Get stoked as WakeFest drops in for its 20th anniversary celebration! This legendary Tennessee throwdown is going down July 18-19 at Pates Ford Marina in Smithville, bringing pure fire to the glassy waters of Center Hill Lake.
For two decades, WakeFest has been the ultimate proving ground for riders looking to throw down their most technical tricks while thousands of spectators line the shore to catch the action. This year’s event is amping-up with KICKER Marine Audio stepping in as the official sponsor of the Women’s Pro Division, bringing serious support to the female shredders who’ll be launching off the wake.
“WakeFest has been a popular grassroots staple for 20 years, and we’re proud to be involved and especially to sponsor the Women’s Pro Division for the first time,” said Jeremy Bale, KICKER National Brand Manager. “WakeFest is a high-energy event showcasing extreme performance — the perfect environment for KICKER Marine Audio products. We look forward to being onsite alongside our pro rider and influencer Guenther Oka to engage with the crowd and to extend exposure for the KICKER brand in the wake market.”
Luke Tantrum, owner of TNT Watersports and the mastermind behind this annual competition, is hyped about the partnership. “WakeFest is a family-fun event designed to get our customers excited about wakeboarding,” Tantrum said. “We look forward to continually growing our event and appreciate having great sponsors like KICKER aboard to help us promote the fun and excitement of the wake lifestyle. Top quality audio is certainly a big part of the towboat experience and WakeFest will be a perfect venue to showcase the high-performance KICKER product.”
The Women’s Pro Division competitors will be towed by a fresh 2025 AXIS A245 decked out with a custom M-Class Performance Wake System worth a cool $12,500, installed by Brian’s Motor Sports of Hendersonville, TN. This wake machine is fully loaded with KICKER’s sickest marine audio setup – two pairs of KMTC 11″ tower cans, KXML amplifiers, KMC5 head unit, two MWE 12″ subwoofers, two pairs of 8″ coaxial speakers and 8″ components, all wrapped in a signature KICKER Marine Audio graphics package. Talk about bringing the thunder while you’re sending it!
Last year’s WakeFest saw some insane riding, with Sam Brown taking the top spot in Pro Men, followed by Guenther Oka and Kai Ditch rounding out the podium. In the Pro Women’s division, Megan Ethel claimed gold, with Bec Gange and Charlie Russell securing silver and bronze. The 50k Shootout was claimed by Ulf Ditsch who threw down a mental run that had the crowd going wild.
Beyond the sick riding, WakeFest delivers the full wake lifestyle experience with live music pumping, food vendors serving up the good stuff, epic shoreline parties, and tons of family-friendly activities throughout the entire weekend. It’s the perfect place to catch up with your wake crew and make some new riding buddies.
Additional sponsors making this epic event possible include AXIS Wake, Pates Ford Marina, Checkers and Tootsies – all core supporters of the wake community.
Read Next: WakeFest 2024 Winners
Whether you’re coming to compete in one of the many divisions – Pro, Semi-Pro, Outlaw, Advanced, Intermediate, Beginner, Women’s, Jr., or Grom – or just to chill on the shore and witness riders pushing the sport to new heights, WakeFest 2025 is not to be missed.
For more details on how to register, spectate, or get involved with WakeFest, visit wakefesttn.com or follow @wakefesttn on social media. For the lowdown on KICKER Marine Audio’s complete line of products, check out kicker.com.
Get ready to send it at Center Hill Lake this weekend for the most epic WakeFest yet!
