Big Paddle Festival takes over Lake Zürich: A racing-meets-community weekend at European SUP League Stop #3 | Interview with Florian Gander

Lake Zürich has developed into a vibrant centre for watersports – a true hub framed by breathtaking alpine scenery and a rising stage for high-performance paddling. It has also emerged as a foiling and pump-foiling hotspot, where Jérôme Baudoux completed the full 22 km crossing non-stop in an extraordinary 1 hour and 44 minutes.

This year, the Big Paddle Festival returns in its biggest edition yet as official Stop #3 of the European SUP League (ESL), alongside the Swiss Paddle Cup and the SupSuisse Tour – uniting an even broader paddling community across disciplines and levels. Expanded into a two-day festival, the event transforms the Horn Areal in Richterswil into a vibrant watersports arena, cementing its place as one of Switzerland’s premier SUP gatherings for athletes, spectators and families alike.

Beyond the racing, the 2026 edition introduces a new 18.5 km challenge and a line-up of clinics with some of the world’s leading riders, including Duna Gordillo and Aaron Sánchez – blending competition, learning and progression in one setting.

Yet beyond points, podiums, and ESL standings, the philosophy behind the event remains refreshingly grounded. As organiser Florian Gander – Founder of SUPkultur Wassersport Center, Co-founder of the Swiss Stand-Up Paddle Association, and host of Stop #3 –  explains, the focus is on accessibility: “What makes it unique is that we take the pressure off participants by not making it strictly a race.”

We caught up with Florian to talk about the vision behind the festival and what makes Lake Zürich such a standout stop on the European SUP calendar.

Hi Florian, welcome back to TotalSUP! This year the event expands into a true two-day festival experience. What inspired that shift and what does it unlock for participants and spectators?

The biggest inspiration was actually very simple: we realised people did not only come for the race anymore. They came for the atmosphere, the community, the lake, the after-race conversations, the clinics, and the feeling of being part of something bigger than a competition.

Over the past editions, The Big Paddle naturally evolved from “just an event” into a meeting point for the entire paddle scene. So instead of forcing everything into one intense day, we wanted to create enough space for the experience itself.

The two-day format unlocks a lot. It allows us to hostage ESL elite racing through the European SUP League, while still staying extremely welcoming for first-time paddlers and recreational participants. It creates space for clinics, kids races, community paddles, brand interactions, food, music and simply spending time together at the lake.

For spectators, it also becomes much more enjoyable. You can actually follow races, discover the sport, meet athletes and enjoy the venue instead of feeling like everything is over in a few hours. At the core, we want The Big Paddle to feel more like a paddle celebration than a traditional race event.

Florian Gander

This year the Big Paddle Festival becomes official stop #3 of the European SUP League. What does that milestone mean for the event itself, and how important is it for the growth and international visibility of the wider Swiss paddling scene?

For us, this is a massive milestone. Switzerland has long had a very active paddle communities, but internationally it is still often underestimated because we are a small country without an ocean. Adding the official ESL stop changes that perception immediately. Suddenly Lake Zürich and specially Richterswil are part of the international conversation.

For the event itself, it raises the level across everything: organisation, athlete participation, media attention, judging standards and international reach. But most importantly, it connects local paddlers directly with the European elite scene.

You can have a young Swiss paddler sharing the same start line or beach atmosphere with some of the best athletes in the world. That experience is incredibly valuable.

I also think it sends an important message: paddle sports in Switzerland are no longer a niche side activity. The scene here is mature, passionate and capable of hosting international-level events. It also means an insane amount of work at the same time 😉

What impact could this have on younger athletes coming into the sport?

A huge impact. Young athletes need exciting events, role models and accessible entry points into competition. When international races happen locally, suddenly the dream becomes real and tangible.

Instead of watching elite athletes only on Instagram, kids can meet them, talk to them, watch their routines and realise: “These are normal humans – maybe I can do this too.” That changes everything psychologically.

The other important part is legitimacy. When parents, clubs and local communities see international events happening in Switzerland, the sport gains credibility. That usually translates into more support for youth development, more structured training and more opportunities for younger athletes.

We are also trying very consciously to remove barriers. For example, the ESL providing boards and paddles for younger age categories is a fantastic step because it makes racing more accessible and sustainable for travelling families.

Beyond returning as official stop #3 of the European SUP League, as well as being part of the Swiss Paddle Cup and SupSuisse Tour, what are the biggest new additions or changes paddlers can expect from this year’s Big Paddle Festival?

The biggest change is definitely the completely new 18.5km Track, a beautiful but challenging route across the lake, between islands, all with a standing scenery.

For the first time, everything starts and finishes directly in Richterswil at the Horn Areal. That creates a much stronger festival atmosphere because the entire event stays concentrated in one beautiful location instead of spreading logistics across multiple sites.

The new 18.5km challenge course offers a very scenic and dynamic route with views over the Alps and the islands of Lake Zürich, it crosses 3 Kantons, which honestly makes it one of the most beautiful race settings we ever had.

Another big focus this year is accessibility. We want hardcore racers, first-time participants, families and spectators all to feel equally welcome. So the program is much broader than before.

And finally, bringing world-class athletes like Aaron Sanchez & Duna Gordillo imparting clinics before the event, changes the atmosphere and adds another layer entirely. People are not only racing anymore — they are learning, connecting and experiencing the sport from many angles.

This year introduces the new 18.5km Challenge. What kind of paddler is this race designed for, and what makes the course special?

Let me first say, it isn’t a race, we call it a challenge, designed exactly for the type of paddler that represents the heart of our event: ambitious recreational paddlers and “weekend adventurers.”

You do not need to be an elite athlete to complete it, but it is still a serious and rewarding challenge that gives participants a real sense of accomplishment. What makes the course special is the combination of scenery and flow. The route loops around the islands near Richterswil with constantly changing perspectives over the lake and the Alps. It feels adventurous without becoming intimidating.

And because it is a loop course starting and ending at the same venue, the logistics become much easier and the spectator experience improves massively as well. Our philosophy has always been very simple: finishing is what counts. We want people to cross the line proud, exhausted and happy.

Lake Zurich has become a major hub for foil pumping and foiling culture. Why do you think the region has emerged as such an important hotspot? Is foiling part of this year’s The Big Paddle Festival?

Lake Zürich has almost perfect conditions for foiling culture to grow. You have a very active water sports community, a high concentration of motivated athletes, strong outdoor culture, excellent lake infrastructure and surprisingly good conditions throughout much of the year.

But I think the biggest reason is actually social. The scene here is extremely interconnected. People inspire each other constantly. One person progresses, five more get motivated. That accelerates innovation very quickly.

Foiling also fits the Swiss mentality very well. It combines endurance, technique, progression and obsession with efficiency — all things Swiss athletes tend to enjoy.

At the moment, foiling is not yet a competitive core part of The Big Paddle Festival itself because our main focus remains paddle sports and creating a coherent event structure. But foiling culture absolutely influences the atmosphere around the lake and many participants are active in both worlds.

I would like the opportunity to give a shout out to the kind people of @FoilClubZurichsee and Patrick Federi who are at the heart of the scene and Patrick introduced me to foiling and I will eternally be grateful for that. Please, let’s bring Foiling to the Big Paddle, I really would appreciate the help of the community.

Being at the helm of the Swiss SUP scene, do you see more recreational paddlers transitioning into competitive “weekend warriors” – and eventually into serious racers?

Yes, to the weekend warriors, my the force be with all of them… No to them becoming racers, and I’m not sure that is our plan. And honestly, that it doesn’t happen is one of the healthiest things happening in the sport right now in my opinion.

Many people enter SUP recreationally because it feels accessible and non-intimidating. But once they discover Racing, they naturally start becoming more performance-oriented and lose social touch with each other. Athletes are mostly lone wolfs and that is ok. Performance comes from focus, that is the natural order.

The sport needs a healthy, social and recreational paddle scene first, before it needs more athletes. Am I contradicting myself while we are planning to merge them? No, what we, the WSR (Wassersport Verein Richterswil) & WSVZ (Wassersportverein Zürich) believe in is a healthy ecosystem that attracts more youth an recreational paddlers to the sport. That doesn’t start with racing, it starts by spending time with your buddies on the water.

I had a conversation once with Laura and Oscar from Port Adriano, Palma (My Former Home) both people I admire and have lot’s of respects for the work they have done with the youth. And both made it clear, it isn’t about paddling at all at the beginning, it’s about fun, camaraderie, team spirit, laughing and joy, only if you achieve those you will be able to create passion for the sport and that, maybe, gives birth to an future athlete.

I think the “weekend warrior” culture is actually becoming the backbone of the entire sport. These are the people building communities, joining events consistently and keeping local scenes alive.

Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for the The Big Paddle Festival – both for the festival itself and for the continued growth of paddle sports in Switzerland?

Long term, I want The Big Paddle Festival to become one of the defining paddle gatherings in Europe — not necessarily the biggest, but one of the most authentic, fun and community-driven.

We do not want to copy giant commercial sports events. We want to keep the soul of paddling intact: accessibility, adventure, community and connection to nature.

At the same time, I want Switzerland to become more visible internationally as a serious paddle destination. We have incredible lakes, infrastructure, safety standards and a very passionate community. There is enormous potential here.

I also hope paddle sports continue becoming more interconnected instead of fragmented. SUP, prone paddling, outrigger, kayaking, foiling — ultimately these communities share the same water and often the same spirit.

If The Big Paddle can help create bridges between performance sport, recreational sport and community culture, then I think we are moving in the right direction.

And finally I need to thank a lot of people, first of all Philipp & Eva and the entire WSR down in Richterswil, without them this event would be possible. They are the core of the event, hands down, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. To the Associations, Swiss Canoe, Swiss Surfing who have supported the sport. To The City’s of Zürich and Richterswil for their support, to Pascal, Dani, Beat, Kevin & Team, Thank you for always having an open door policy for my crazy ideas. To Daniel Parres, Javier Cantoral, Sonia and the kind people of Parres Watersport for having me joining them on the ESL adventure.

Thank you Florian! We can’t wait to catch up in person on your amazing home turf!

Find out more and register for the event here 

Follow ESL on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Follow SUPKultur on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube 

European SUP Tour Calendar 2026:

• Switzerland – Zurich | June 19–21
• Poland – Racibórz | June 26–28
• Spain – Huelva | September 5–6
• Portugal – Sesimbra | September 11–13

*Images courtesy of the Big Paddle Festival