100-DAY COUNTDOWN BEGINS
ENGLISH RIVIERA SET TO HOST ICF SUP WORLD CUP AND PADDLE UK SUPER FESTIVAL
The English Riviera is 100 days away from hosting one of the country’s biggest water sports events.
The ICF SUP World Cup 2026 and Paddle UK SUPER Festival will take place from June 24–28. Paddle UK, with Torbay Council, is preparing for a week of international SUP racing, festival activities, and community celebrations.
About 200 elite SUP athletes will compete in sprint, technical, and distance races at Torre Abbey Sands. Experienced paddlers can enter World Cup races, with €9,000 in prizes in the open category.
“With only 100 days to go, it’s fantastic to be working with Torbay Council as excitement builds towards this summer’s event,” said Ashley Metcalfe, CEO for Paddle UK.
“We are working hard to deliver an exceptional SUP World Cup and Paddle UK SUPER Festival that will inspire more people to get on the water, grow the sport of stand up paddling, and showcase the English Riviera as one of the UK’s top SUP destinations.”
The Paddle UK SUPER Festival features family-friendly activities, entertainment, and open participation. Torquay waterfront and Paignton pier will host races, live entertainment, food, and community festival events across beaches, harbours, and promenades. Beaches, harbours and promenade areas will host everything from festival races and SUP Polo to food, entertainment and trade stands.
A highlight will be an attempt to break the World Record for most SUP paddlers on the water, expecting about 1,000 participants, viewable from surrounding Bay locations. The event welcomes all, with Have-a-Go sessions and relaxed races for beginners, making it an ideal weekend for families and those wanting to try paddleboarding.
The World Series SUPolo features on June 27th (https://windsurfer.co.uk/SUP_SUPolo-Masters-Tournament.htm). A fast, exciting, and a little bit wild, watch or jump in to play this action-packed water sport.
Race Director Brendon Prince said: “The festival will cover everything from introductory beach sessions to advanced adventure paddling, offering a range of experiences for participants of all levels.
“The event demonstrates that Torbay is a premier SUP World Cup location, inviting visitors to experience and explore the diverse journeys paddleboarding offers.
“The leverage an event gives you to create legacy is fantastic.”
Torbay Council’s Cllr Jackie Thomas, Cabinet Member for Events, Tourism, Culture and Corporate Services, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting the 2026 ICF SUP World Cup and SUPER Festival here in Torbay. Our stunning coastline is the perfect stage for this global event, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for residents and visitors to come together and celebrate everything that makes the English Riviera so special.”
Further Information:
To learn more or register for the event, please visit www.superfestival.paddleuk.org.uk.
https://paddleuk.org.uk/sup-world-cup-and-paddle-uk-super-festival-100-days-to-go/
SUP Mag UK 
Why not a single word about the SUP Polo tournament taking place as part of this event? Last year hundreds of people were entertained throughout the day by the polo matches taking place in the inner harbour, and there was an opportunity for people to have a try themselves. This was a prominent part of the event but it’s not mentioned anywhere. It’s not too late to tell people about the SUP Polo taking place. The local radio station were talking about it live after they discovered it was taking place and questioned why they didn’t know about it beforehand. It’s a great spectator sport and the quality of play is world class with the best teams in Britain playing against each other throughout the day.
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Apologies. We reproduced what was sent to us. We have added details on the SUPolo event.
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SUP Polo is also a big part of this event and a massively fun and entertaining spectator sport which will be running alongside this festival in the inner harbour. 100’s of people watched it last year? Why no mention in this article?
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Apologies. We reproduced what was sent to us. We have added details on the SUPolo event.
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