There were the sounds of Davis, Sonny Clark and Grant Green echoing across the promenade and dark sand of Sumner Beach; a quiet, tucked away seaside town only thirty minutes drive from Christchurch. It was hard not to smile, to react to the energies of the event and those who passed by, kicked back or joined in the festivities. A loosely planned but perfectly executed three days of world class longboarding, music, art and culture; welcome, to the Single Fin Mingle.

It was Thursday morning, the alarm blared loudly in five minute increments as the eyes, crusty and slow to open, gazed at the clock reading 3:30am. The road to Brisbane was quiet. There awaited the team with boards in tow; Jordan Spee, Eurico Romaguera and Sean Cuisick. The first flight out of Brisbane headed direct to Christchurch.

You got this sense as you arrived into Sumner of a small but tight knit community. The air was mild, the sun shining warmly somewhat uncharacteristically for the Mingle weekend. Every year we’re told the event continues to get bigger and more familiar faces continue to roll in, this year no different as Rhythm were introduced as new sponsors for the festival. And immediately, as we drove overcrowded to The Village Inn, we were greeted by friendly faces and an overwhelming amount of stoke filling one room.