Quiksilver Festival Readies For Takeoff in France

The stopover in the beachbreaks of Les Landes was a pro surfing staple. Known as the Quik Pro since 2002, it provided some of pro surfing’s iconic moments. Andy and Bruce Irons surfed a memorable Final in 10-foot outerbank perfection in 2004. Kelly defeated Dane in epic La Graviere shorebreaks in 2012. Gabriel Medina announced himself in 2014 with a win as a 17-year-old.

Perhaps the most iconic and memorable of all the comps was Jeremy Flores' victory in 2019. In absolutely flawless conditions, he clinched a win in front of thousands of his fanatic countrymen and women.

“I spent 15 years chasing that personal Holy Grail to win at home. In hindsight, I wanted it too much and chased it too hard,” Flores told SURFER. “That year, I relaxed, enjoyed the moment, and just surfed the incredible waves. It all came together in what was the most memorable, crazy, and emotional day of my career.”

What Flores couldn’t have known was that it would be the last CT held in France. Covid interrupted the next few years, and then with the new WSL Finals finishing in September, the new format effectively claimed the space the Quik Pro had carved out for 30 years each Fall in the Basque Country. A Challenger Series event was held in 2022 (won by Conor O’Leary), but then the event was dropped from the roster completely.

“I thought it was important for the France surf fans, the kids, and the businesses to have the pro circus still roll into town,” said Flores. “With Quiksilver backing the idea, I thought I’d just invite my friends and we’d go old school. Have a low-key comp, get barrelled, but mainly have fun. That’s how the Quik Fest started.”

The first year in 2023 got off to a flyer - it was eight-foot and sandgrind pumping for a week straight. The Festival introduced Baguette TV, video highlights and quick clips hosted by the Aussie gremlin Hughie Vaughan and his smoother sidekick Jai Glinderman. It was a very different approach to Joe Turpel and co in the WSL studio. Looser. Funnier. And way less serious.

Last year, it expanded in terms of budget, but wasn’t so lucky with the swell. In 2025, with Swatch on board as partner, they’ve again upped the ante. Jeremy has invited Kelly Slater, Kai Lenny, Coco Ho, Zeke Lau, Ace, and Milla Coco Brown. The tricolour contingent is led by Gold Medalist Kauli Vaast, Michel Bourez, Joan Duru, and Maud Le Car. CT surfers Marco Mignot, Kanoa Igarashi, Alan Cleland, and Vahiné Fierro round out what is an A-grade field of elite surfing talent.

“And don’t forget Wilko. He’s coming and I've been told we will be competing on he same team,” Ace said of his good mate Matt Wilkinson. “We've always said wouldn't it be awesome to compete in good waves, but be relaxed and of course have fun each night. Though to be fair, Matt was always pretty good at that even back in the day.”

The festival’s tagline, “Surf Hard Rock Hard sums it up pretty well, and Wilko might just be interested in the gigs that range from the rock-themed opening party to the electro closing party in partnership with Deezer. There’s also skate demos and art exhibitions. With no CT points as legal tender, the emphasis is on having as good a time as possible, while still putting on a real show in the water.

“The vibes are so good. Look, ideally, we see elite surfing competition return to France, but the Quik Festival has created something pretty unique in the surf world,” said Flores. “We wanna get barrelled, but we want to have a blast. That’s what surfing’s all about.”