The fast and furious action of competition beach volleyball will take centre stage at Geelong’s Eastern Beach during the Festival of Sails on January 26 to 28.

Showcasing some of Victoria’s sharpest beach volleyball talent, the competition is making a return to the Festival after an almost 10-year hiatus.

Organiser Greg Jury says he expects a strong turnout over the three days of the competition.

“Beach volleyball is incredibly popular around Geelong with more than 300 local teams regularly competing against each other and this activation on Eastern Beach will be a real showcase of their talents,” he says.

“Last month, we had the very successful Great Ocean Road Beach Volleyfest at Torquay which attracted world-class international competitors and we’re hugely excited that Geelong has been chosen to host the aquatic events – including beach volleyball - for the next Commonwealth Games in March 2026. So, it’s a very exciting time for our sport!”

Kicking off the beach competition on Thursday, January 26 will be a ‘dress-up’ four- a- side round.

“It will be a bit of a fun, with prizes for best dressed and a great opportunity to get some mates together for a hit,” says Greg. 

“Then on the Friday, we’ll move into a more serious competition mode with the Under-18 State teams fighting it out for the top honours and then on Saturday, the battle will be on between some of our elite players for the title of King and Queen of the beach. It should make for spectacular viewing.”

Festival of Sails Chairman Paul Buchholz says he’s delighted to welcome beach volleyball back to the event.

“It’s always a crowd favourite and given the important role Geelong will play in the Commonwealth Games with a whole range of sports including beach volleyball, this will be a great opportunity to showcase what a fabulous backdrop our waterfront is.”

People interested in nominating a team for the competition should contact greg@geelongvicbeach.com.au