In Pictures: Morocco’s Taghazout Surf Expo 2023, October 26 – 29
At the end of October, Boardsport SOURCE flew down to Agadir in Morocco for the second Taghazout Surf Expo. This year’s edition had the advantage of some great swell, allowing locals and visitors alike to show off their skills to the assembled crowd. This three-day event is a combination of surf by day and music by night, as leading Moroccan music acts take to the stage at the end of each day.
The surf village is a rectangular in shape with 60 plus booths representing brands, surf schools, surf accommodation and associations. Brands in attendance included Surfboard NSP, Gotcha, Takuma, O’Neill, Hoff, Sooruz, Cabianca, Wheels and Fins, Native Surfboards, and many, many more.
At one end was a large tent in which a full programme of surf related topics were discussed, and nearby (and new to this year), was a surf movie theatre. The event has really put surfing on the map in Morocco with local dignitaries opening and attending the event. The national government has even confirmed major investments in surf tourism. To give you a size of the market, there are over 350 surf schools dotted along the coast.
During the festival, regular round tables and conferences looked at surf tourism and how it could develop without impacting on the traditional culture. As news of the event had spread following last year’s successful launch, public attendance increased massively for 2023.
Take a look at our show gallery and then book your flights for next year… there’s nothing like combining business with pleasure.
Gotcha's Kevin Pazod Manzili Surf House's Soufeana Native SurfboardsRDTR's boothSurfcloud NSP's crewUsed Boards' ZacWalking around the festival O'Neill's Charaf Eddine Stitou, Rafa Goez Espadafor and AyoudSooruz's boothSooruz's Marin Mauriac and Antoine ChenutUsed Boads' booth. An online platform to sell your surfing gear Festival village entranceThe DJ spinning decks inside the festivalCabianca's boothClick to Clean Septione wetsuit cleaning product boothElouatia Tantan's BadrFestival press officeIfni Surf's ZacSquid Surfboards' "Made in France" crewUFP's Thierry Delbourg and Laurent FauqueIt was crowded out in the waterOn-site presentations everydayFestival organisers Said Bella and Alice DoublierAzama's BadrGotcha's boothTamghart Mood's Nazha Aif BenaddiWheels and Fins' boothWima, Camelia and Majda from Paint on BoardZeus's Elliot VoituriezOne of a series of conferences looking at how to develop surf tourism without impacting on local cultureAround the festival Around the festivalHabib, Ali and Anas Rear and Luxe's RadouaneSquid Surfboards' boothTaghazout Skatepark's booth built last year by the localsTaghazout Skatepark's boothTakuma's NofalZeus' boothFestival siteEntrance to festival siteAround the festival - the skate park Festival visitors watching the surfingClick to Clean's Neffah Zakadria, Amal Delacre and Henri DelacreHoff's Benoit Brecq and Christophe RebecchiniNative's boothO'Neill's boothSurfCloud NSP's boothUniversal's fin plug so you change your finsConferences saw many experts present papersAround the festival Presentation tent The Ali Zaoua lglj foundationFahd... Gone surfing!François ApplagnatHoff's boothNew Generations' Abdullah AliSafi Surf Club's Mohamed Surf Van rentalTakuma's boothTinType Studio's Youssef BoudlalConference sessions used interactive technolgy to put value on words used to describe Tazagout Swell was up on the SaturdayAround the festival9TEEZ's BadrIn the early evening everyone went to watch the band playing adjacent to the festival Food tentsAl ModaI's Nathan and IsmailCabianca's Hakim and Johnnie Dfrost Almugar Event PR team Mouna and Safia