Cabarete lands inaugural SFT downwind parawing World Cup in Caribbean

Cabarete is about to become the first Caribbean stop on the Surf Foil World Tour, and the timing makes the move feel bigger than a single trophy. The inaugural SFT Downwind Parawing World Cup Cabarete is set for June 17-21, 2026, with stars confirmed, $3,000 in prize money and no livestream or international TV coverage, putting the focus squarely on riders, conditions and the live event experience.

That matters because Cabarete is not being asked to build a scene from scratch. The Dominican Republic tourism board has long sold the town as a place where surf, kitesurf, bodyboarding, windsurf, SUP, wing foil and laser sailing all fit the same shoreline, thanks to steady trade winds and reliable waves. NeilPryde’s 2025 Cabarete Wing Fest account said the town already had deep roots in windsurfing and kiteboarding, then described a 15km downwind run from Cabarete main beach to Sosúa in 15 to 20 knots with shoulder-high swell.

For riders, that combination is the point. SFT says June in Cabarete typically brings 15 to 25 knot winds, air temperatures around 28 to 32 Celsius and water temperatures of 26 to 28 Celsius, the kind of setup that rewards both control and glide on technical and open-ocean sections. The event will be staged with Cabarete Wing Fest and presented by Vela Cabarete, and the program stretches beyond the race course with a kickoff registration party, pro athlete clinics, ocean talks, supported 12km open-ocean downwinders, foil races, expression sessions, beachside dinners, daily social gatherings and a VIP celebration. Audrey Meyer is listed as the organizer on the Wing Fest ticketing page, with an optional full-day coaching add-on from Vinni Martins.

The bigger signal is structural. SFT already launched its first official parawing World Cup in Leucate, France, from April 22-26 as part of its partnership with Mondial du Vent, and the tour’s 2026 calendar now places Cabarete as the next official parawing stop. SFT also continues to frame its broader circuit across pump foil, wake foil, e-foil, surf foil and downwind foil, which suggests parawing is no longer being treated as a side experiment. In Cabarete, it is being folded into a pro-tour calendar, backed by a festival audience, and tested in one of the sport’s most credible wind-and-water laboratories.