Until March 30, Ribeira Grande, on São Miguel Island, is hosting SARGO—Surf & Art Ribeira Grande Org, a festival celebrating the fusion of surfing and urban art.

“Ribeira Grande is the Capital of Surfing and really has 365 days a year of surfing, so this was the ideal place for us to hold this festival, which brings surfing and art together. From day one, the municipality showed interest in the idea. This project was initially going to run for ten days, from March 20 to 30, but it has grown and will have activities during the weekends of the month,” Ricardo Ribeiro, president of the Azores Surf Club, told Açoriano Oriental.

The event kicked off last Saturday, International Women’s Day, with the “Girls Just Wanna Have Waves” initiative and the “Equality in Women’s Surfing” conference. The executive director of the Portuguese Surf Film Festival, Susana Andrade, Basque surfer Andrea Molina, and the president of the Azores Surf and Bodyboard Association, Carolina Carreiro, attended.

Next weekend, a workshop entitled “Turning Plastic Around”, aimed at young people, will give plastics a new lease on life.

On March 21, the Portuguese Surf Film Festival will be presented at the Vulcana Brewery in Ribeira Grande.

From March 20 to 30, the festival brings together 10 artists, five of whom live in the Azores, who will perform artistic interventions in various locations.

“SARGO brings together a selection of visual artists who will transform the streets and urban spaces of Ribeira Grande into veritable open-air galleries. Through graffiti, mural painting, collage and large-format photography, these creators will breathe new life into the municipality’s walls, promoting local identity and reinforcing the connection between art, surfing and Azorean nature,” revealed Ricardo Ribeiro.

He added that all the artists involved “share a special affinity with the sea and with surfing, whether through direct practice of the sport, the influence of seascapes or their commitment to environmental preservation.”

Among these artists is photographer Francisco Garcia, who works in São Miguel and whose work captures the essence of the Atlantic Ocean and the region’s rich birdlife. The photographer told Açoriano Oriental that he would present a work depicting a Portuguese caravel at this festival.

Also participating in this event are Célia Rako, a French painter who divides her time between São Miguel, Paris, and Nosy Be; Sara Azad, an illustrator and graphic designer; Gonçalo Mar, an urban visual artist; and João Amado, a self-taught visual artist who uses the traditional collage technique to compose the visual and conceptual structure of his works.

As well as Skran, an artist whose energy and creativity are manifested in vibrant art, full of movement and connection with urban culture and surfing; Frame01, a surfer who channels the ocean’s energy into his art, exploring multiple visual languages; Pipoca, aka Sérgio Branco, who, with over 30 years of surfing, not only masters the waves but also carries with him the essence of freedom and expression that the ocean inspires; MosaikOne, a Portuguese graffiti writer, recognized as one of the pioneers of the second generation of national graffiti; and Nelson Raposo, a native of Ginetes, who has always had a great fascination with nature, especially the sea.

On March 29 and 30, at the same time as the second stage of the Regional Surfing Championship, a Beach Market will be organized with local products, art, and sustainable initiatives.

An “Ink on Boards” workshop will also be aimed at younger surfers. And on Saturday, March 29, there will be a party to mark the end of the event.

For surfer Peter Healion, this festival brings a comprehensive concept, uniting surfing and art. It emphasizes that the coincidence of dates with the Regional Surfing Championship will be very important, as it will allow surfers from the Azores to come together for different activities linked to art.

José António Garcia, Ribeira Grande City Councilor, said: “With SARGO, we’re bringing art together with surfing and sustainability, which highlights the full potential of Ribeira Grande, not only in terms of surfing and its bathing areas but also as a municipality that has a very complete offer in terms of leisure and nature. This is evident in the program of activities that this event intends to carry out”, stressing that the municipality’s support for this initiative aims to boost the Capital of Surf brand while benefiting the local economy.

Ana Carvalho Melo is a journalist with the newspaper Açoriano Oriental, Paula Gouveia-director.