The Vans Duct Tape Festival Rolls Into St. Augustine This Weekend
As if the Treasure Coast needed another reason to come down to the beach and get weird!
In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León rambled through what would become St.
Augustine, Florida, in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth.
He didn’t find it. If he surfed maybe he’d have figured out the fountain was right there off the sand all along.
Fifty years later, in 1565, the Spanish crown granted Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés the
official charter to St. Augustine. By default, that gives the city the distinct honor of being the
oldest surf town in the United States.
Four hundred years later, Joel Tudor and the crew at Vans are resurrecting more modern
history, as they bring their special brand of surf funk to town with the Duct Tape Festival. Not to
be confuse with the longboard contest—the Duct Tape Invitational—this incarnation of the Duct
Tape heralds the special role that St. Augustine has played in the evolution of American
surfing.
Fronted by Tudor, backed up by Dylan Graves, Justin Quintal and Lee-Ann Curren, this
weekend’s two-day beach party pays homage to the East Coast roots and celebrates the timeless
magic of the zone today.
Tudor and the other team riders have whittled a number of boards and will be dropping them off
at The Surf Station, one of the most legendary surf shops on the East Coast. After letting folks take them for a test drive on Saturday and
Sunday, they boards will find a permanent home at Surf Station and locals will be welcome to
swing by and grab them whenever the mood strikes them.
Working with the local crew, Vans has also planned surf demos, panel conversations about board
shaping, a skate jam, sustainability workshops, art and music exhibits. Rallying area surfers,
shapers, artists and other creative types, they’re looking to “engage in a collaborative setting, and
encourage diverse conversations inspired by surf culture and tradition.”
Vans Duct Tape Festival Schedule
September 21
11am-3pm – Duct Tape Festival Skate Jam Kick-Off at Upchurch Skatepark
7pm – Evening Launch Party + Photo Show at Prohibition Kitchen
September 22
10am – Duct Tape Festival Board Shaping Panel Discussion
11am-4pm – Custom Hand-Shaped Board Demos, open to the public
*Live art, music and board shaping all afternoon
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