirit for the sport in a friendly Mate vs. Mate format From first comp to seasoned pro, all ages and skill-levels are welcome to join their division and ride the Scarborough waves for the chance at winning lots of epic prizes thanks to Cordingley’s Surf. The one day comp will take place on either Saturday 2 or Sunday 3 October, conditions depending (the call will be made on the Thursday prior).
SKATEBOARDING:
Watch WA’s best bowl riders of all ages and skill levels shred up the Scarborough Skate Bowl
Sunday 3 October, battling it out to be the 2021 Wheelbite champions. Officially sanctioned by the Australian Skateboarding Federation, winners of Wheelbite 2021 will be taking home big prize money and a stash of goodies thanks to DC Shoes plus the glory of dominating what is undoubtedly one of Perth’s best skate parks. This comp is open to categories 12 & Under Boys, 12 & Under Girls, 16 & Under, Masters 40+, Open Women’s 13+ and Open Men’s 17+.
3×3 BASKETBALL:
To kick-start the 2021/22 summer season, Basketball WA is bringing back 3×3 to the iconic Scarborough Beach Foreshore. This is straight up 3×3 Streetball and is open to both male and female juniors and winners will score themselves swag prizes, trophies and (most importantly) bragging rights!
Comps will take place across Friday 1 & Saturday 2 October, with pumping DJ beats to keep adrenaline levels high thanks to WA’s own superfast internet, Pentanet. 3×3 Streetball is where your basketball journey starts. This FIBA endorsed 3×3 basketball competition allows athletes to not only win local prizes and trophies but also to earn FIBA 3×3 ranking points, which can propel them to the next level. This State Championship event is the first stop for juniors in Basketball WA’s 3×3 Summer Series. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for the Pentanet tent to grab a slew of prizes and giveaways!
ZAMBRERO BMX BOWL BATTLE:
The Drug Aware Groundswell Festival is partnering with Freestyle Now to bring some epic action with the highly anticipated Zambrero BMX Bowl Battle! WA’s best BMX riders will show off their skills and compete for some epic prize money and all the glory. The stakes are high as the competition is open for Pro, Open, Intermediate or Beginner level riders – all epic spectator events. Kicking off Saturday 2 October, you’ll want to be there nice
and early to snag a spot, we guarantee this one will have hearts pumping.
FREESTYLE NOW BMX STUNT DEMOS:
The Freestyle Now BMX Stunt Show will bring you all the nail-biting, tail-whipping and barspinning adrenaline you need and expect at Groundswell Fest 2021! Watch as some of WA’s finest stunt performers attempt daredevil tricks with manoeuvres that defy the laws of gravity – spinning in all directions with 360’s both horizontal and vertical, not
forgetting the tailwhips and barspins which always thrill. Come along Sunday 3 October ready to clap, cheer and enjoy this crowd-pleaser, all-ages event.
SPORTS ACTION REGISTRATIONS:
To register for the sporting competitions, and be in the running to win prize money and prizes – head to the Groundswell Festival Registration page on the website.
GROUNDSWELL LIVE:
Plug in and tune out as Groundswell LIVE makes its debut on the festival program this year thanks to the help of the legendary team at Propel Youth Arts WA! A mini festival inside the festival, this is an all-killer-no-filler line-up of indie rock, surf pop, RnB disco grooves on the epic beachside Scarborough Amphitheatre stage, from 3pm-7pm Saturday 2 October. Headlined by the supa-fun, four time WAM Award nominees Supathick with their signature disco funk inspired set, this line-up is hot, hot, HOT. Joining Supathick are power players Ursula combining guitars, haunting vocal melodies and an old school garage aesthetic – the result is an exotic take on classic 90’s shoegaze, garage and slacker rock. Three piece surf/psych garage band Hot Sand are bringing the sunshine and fuzz, and the electric Jewel Owusu brings her euphonic sounds that will have you dancing and in your feels all at the same time Groundswell LIVE is completely free and the ultimate way to close out a huge day of action at the Drug Aware Groundswell Festival. You’ll want to get down early for this one, the Amphitheatre will be absolutely buzzing from 3:00PM til 7:00PM.
Tipi Village:
In 2021, Cold Nips and e.conscious take over Tipi Village, bringing with them a slew of amazing free activities to promote self love, empowerment, wholesome living and sustainability. Ranging from ice baths, breath work, pottery workshops, early morning ocean dips, coastal cleanups and more – expect 3 days of total rejuvenation! The Tipi Village is THE home for wellness, mental and physical health, pollution prevention and all-round good vibes at Groundswell Festival.
The 78 Hub:
Groundswell Festival will proudly partner once again with Healthway to promote the Drug Aware message and celebrate the ‘78% Don’t Use’ campaign. Did you know that 78% of young people aged 14 – 21 actually don’t use drugs? Studies show that young people tend to overestimate the number of their peers who use drugs. The ‘78% Don’t Use’ campaign aims to challenge these misconceptions and celebrate the majority who choose to say no. When you’re not catching all the epic action on the water, on the sand, in the bowl or under the tipi’s, the 78 Hub will be abuzz each day with free activities, games, pop-up market stalls, photo booths, live street art and Perth’s best food trucks to keep you going all weekend. Bringing the heat once again, check out all the action on offer across the 3 days:
VOLLEYBALL WA BEACH VOLLEYBALL PRE-SEASON SHOWCASE:
The Volleyball WA Beach Volleyball Competition is not only a pre-season game for WA’s players to get out and get sandy before the tour begins, but it’s an awesome opportunity for non-players to try volleyball for themselves. Get comfy in the amphitheatre to watch as competitors enjoy friendly games to get back into the swing of the spike, practice their skills and maybe even take home a prize at the end of the day. The Groundswell team have you sorted with a Try Net set-up so you can have a go yourself, make sure to pop over and check it out Saturday 2 October.
KICK IT. BEACH:
Come Kick It. with your crew with a game of beach football Sunday 3 October, supported by Football West Beach Football. Suitable for all ages and abilities, come down to the sand to Kick It. for as long as you’d like – no need to register, just pop on over and join the fun! Once you’ve worked up a sweat, race on over to the water and cool off with a dip.
DODGY BROS DODGEBALL COMP:
Thanks to local legends The Lookout, comes the most epic beach dodgeball battle, Friday 1 and Sunday 3 October. You’ll want to win this one – there will be tonnes of prizes up for grabs and all the glory that comes with being Scarborough’s elite dodgeball champion! Plus The Lookout DJs will be down there, spinning the hottest beats and getting the party pumping. All the jam-packed festival action across the weekend includes:
● Surf League Surfing comp (Saturday OR Sunday)
● Groundswell Amateur Surf comp (Saturday OR Sunday)
● Skateboarding Bowl comp (Sunday)
● 3×3 Basketball comp (Friday & Saturday)
● BMX Bowl comp (Saturday)
● BMX Stunt Show (Sunday)
● Beach Volleyball (Saturday)
● Beach Soccer (Sunday)
● Dodgy Bros giant DodgeBall comp Thanks to The Lookout (Friday & Sunday)
● Free Tshirt tie dying workshops thanks to Drug Aware (Saturday and Sunday)
● Retail markets and food trucks galore
● Temporary Tattoo parlour and DJs in The 78 Hub thanks to Drug Aware
● DJ’s and roving MC’s throughout the festival grounds
So, round up the whole crew and join us across the weekend to experience the true Scarborough beachside lifestyle!
W: https://groundswellfestival.org
FB: groundswellfestival.scarborough
IG: groundswellfest
For media interviews and enquires, contact: Kate MacKinnon | M: +61 438 923 961 | E: [email protected]
