The biggest annual surfing event by volume in the Philippines, La Union Surfing Break, will hold its 10th edition in the last week of October, with organizers expecting at least 12,000 participants to celebrate and ride the famous waves of San Juan on October 30 to November 1.

The event will open with a festive atmosphere through a street dancing competition on October 30, followed on the same day by a surfboard design contest and surf clinics. Sandcastle building contest and a sundown fun run will form the schedule of October 31.

On November 1, organizers will prepare a trick or treat costume contest, henna tattoo design contest, and face and body painting contest.

The awaited beach parties in the evening will run throughout the period, as well as photography contests, surfing competitions, beach volleyball tournaments, and zumba sessions.

Organizers expect 3,000 to 4,000 people a day. Despite the addition of three more hotels this year, experience in the past shows that a large chunk of attendees of the surfing break cannot be accommodated in San Juan-based hotels. The Department of Tourism Region 1 urged tourists to consider nearby hotels in San Fernando.

Over the past decade, the La Union Surfing Break has significantly altered the lives of locals in San Juan. From five surf instructors before the first surfing break, the number spiked to 110 instructors as of latest count, according to organizers. Each instructor earns PHP400 per hour per client.