LIVE IT TO BELIEVE IT IN THE RIVIERA NAYARIT: 9th Wind Festival 2018
- The biggest kiteboarding event in the Americas returns to the Riviera Nayarit from May 18-20, 2018, with the participation of the best riders in the world.
The Riviera Nayarit will once again shine brightly as one of the top destinations for kiteboarding from May 18-20 when it hosts the ninth consecutive Wind Festival at Marítima beach in Nuevo Vallarta.
Kiteboarding, also known as kitesurfing or flysurfing, is a combination of two passions: surfing and skydiving, and can be identified by its colorful kites and the impressive maneuvers of the riders.
The Wind Festival is considered one of the top 20 tournaments of its kind in the world and is also one the top five in Mexico, thanks to Banderas Bay’s excellent natural conditions, not to mention the Riviera Nayarit’s connectivity and tourism infrastructure.
Festival director Alejandro Ochoa shared that it all started in 2011, spurred by the Mexican Kiteboard Association’s initiative to create a place in Mexico to promote the sport. They chose the beach at Bucerías and it quickly surpassed the Organizing Committee’s expectations thanks to its huge turnout, not only of participants but also of spectators.
By 2016, he added, it was on the list of 100 “musts” in Mexico in the “Moments and Events” category. By its 8th year—2017—it had already broken participation records with 250 registered riders.
Three hundred competitors from different areas in Mexico and the world are expected to attend this ninth edition, plus approximately 5,000 spectators and 100 representatives from different media.
For his part, Marc Murphy, Director of the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the Bahía de Banderas Hotel and Motel Association (AHMBB), commented the Wind Festival not only hosts a sport that’s becoming increasingly important on an international level, but it’s also a tourism attraction that generates an important economic benefit for the Destination, while setting an example with its harmonious coexistence with nature.
The 2018 Wind Festival includes all the Kite categories and styles: Freestyle, Downwind, Slalom, Big Air, Long Distance and a Wind Foil Regatta.
Program
Friday 18: Qualifying rounds for Freestyle Pro; qualifying rounds for Old School Freestyle; qualifying rounds for Women’s Freestyle; qualifying rounds for Big Air.
Saturday 19: 1stRound Freestyle Pro; 1st Round Old School Freestyle; Downwind; Slalom; Final Women’s Freestyle.
Sunday 20: Long Distance Regatta; Freestyle Pro Finals; Old School Freestyle Finals; Big Air Finals.
The facts:
The 2018 Wind Festival is affiliated with the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA), the Mexican Sail Federation (FDV), and the Mexican Kiteboard Association.
###
Riviera Nayarit reaffirms its status as an ideal destination for sports tourism because of the many quality events that take place thanks to the support of the Government of the State of Nayarit via the Tourism Promotion Trust (Fiprotur).
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!