“Bat, Bi, Hiru! (1,2,3 in Basque) The Queen Classic Surf festival returns to Biarritz, France for its third edition on September 2 and 3.TA unique event co-created by three passionate Biarritz residents who celebrate a different surfing culture and aim to shake up the traditional clichés associated with the sport. Music, art, surfing, podcasts and inclusion: this is the magic recipe for a unique queer festival.”
What’s on the program?
MUSIC
DJ and «love activist» Barbara Butch will be on the Basque coast for a night at the festival. On the second night, it’s the turn of the La Sueur collective, which advocates inclusivity, benevolence and a love of partying as the pillars for organising events where bodies, freed from all judgment, are only there to abandon themselves to the cadenced rhythms and let themselves be carried away by an incredible vibe.
This year, Queen Classic Surf will welcome the FFPFPP art/video and music collective, Feminist Projection Project / Party, based between London and Spain, which mixes original works, celluloid experiments, analog graphic animations and Internet art, paying homage to the history of experimental femx film. Also on the bill are Barcelona-based live house band and multidisciplinary collective Mainline Magic Orchestra, and Tobo Baine.
An unusual Banda Basque will be present over the two days, with a repertoire featuring hits from the 90s and 2000s, but also plenty of surprises with performances by local collectives.
ART
Art will once again take the centre stage at this year’s event, in collaboration with Champ Lacombe gallery, thanks to the participation of contemporary American artist Jonathan Horowitz and his exhibition «Free Store: Bring Stuff, Take Stuff».
The main idea behind the exhibition: to create a space where festival goers can participate in a system of non-monetary exchange. Inspired by the Free Stores movement, which promotes community sharing, the artist has set up an installation where the public can bring objects they no longer need and leave them available for other visitors. In return, the public is invited to pick up objects free of charge, encouraging exchange and sharing. A collaborative installation raises questions about consumption, waste and the market economy.
SURF
La Côte des Basques beach vibrates with two days of longboard competitions featuring the world’s best female surfers. Surfers selected for their style, their surf, but also for their attitude and commitment. The festival spotlights figures such as Sasha Jane Lowerson, the world’s first transgender surfer. The participants’ profiles are varied varied: from Lola Mignot, nicknamed «the Rosalia of Surfing», to Zoé Grospiron, via Elisa Aberlbide, considered the future of French classic longboarding. The selection of female surfers reflects the festivals spirit of inclusion, bringing together women of different nationalities and ages.
EVENTS & ASSOCIATIONS
The festival will also offer an immersive experience with debates and podcasts recorded and hosted by DIA RADIO’s Disco Queen show, Les pieds dans le sable. These programs tackle social issues such as the evolution of toplessness on French beaches and the place of female surfers and their relationship with the body in the very special world of «big wave surfing».
The Queen Classic Surf festival wouldn’t be complete without its famous village of associations feat. LGBTQ+, feminist, ecological and Basque organisations.
Last but not least, Basque language initiation stands, a nail bar, a tarology stand and a skateboard ramp will be available to festival-goers. and a skateboard ramp. Food trucks and a bar will of course be on hand to enjoy a beer and a Taloa while watching the sunset.
We’ll be seeing you there!
