Photos by @jonathansmithnz @camhay via @thesinglefinmingle
This week, Sumner is set to host its annual and globally renowned Traditional Longboarding Festival - The Single Fin Mingle. As more than 100 of the world’s best longboarders roll into town, Sumner is readying itself for a jampacked, frolicsome and morale boosting weekend full of grooving and of course, surfing! From Thursday the 8th of April – until Sunday the 11th of April, the sleepy surf suburb will well and truly be awoken and buzzing like no other time of year!
For those unfamiliar with the festival, you’d be forgiven to assume a dating event is about to hit town. “On the contrary”, says founder and Sumner local, Ambrose McNeill; “The event is a multi-faceted surfing festival that celebrates traditional longboarding and the joyous culture of art, music and film that surrounds it.”
It only takes a short stroll through the competition to realise this is no ordinary contest - with smooth jazz music being amplified into the ocean, hot tubs for competitors and fresh coffee and food being served with lounge chairs lining the Esplanade. The special and unbreakable surfing community creates an unmatchable and infectious atmosphere for surfers and non-surfers alike to sit back, relax and watch the world-class surfing unfold.
Although the competition is a focal point of the weekend, it’s only a small part of what the weekend entails. On Thursday and Friday night, contestants pack out the iconic Hollywood Cinema where a beautiful selection of surfing films are showcased. And then come the events that make the Mingle a one-of-a-kind festival. Friday night will see the ‘Sumner Soiree’ come to life, featuring local Christchurch band There’s a Tuesday and Auckland’s Joe Ghatt. Then after Saturday’s surfing, the Sumner village car-park will turn into a makeshift vibrant venue for the night, hosting ‘The Village Knees Up’ featuring a star-studded lineup with Auckland’s Molly and the Chromatics and Christchurch’s own Jed Parsons and Jack Page.
As the Mingle grows, it’s becoming more and more entrenched in the Sumner community, with store owners within Sumner banding together to help create an event firmly on the calendars of many.
“The Single Fin Mingle is a celebration of the Sumner community - there are very few events that span age, gender and culture like The Mingle does,” says Trevor Hone, local builder and emphatic supporter of the event.
Sure, Bledisloe Cup finals are great, as are the local school fairs. But as a fast growing group of Sumner locals will tell you – there is no better weekend of the year than that of The Single Fin Mingle. 
Opening Celebrations Single Fin Mingle 2021
photos by Cam Hay
The opening ceremony for the 2021 Single Fin Mingle is the spring board to New Zealands gathering of fashion, surf, art, and music festival. Along with live music, dancing, and a formal Maori welcome, Mihi Whakatau, the event is happening all weekend in Christchurch, New Zealand. Stay tuned for action and good times at The Single Fin Mingle 2021.
Day 2 of the The Single Fin Mingle 2021
The surfing part of the event kicked off in clean 1-3ft surf for the mens and women's division with around 80 competitors displaying their graceful logging. The sounds of Sumner Soiree blanketed the lineup for the competitors in which the music didnt stop strumming into the evening with the likes of Joe Ghatt and There's a Tuesday
Photos by Johnathan Smith and Cam Hay via The Single Fin Mingle
Day 3 of the The Single Fin Mingle 2021
As the festivities don't stop for the four day event, the waves also came to play! A big and wildly swell made its way into the bay making not so ideal for longboarding. On an impromptu decision to accommodate the wave height, surfers traded in their single fin logs for twin fins and mid-length for the first Mingle mash-up. After a day at the beach, event minglers made their way to witness the fine art of Phillip Trustum followed by mingling and dancing with sounds provided by Jack Page Jed Parsons and Molly and the Chromatics
Finals Day at the 2021 Single Fin Mingle
Four days of celebrating music, fashion, surf, and art at the 2021 Single Fin Mingle has concluded with a sense of normalcy making a comeback after a over a year of COVD.
With a solid swell dwindling after Saturdays wildly conditions, The finals day seen some of the best waves of the event. Both the mens and women division concluded in 3-4ft surf with top honors from the womens division going to Misch Davis of Northland and on the gents side, shaper/surfer Jordan Griffin of Mt. Maunganui taking the first postition. Here are the results of the finals:
Women's
1st - @mischadavis (Northland)
2nd - @feelingmypuku (Raglan)
3rd - @minnierobberds (Sumner)
4th - @hannah_kohn (Gisborne)
Men's
1st - @jordangriffinsurfboards (Mt Maunganui)
2nd - @hugh_ritchie (Sumner)
3rd - @natfitt_ (Auckland)
4th - @sedacustoms (Auckland)
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