UK Surf & Skate Expo 12-14 September book your spot!

For the first time in more than a decade the UK will have its own Surf and Skate event open to both business and consumers. The UK Surf & Skate Expo fills this gap in the market providing an opportunity for the whole boardsports community to congregate. Source sat down with organiser Chris Thomson, creator of The UK Surf & Skate Expo and MD of Wavelength, Longboarder and Marwick Marketing to get the lowdown.

What was the thinking behind launching the UK Surf & Skate Expo? 

It’s crazy to think that the UK has the third largest surf and skateboard market in Europe, and yet, we’ve not had a B2B or B2C expo in more than 15-years. Since COVID, there’s been a huge surge in the numbers of surfers and people skating – both sports are now part of the Olympics, so it just felt like the right time to make it happen. Plus, there just isn’t enough of these weekends where likeminded people can get together and celebrate the culture. It’s important that we’re all reminded why we love these hobbies, or sports.

How has the event been received?

So far, we’ve had 190 brands sign up to our pre-launch introduction, which is incredible. So, the UK Surf & Skate Expo has been extremely well received. Local and regional governments have been fully supportive of the event. We’ve also received support from the European Sports Action Manufacturers Association (EuroSIMA) and other expos further afield, like the Taghazout Surf Expo. On the ground, people are talking about it around Newquay which is really great to hear, there’s a whole bunch going on as part of the expo.

Please give us an overview of the event

We really wanted to make this a hybrid B2B and B2C destination expo. It’s important to us that brands get to connect, and they get to connect to people, and people to brands, a full circle approach to it all. The expo will take place in Newquay, which is the home of British surfing. It’ll run over three days from September 12th to the 14th. There’s an Expo Village, which will be home to more than 100 exhibitors, a huge eight foot half pipe and lots to eat and drink.

The Expo Hall will seat up to 900 people, and during the weekend, we’ll hear from keynote speakers like Andrew Cotton and Shaun Tomson. Plus a range of panel discussions. A few minutes from the Expo Village is Concrete Waves, one of the best outdoor skateparks in the UK – here you will find the English Nationals run by Skateboarding GB and a fun Ride or Die 80’s influenced bowl contest.

At the beach we have two surf events happening. Also there’s a vintage surf and skate meet, a film night and the Wavelength UK Surfer Awards ceremony and so much more.

Why the Newquay location?

Newquay is the home of British surfing and home to Concrete Waves, one of the UK’s top skateparks. It’s also well connected with an international airport, train and coach links – meaning it’s one of the easier and more accessible coastal towns to get to.

Newquay has seven beaches and we have room to grow.

Can you tell us about the top athletes or industry leaders attending?

We are slowly rolling out our full roaster, but so far we are welcoming Shaun Tomson, Andrew Cotton, Sam Bleakley. Skaters: Alex Halford, George O’Neil, Lola T and BMX’ers Jack Clark, Reece Dabrio.

Can you share more about the Wavelength UK Surfer Awards and how it celebrates the surfing community and integrates into the event?

This is one of the highlights of the weekend. The Wavelength UK Surfers Awards will take place on Friday night – and there’s still time to vote via the Wavelength website.

www.wavelengthmag.com/uk-surfer-awards-2025/

This will be the culmination of the last 6 months of public voting in 12 categories. These are, Best UK Male Surfer – Presented by Yeti. UK Female Surfer – Presented by Yeti. UK Under 18 Male Surfer – Presented by FCS. UK Under 18 Female Surfer – Presented by Mystic Boarding and Watersports World UK. UK Male Longboarder – Presented by Saxx Underwear. UK Female Longboarder – Presented by 10 Over Surf. UK Surfboard Shaper – Presented by Vissla. UK Longboard Shaper – Presented by Union Of Surf. UK Male Big Wave Surfer – Presented by Dryrobe. UK Female Big Wave Surfer – Presented by Dryrobe. UK Surf School – Presented by Moulded Earplugs. UK Surf Photographer – Presented by Xtratuf and the Eco Excellence Award – Presented by The Foam Life.

How can visitors get involved in the Surf & Skate Vintage Meet & Swap event, and what can they expect?

This is going to be a lot of fun. For the general public, it’s free to attend and is running on the 13th and 14th of September, at Newquay Sports Centre. You can come along and have a look at some classic board shapes, retro apparel, gear and memorabilia, have conversations, swap, sell, exchange – or just admire. Everyone’s welcome or if you’ve got some vintage items to showcase, there are limited vendor slots available. We just want this to be a celebration of all things vintage and that golden era in surf and skate history.

Why should surf and skate brands attend?

There’s not an event like this in the UK, and there hasn’t been for years. We’re anticipating thousands of people from all over the world to come to Newquay and explore the expo at their leisure – we’d love for you to be a part of that too. Exhibitors spots are filling up fast, you can see who’s already claimed their spot in the expo village on the website.

For more information go to www.uksurfskateexpo.com