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Surfing Santas facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Date December 24, 2009 (2009-12-24) – present
Time 8 a.m. – noon
Venue Minutemen Causeway
Location Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
Theme Christmas
Organized by Trosset family
Florida Surf Museum

Surfing Santas is a super fun yearly festival in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It happens every Christmas Eve. People dress up as Santa Claus and ride the ocean waves. Thousands of people come to watch from the beach. The event also has a costume contest and live music.

About the Surfing Santas Event

Surfing Santas is a free beach party. It takes place from 8 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve. The location is the Minutemen Causeway area in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The Santas start surfing around 10 a.m.

Hundreds of surfers join in the fun. Most dress as Santa Claus. Some also wear elf, reindeer, or even Grinch costumes. Thousands of people come to watch this amazing sight every year.

What Happens at the Party?

Local food stalls are set up on the beach. You can grab a snack or a drink. A live band plays music, making the atmosphere lively. There's also a costume competition where people show off their creative outfits. You might even see Hawaiian dancers performing.

Two special people, Clifford "Peanut" and Terrie Keuhner, are known as "Mr. and Mrs. Surfing Santa." They are regulars at the festival.

Helping Others Through Surfing

The festival collects money for charity. The donations go to the Florida Surf Museum and Grind For Life. These events have raised over $90,000 for local charities.

Cocoa Beach is part of Florida's Space Coast. Because of this, you can buy cool shirts at the event. These shirts often show Santa in space!

History of Surfing Santas

Cocoa Beach is famous for its surfing. Many people think it's a top spot for the sport. The Surfing Santas event started in 2009. It was created by George Trosset and his family. Since 2014, the Florida Surf Museum has helped organize it.

How the Idea Started

George Trosset grew up nearby in Rockledge, Florida. He was familiar with surfing Santa pictures from when he was a kid. In 1979, he moved to Cocoa Beach. He took over his grandfather's boat shop. He sold the business in 1998.

George was inspired by a TV commercial. It showed surfers on Christmas. They wore Santa hats and white beards while surfing. George decided to make this idea a real Christmas tradition.

From Family Fun to Big Festival

In 2009, George's wife made him a Santa costume. He went surfing on Christmas Eve with his children. A photographer from Florida Today newspaper, Rik Jesse, was there. He took pictures of George. These photos were printed in the Christmas Day paper.

George kept his tradition going. He invited friends to join him. More and more people who loved the idea started coming. At first, all the surfing Santas met near George's beach house. But by 2013, there were too many people! The Cocoa Beach city council then agreed to move the event downtown.

Growing Popularity and Impact

In 2018, about 10,000 people came to Surfing Santas. About 75% of them stayed for more than one day. This helped bring more tourism to the area during Christmas. Some people even say Surfing Santas is now Cocoa Beach's biggest claim to fame. It has become even more famous than local surfing legend Kelly Slater.

Even during the 2020 and 2021 global health challenges, the event continued. In 2020, it was held online. However, many people still went to the beach to surf as Santa. The full festival returned in 2021.

See also

  • Space Coast Office of Tourism
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