At dawn on June 13, 2026, Hossegor’s Centrale Beach came alive with the very first Red Bull King of the Mousse. With 60 competitors riding randomly drawn softboards, the Landes spot delivered a pure show at the crossroads of fun contests and high-end freesurfing.
Red Bull King of the Mousse: a foam contest that’s worth its weight in gold in Hossegor
Organized as part of the Beach Festival, the sporting event immediately found its audience. The waves 1.20 m waves rolled in glassy under a light offshore wind, providing an ideal playground for creative maneuvers. The concept, modeled on the one imagined by Jamie O’Brien in Hawaii, requires foam for everyone: everyone ends up on a foamie, whether they are pro, amateur, or student.
Perfect conditions: 1.20 m swell and offshore wind
Competition director Vincent Duvignac summed it up with a swipe of wax: “Super-clean rights and lefts, perfect for laying down smooth turns and foam floaters.” Thanks to the tide/wind timing set from 9 a.m., each heat took place on ultra-consistent walls, ideal for scoring on the main criterion: pure creativity.
Between heats, the beach turned into a sandy skatepark with DJs, food trucks, and foam surf lessons for kids. Curious spectators could browse the calendar of Hossegor’s traditional competitions and compare the more “roots” atmosphere with that of the QS or Challenger Series circuits.
Offbeat format, foam-only rules: why it’s such a hit in Landes
Its success is written all over the smiles: you don’t need a high-tech quiver to nail a carve. Foam puts everyone on equal footing and frees up the wildest moves. The result: a captivated crowd, non-stop action, and total fairness.
- Board lottery : the “wheel of shred” dishes out everything from a finless 5’0 mini to an inertia-packed 9′ long softboard.
- Style-focused judging : flow, adaptation, and originality take precedence over sheer radicality.
- Beach party atmosphere : live concerts, seaweed tacos, foam board-shaping workshops.
- Local visibility : Landes clubs and students share the lineup with Europe’s top surfers.
A format already tested at other events, such as the William Aliotti Invitational, proves that recreational, unfiltered surfing draws just as much, if not more, interest than a classic World Surf League contest.
The wheel of shred: a mouthwatering foam board lottery
Each turn at the wheel feels like a game show: suspense, applause, then a random verdict. A standout example: local junior Marie Delanne drew a 5’4 twinless, scored a clean barrel in 60 cm of whitewater, and took home the best women’s wave award. Proof that talent matters more than gear.
Results and standout stories from the first edition
After the finals, the makeshift VIP area under the pines celebrated the winners over a ginger kombucha beer. Here’s the recap:
| Place | Surfing | Club/Origin | Board drawn | Standout move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas « Lulu » Bastos | Capbreton Surf Club | 7’0 soft single fin | Landed reverse aerial shuvit |
| 2 | Marie Delanne | Hossegor Surf School | 5’4 flat deck no fin | Backside barrel on 1.20 m waves |
| 3 | Jules Martínez | University of Bordeaux | 9’0 soft log | Hang ten + body varial |
Beyond the podium, several riders have already said they want to do it again next year, convinced that foam is the future of surf spectacle. Technical brands are watching the trend: the high-performance softboard market is booming.
Who could enter the Red Bull King of the Mousse?
The competition was open to amateur surfers, club members, students, and local personalities, regardless of skill level, provided they were adults and surfed the foam boards supplied by the organizers.
Why require foam boards only?
The concept aims for fairness: all competitors start with equipment that performs similarly, forcing them to stand out through style and creativity rather than resin board technology.
How do the judges score the heats?
The main criteria are adapting to the board drawn at random, creative maneuvers, variety of repertoire, and connection with the wave. Raw radicalism counts less than flow and inventiveness.
Will the event return?
Given its public and media success, the organizers and Hossegor town hall suggest that a second edition is already in the works for next summer.