Newcastle Surfest is the largest surfing festival in the southern hemisphere, with more than 800 male and female competitors from across the globe competing across nine events throughout February and March 2026, culminating with the final event of the World Surf League, Challenger Series from March 9 -15.
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 21 Nov - Sun 23 Nov | Novotel Newcastle Women’s Pro & Frame Promotional Products Men’s Pro (QS2000) | Newcastle Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Jan - Sun 1 Feb | KB Pro Junior | Merewether Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 6 Feb - Sun 8 Feb | Surf Reflections Junior Series – Bonny Hills – powered by Surfest | Bonny Hills |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 19 Feb - Fri 20 Feb | The Mutual Bank High School Teams Challenge | South Bar Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 21 Feb - Sun 22 Feb | Surfest Cadet Cup | South Bar Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 28 Feb - Sun 1 Mar | Surfest Indigenous Classic, presented by City of Newcastle | Merewether Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 5 Mar | Evolution Charity Cup | Merewether Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 6 Mar | Newcastle Surfest Challenger Series Trials | Merewether Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Mar - Sun 15 Mar | Newcastle Surfest Challenger Series | Merewether Beach |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 8 May - Sun 10 May | Surf Reflections Junior Series – Urunga – powered by Surfest | Urunga |
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 13 Nov - Sun 15 Nov | Surf Reflections Junior Series – Tuncurry– powered by Surfest | Tuncurry |
Newcastle Surfest acknowledges the Awabakal people as the traditional custodians of the land and water at Merewether.
A National Surfing Reserve, Merewether is rich in aboriginal culture and is still used today for traditional Awabakal resources and teachings. The Sea Eagle is the Awabakal totem, a story linking sky, land, and sea. We pay our respects to the Awabakal people, their Elders past, present and future and extend this acknowledgement to all first nations people.
