This year’s edition of the Covelong Point Classic Surf and Music Festival was bigger, better and packed with fun.

Groggy eyes, tan lines, matted beach hair — proof you were at the Covelong Point Classic Surf and Music Festival over the weekend. You’ve piled on a few calories too, given the assortment of food stalls with banoffee pies and paneer rolls, bunny chows and lamb chops. The roaring sea, white and blue canopies, thatch set-ups, a mix of music from various genres, and a turnout that showcased the best of beach fashion — it really didn’t feel like Kovalam. And there were the surfers with their amazing sculpted bodies, who could give Daniel Craig competition as they emerged from the sea. Amidst them was Jonty Rhodes, former South African cricketer and a regular at the surfing festival here. So regular that he’s on first-name terms with the villagers. “Its brilliant — the way this festival is organised. I was expecting artistes playing the sitar, but there’s rock, folk… I love the diversity India offers,” he said.

The last weekend was a busy one, with fashion and music events in the city, and despite that the third edition of the surf festival organised by Yotam Agam of EarthSync, Arun Vasu of TT Group and surfer Murthy Megavan saw quite a turnout. The three-day event received around 13,500 footfalls, with Sunday ushering in the most crowd.

“The kids are getting better at surfing,” said Jonty, as he watched them go up and down the waves. “My message to them is ‘surf for the experience, don’t do it for money’.” At the national categories, 10 of the surfers from Covelong made it to the first three finishes. At the Asian level, however, it was a tougher competition. But there’s always next year.

With all the organising and logistics, it’s been 10 sleepless nights for the organisers. Murthy kept darting around, ensuring things functioned smoothly and in-between surfed and won the second place in the national Masters category. And Arun Vasu, despite looking exhausted, sneaked in time to play the drums at the IndiEarth stage, which was open to talented musicians from across the country. Of the hundreds of entries, 16 were shortlisted to perform. Oxygen, the fusion band from Chennai, managed to top the popularity charts. The koothu performers were just as entertaining, as they got the villagers from Covelong on their toes, and the surfers from other countries joined in too. The main stage saw alternative rock performances by a spirited Skrat, a mix of Hindi and Punjabi music by Sharma and the Besharams, and as the singer egged the audience on, many of them tried to do the bhangra. Oikyotaan sang a blend of Baul and Rajasthani folk songs. Meanwhile at the yogashala, asanas and spiritual music made for a relaxing atmosphere. Not so relaxing for those who struggled to get their yoga postures right. Later, such sorrows were drowned in a glass of Chennai Cooler and a stick of gooey chocobar.

An energetic catamaran race, kayak race, where the winner looked sheepish after being toppled by the high waves, wall painting, sand sculpting, fishing, tarot and a bit of retail therapy… there was plenty to do. Or you could just sit by the sea and soak in the cool breeze. Our favourite was the water gun fight on Sunday, which seemed like an excellent way to combat the heat. Around 200 people armed with coloured water guns chased each other, shooting jets of water. Fun, it was!

As the festival wound up, Yotam said, “It was easy to manage the crowd because it was an alcohol-free event. The festival brought in people from diverse backgrounds, and I liked the bonhomie by the bay.” It’s where hot shorts and palazzos peacefully coexisted with saris and anarkalis, and gladiators and chappals matched steps with sneakers as the bands performed.

Thoughtful little gestures, like dustbins at every few yards, complimentary shuttle services in the form of Royal Enfield bikes and autos with banners that read: ‘Your ride to the fest’ to and from the venue to the car park, added to the experience. And as the sun set, the fairy lights came on, the stars shone bright, and it was all very well, as the sea was alive with the sound of music.