GoldCoast Oceanfest announces 2023 headliners

This year sees the much-loved GoldCoast Oceanfest music and surf festival celebrate its 25th birthday. Taking place in the stunning surroundings of Croyde Bay, across the weekend of 16-18 June, the festival has always attracted big names and this year is no exception with headliners Joel Corry, Tom Grennan and Dreadzone just confirmed.

The brainchild of Shaun and Warren Latham, the very first GoldCoast Oceanfest was born in the bay in 1999, with a focus on good times, great music, ocean sports and looking after the beautiful beach environment which forms the iconic backdrop to the event.

Since then Oceanfest has partied hard with some of the biggest names in music and dance. From Razorlight to Roots Manuva, the roll call of greats who have graced the main stage in Croyde include the likes of MistaJam, Sigala, Kaiser Chiefs, Craig David, Jess Glynne, Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka and Bastille, to name but a few!

The festival has also shone a spotlight on brilliant local artists like Amy Newton (now of Reef) and Small Town Jones as well as witnessing the birth of young future superstars (anyone heard of Ed Sheeran?).

Set against the pumping reef break of Croyde Bay, and with the Atlantic Ocean as its playground, the festival has hosted some of Europe’s biggest and baddest ocean sports events. Surfing has always been Shaun and Warren’s first love and over the years Oceanfest has been home to some of the best surf competitions on the circuit, including the O'Neill Pro, Quiksilver Grom series and RipCurl GromSearch.

Oceanfest has had the pleasure of hosting many firsts including fantastic young surfers from South Africa who are part of the Surfers Not Street Children charity, a world-renowned organisation that empowers children at risk through surfing, whose CEO is none other than North Devon local, Tom Hewitt MBE.

Always breaking new ground, 2022 saw the UK's first-ever all women’s surf competition, The Wahine Summer Slide, hosted at Oceanfest, with high-profile women surfers hosting competitions for women and girls. 2023 is building upon that stoke with the Wave Wahines format being extended right here in Croyde Bay within the North Devon World Surfing Reserve.

And it’s not just surfing, the festival has had everything from super iron men to epic surf ski races too. From crazy MTB to King and Queens of the volleyball court, years gone by have brought Olympic and World Champions right here to Croyde Bay, for lung-busting, nerve-shredding races that stretched from Westward Ho! to Woolacombe and back.

Warren Latham, Oceanfest Director comments: "The idea for Oceanfest was born in the bay 25 years ago, here on North Devon’s beautiful golden coast. We knew just how lucky we were to live in this spectacular adventure playground, right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

"We wondered if Croyde Bay could be the perfect stage for some of the best beach and ocean sports anywhere in the UK. With music and friends and good times into the night for one weekend each year. There have been highs and lows and tough years when we couldn’t come together. But through it all, we’ve been supported by you, our Oceanfest family.

"Ultimately, over the last 25 years, Oceanfest has been about creating somewhere everyone can come together for a good time. The young and those-who-used-to-be; the partying teens and the raving dads; the thrill-seekers and the sun-worshippers. Our festival was born in the bay and everyone’s welcome to come and join the party this summer."

Oceanfest is pretty unique for many reasons but in a world of cookie-cutter, corporate-heavy festivals with the same few owners, it’s still independent and proud of it. The festival is part of the local community and has always believed that greatness starts at the grassroots. Each year Oceanfest's award-winning educational day welcomes thousands of local school children to discover new sports and experiences, some for the very first time.

One of the major aims of Oceanfest is nurturing the ocean sports industry, creating awareness for ocean-centric causes and bringing in like-minded businesses and charities who share Shaun and Warren’s love of the big blue. Over 10 charities and associates such as Greenpeace, SAS, National Trust, RNLI, The Wave Project, Wave Wahines, Plastic Free North Devon, Surfing England, Protect Our Playgrounds are all involved, all of whom match up with Oceanfest’s ethos.