Through the darkness there is light and LOVE. Quite a dramatic statement when in reference to a surf festival, but it feels fitting to describe the 12th edition of The Single Fin Mingle, which ran from 26–29th of April, 2026 in the seaside village of Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Mingle has always had a slightly tongue-in-cheek theme that it plays on to give each edition its own identity - 2025 was BINGO, 2026 was LOVESICK. No one quite knew what it meant, but the oversized love heart trophies held by eventual winners Harrison Roach, Zoé Grospiron and Daryn McBride gave a pretty clear hint at the mood.

The LOVESICK theme became a testament to the feeling throughout Mingle Twelve. Despite the horrendous conditions on day one, the light and love of The Mingle prevailed. Come day two, the Saturday sun shone bright and an estimated 5,000 people flowed through the esplanade event site - soaking in saunas and hot tubs, indulging in the food festival, coffee caravans and beach bars, listening to live jazz, and settling into vintage lounges to watch 112 of the world’s longboarders do battle in still sick seas.

By Sunday, and after a sell-out Saturday night street party headlined by Byron’s Babe Rainbow, a cool southerly had groomed some superb, head-high rolling sets for finals day.

In the men’s, Harrison Roach took a convincing win. Surfing in his first event since claiming the world title in 2022, he showed he’s still at the peak of his powers - a perfect 10 in the final the proof. In the women’s, just 0.4 of a point separated French world tour veteran Zoé Grospiron from young Ventura talent Maria Ilagen. Grospiron, a late entry after hitching a ride down from the North Island with two-time men’s champion Jordan Griffin, surfed with a rhythm that looked more Côte des Basques than Sumner - effortlessly linking sections on the rolling beach break.

For the first time, The Mingle introduced a 16-surfer mixed masters division. A winner-takes-all $1,000 prize - one of the largest purses for an over-50s longboard event made it clear this was no filler in an already stacked schedule. It was fitting that one of New Zealand’s foremost loggers, Daryn McBride, claimed the inaugural title in an internationally contested final worthy of the division title.

Surf, music and art alone aren’t enough to define The Mingle - ask anyone who’s attended, surfer or not. They’re essential ingredients, meticulously brought together to create something special. But what truly sets it apart is harder to pin down - a deeper undercurrent that runs through it all. The surf, the art, the music, the food, the fancy dress they’re all just vehicles. What they carry, and what people leave with, is something far simpler: a genuine sense of connection - the kind that quietly pulls people back year after year. Maybe it’s time to come and see it for yourself in 2027.