Alicante hosts the Alicante SUP Open APP Tour as part of the APP World Tour
The Postiguet beach will welcome the Alicante SUP Open APP Tour, a paddle surfing test that forms a stage of the APP World Tour, the world championship circuit for this sport. The competition extends from Friday through Sunday and serves as the penultimate event of the season. The circuit travels from Santa Monica in the United States, through London, Busan in South Korea, and Paris, before culminating in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event is organized by Parres Sports Club and was introduced by the Alicante City and Beach Tourism Board. Mari Carmen Sánchez, Deputy Mayor of Alicante and Chair of the City and Coast Tourism Board, underscored that the city is hosting a world championship event that has placed Alicante on the international paddleboarding map. She added that Alicante boasts the infrastructure and climate ideal for hosting international sports events that bolster sports tourism and help balance seasonal demand for the destination [Citation: Alicante City & Coast Tourism Board].
In addition to the competition, the weekend offers parallel activities aimed at paddleboarding beginners, live musical performances, and a lively entertainment and dining area. The vice mayor invited residents of Alicante and visitors to Postiguet beach to enjoy the sports spectacle and to spend a day of sport and fun with family or friends this weekend [Citation: City of Alicante communications].
The event’s organizer, Daniel Parres, expressed gratitude to the Tourism Board for its support in creating an event of this scale. He highlighted that Alicante possesses distinctive features that can bring water sports closer to audiences worldwide and noted that hosting this international competition serves as an effective platform to promote the city on the circuit [Citation: Parres Sports Club statements].
Around fifteen countries are represented in the lineup, with participants from the United States, Peru, Argentina, Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, Hungary, and Belgium among them. The event will also feature Australian commentator Travis Grant, a veteran of one of paddleboarding’s most grueling races, the Molokai Oahu, which he has won four times [Citation: APP World Tour coverage].
Complementary activities
Across the three competition days, a variety of ancillary events accompany the official races. An APP Pool, a large temporary swimming pool, provides a gentle entry point for newcomers to paddleboarding while also hosting activities such as SUP Yoga and Pilates in a dedicated space. The organizers also set up an entertainment and restaurant zone run by Solé Rototom Beach, offering riders and spectators a chance to enjoy music and the city’s cultural vibe between races.
On Friday, December 9, flamenco company Pura Sangre will take the stage before being replaced by Urban Corner, the Loca FM Murcia DJs, who will keep the energy high into the evening. On Saturday, December 10, the day will celebrate music and urban art with graffiti artists returning for an Ikon, Best, and Tom Rock art symposium. The mix of sport, music, and urban culture helps position Alicante as a dynamic hub for international paddleboarding and related lifestyle events [Citation: Local event program notes].