Once a year, Sayulita's main beach becomes a longboard contest. For three days the lineup in front of town is given over to heats, the sand fills with people watching and, after dark, the waves are lit for a night tournament. It is a celebration of the slow, graceful side of surfing: walking the board, hanging toes over the nose and riding a wave all the way in.
The 2026 edition ran from October 16 to 18. The dates of the next one haven't been announced yet; this guide covers what the last editions looked like, so you know what to expect when they are.
What it is
The contest is organised by Sabino Producciones and held on Playa Sayulita, the town beach, over three days. Its centre is the Open longboard division, judged on style rather than speed: clean turns, time on the nose, and how well the surfer and the wave move together.
Around it sit divisions for juniors and for surfers aged 50 to 70, a short-board aerial show and a night tournament under lights. Every division is open to women and men, and every entry comes with a competitor's kit. In 2026 the organisers promised more than 200,000 pesos in cash prizes across the divisions.
- 3
- days of heats on the main beach
- 5
- divisions in 2026, all open to women and men
- 200,000+
- pesos in guaranteed prize money in 2026
Playa Sayulita
The contest's home: the heats run on the town waves, watched from the sand.
The editions so far
The organisers' own site doesn't say when the contest began, so we start with the editions we can confirm. Both earlier editions we can confirm were held in December; in 2026 the contest moved to October.
- Dec 12–14, 2024The edition in Sabino's film: long rides on the main beach, a crowd on the sand and the heats after dark.
- Dec 11–13, 2025Open (professional and amateur), Junior and women's divisions, with beginner clinics, live music, local art and food around the heats.
- Oct 16–18, 2026Five divisions and a guaranteed purse of over 200,000 pesos. A storm watch for Hurricane Trudy covered the coast that weekend, with municipal lifeguards on duty.
- 2027To be announced: dates, divisions and fees haven't been published yet.
The divisions, and what they cost to enter
These are the 2026 divisions and fees from the organisers' site. Expect the next edition to look similar, but check when it's announced.
Open, for surfers 19 and over: 1,499 pesos, with cash prizes. Junior, ages 12 to 18: 499 pesos, cash prizes. Kahuna, ages 50 to 70: 499 pesos, with prizes in kind. The aerial show, on shortboards for anyone 12 and over: 499 pesos, cash prizes. The night tournament, freestyle: 999 pesos, cash prizes.
How to watch
There's no grandstand: people watch from the sand in front of the heats, and the best spot is wherever you can see the whole wave. Bring a hat, water and something to sit on, because the heats run through the day.
In 2026 the rhythm went like this: competitors collected their kits and met on the Thursday, elimination heats ran from Friday morning, the night trials started on Friday evening, the night finals were decided on Saturday and the longboard finals and the awards came on Sunday. Organisers publish each year's schedule closer to the dates, so check before you plan your day around a final.
The night heats are the thing to stay up for: surfers riding lit waves with the town's lights behind them.
- ThursdayKit pickup and the competitors' meeting (2026: October 15).
- FridayElimination heats, then the first night trials after dark.
- SaturdayLongboard qualifiers continue; the night finals are decided.
- SundayLongboard finals and the awards.
How to enter
Registration opens on the contest's site, sayulitalongboardcontest.mx, which links each division to its sign-up page (in 2026, through the sijalo.mx ticketing platform). Pay the fee for your division and collect your kit at the competitors' meeting before the first heat.
Judges reward flow over flash in the longboard divisions, so the usual advice applies: pick good waves, use the whole board and finish your rides. If you need a log for the weekend, the town's shapers and surf shops rent them.
The next edition's dates, divisions and fees are still to be announced: watch the contest's own site.
Mainland Surfboards
Local shaper with quality rental boards and ding repair, handy before a heat.
The film and the photos
Sabino filmed the 2024 contest and published it on YouTube: a few minutes of long rides on the main beach, the crowd on the sand and the heats after dark. His photos from that edition, of juniors, Kahunas and the night heats, are the ones on this page. Both are the best way to see what the contest feels like before you go.
Other contests on the main beach
Sayulita's beach hosts more than one contest a year. The Día de Muertos international surf tournament, run by the municipality, has longboard divisions for women and men alongside shortboard, SUP, bodyboard, para surf and a dog-surfing exhibition; its 2026 edition runs from October 29 to November 1, with finals and awards on the Sunday. In early March the Sayulita SUP Open brings paddle surf heats and races to the same beach (2026: March 6 to 8).
Both are on the calendar with their dates as soon as the organisers publish them.
Playa Sayulita
Also the stage for the Día de Muertos tournament and the SUP Open.
Questions people ask
When is the next Sayulita Longboard Contest?
The organisers haven't announced the next dates yet. The 2026 edition ran October 16 to 18; the two before it were in mid-December.
How much does it cost to enter?
In 2026: 1,499 pesos for the Open, 499 for Junior, Kahuna and the aerial show, and 999 for the night tournament, each with a competitor's kit.
Is it free to watch?
There are no tickets for the beach: people watch the heats from the sand in front of town.
Can women enter?
Yes. Every division is open to women and men.
Who organises it?
Sabino Producciones, who also filmed the 2024 edition.
Written by sayulita.co from our own research, checked against 9 sources. Nothing here is paid for. Photos: Sabino, Sayulita Longboard Contest; Sabino, Sayulita Longboard Contest; Sabino, Sayulita Longboard Contest; Sabino, Sayulita Longboard Contest. See something out of date? Tell us.