Crowd-surfing soundwaves

After a week of hot surfing action, the Ballito Pro was rounded off with three big nights of music entertainment on Salt Rock Beach.

A surging crowd of 10 000 people flocked to the beach on Thursday for the opening night and packed the beach like sardines – jamming to the hip-hop, kwaito and house sounds of KO, Riky Rick, Milkshake, Benny, Maverick and DJ Tira.

Among the mass of people dancing on each other’s shoulders and booty-shaking like it was 1999 all over again, were delighted fans many quite literally brought to tears at the sight of their favourite artists on stage.

Friday was by far the biggest event, with a crowd attendance exceeding 15 000 for the much anticipated performances of Gangs of Ballet, Majozi, Desmond and the Tutus, Matthew Mole, Pascal & Pearce, the Kickstands and the Kiffness.

The atmosphere was buzzing with more electricity than Eskom could hope to supply, as young and old gathered for the stellar live entertainment.

Singing along and swaying with excitement, the crowd’s response to some of South Africa’s best loved and most widely followed bands, matched the on-stage energy from the performers with every beat of the drum, and alongside the vocalists, echoed back the lyrics of their favourite songs.

The festival came to a successful end with Saturday night’s line-up of 5fm DJs and Roger Goode. The night attracted a slightly younger crowd compared to the previous two nights, and although not as many people turned out, the energy was just as charged, as party-goers fist-pumped beneath a beaming full-moon.

With the Ballito Pro now finally at an end, the impressive turnout of spectators who came to see some of the world’s best surfers and the nation’s top musicians, live in action marks the week as a resounding success as momentum for this popular event continues to build.