Port Alfred - Through the hard work and creativity of the Royal St Andrews Hotel owner and MD, as well as one of the driving forces behind the Port Alfred Easter Festival, Justin Bekker, a strong synergistic relationship has developed between the three units of the Easter Festival.
These are
- The surfing and bodyboarding events
- Bands Innie Bush music
- The Port Alfred Station 11 NSRI crew
Here is the explanation of this core relationship.
Surf tournaments at all of our beaches need water safety. This can be for many reasons - things can happen at a surf contest that can result in competitors needing assistance. It might be big surf, a broken board, a snapped leash, a long swim through the rip, an injury like a fin slice, a board impact, or other similar injuries. Water safety also monitors the ocean. So, water safety is an essential box to tick during the Royal St Andrews SA Open Champs, the Rip Curl GromSearch, the Rip Curl Cup and the Bodyboarding Classic and Challenge events.
National Sea Rescue Institute
The NSRI is the most skilled and equipped to help with water safety. Still, they have operating costs, equipment costs and requirements to operate efficiently.
So, Justin had the idea of getting the NSRI to do the water safety for the surf and bodyboarding events - all six days this year - and in return, the Port Alfred Easter Festival would host a fundraiser for a donation to the NSRI for their services and time at the surf events.
The Bands Innie Bush music evenings will serve as an NSRI fundraiser; a healthy portion of the proceeds from the music evenings will go to NSRI. In return, they will have trained staff on duty throughout the surf events, a safety vessel in the water and staff on land in radio comms for the duration of the surf tournaments, from first light until last heat.
Patrolling The Coastline
"Not only does the town rely heavily on the brave souls who volunteer to keep our waters safe, but they also provide our water safety during the Festival," said Justin.
"There are a lot of costs involved in maintaining and running the station and equipment, patrolling the coastline and rivers, and developing life-saving skills in volunteers and the community. They do so much for our town, so we decided to support them by donating a portion of the ticket sales made at Bands Innie Bush once the Festival is over. So, please remember when buying your ticket that you're supporting South African music and our local heroes at NSRI Station 11! "
It will be a great two evenings of live music at Bands Innie Bush, and it's for a great cause. Tickets are available on Howler. They are R350 / night. All tickets are here: HOWLER.
VIP tickets are available for R1,500. These tickets include event admittance, an event t-shirt, VIP tent access, a shuttle, meal and drink vouchers, and access to Guido's After Party.
The three surfing tournaments and Bands Innie Bush 2025 are the anchor events of the Port Alfred Easter Festival. Bands Innie Bush will take place at Rosehill Road, Port Alfred, this year.
Bands Innie Bush Friday's event page.
Bands Innie Bush Saturday's event page.
The Port Alfred Easter Festival is presented by Sunshine Coast Tourism Port Alfred.
For event updates, follow Port Alfred Easter Festival on social media:
Easter Festival website
#BandsInnieBush #PortAlfredEasterFestival
