HaBaWaBa
The Best of Waterpolo

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The Festivals

Children from different teams line up before a U9–U11 game.
2027U9–U11

HaBaWaBa International Festival U9-U11

Tournaments for girls’, boys’ or mixed U9 teams (born in 2018 and younger) and U11 teams (born in 2016 and younger)

Dates13–20 June, 2027

LocationBella Italia & EFA Village, Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy)

Entries open until 31 January 2027.

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A U13 boy shoots with the yellow ball.
2027U13

HaBaWaBa International Festival U13

A tournament for girls’ teams and a tournament for boys’ or mixed U13 teams (born in 2014 and younger)

Dates20–27 June, 2027

LocationBella Italia & EFA Village, Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy)

Entries open until 31 January 2027.

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All about HaBaWaBa

What it is, the values, the events, for families, the HaBaWaBa School

  1. What is HaBaWaBa?

    The largest international water polo festival for children, created by Waterpolo Development in 2008

  2. The values

    Discover the world at the Festival and follow the Champion Passport, the ethical code of the HaBaWaBa athlete

  3. For families

    HaBaWaBa beyond sport: aquapark and beach for parents and children

  4. HaBaWaBa School

    The Waterpolo Development project to support coaches and spread water polo around the world

Champion Passport

The ethical code of the HaBaWaBa athlete

  • Loyalty in the contest
  • Respect for the opponent
  • Respect for the rules
  • No violence, no racism
  • Winners and losers, same dignity
The passport

A small tool for living HaBaWaBa’s values, in the water and out.

See how it works

News

Stories from HaBaWaBa.

All news

Photo albums

The editions, told by the photos, one folder per year.

All albums

More than a tournament.

  • Play
  • Fun
  • Education
  • Fair play
  • Friendship

Since 2008

The festival, year by year.

  1. 2008

    The HaBaWaBa International Festival is born: the 1st edition, open to U9 and U11 teams, is held in Castel Volturno (CE): 32 teams entered.

  2. 2010

    The Festival moves to Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD): 46 teams take part.

  3. 2011

    HaBaWaBa fever breaks out: the Festival hosts 80 teams and becomes the biggest youth event in the world.

  4. 2013

    The Festival keeps growing: it passes 100 teams (108).

  5. 2015

    After the Lignano Festival, HaBaWaBa North America is held in Montreal (Canada), the first event of the HaBaWaBa International Circuit, which later reaches Greece, Spain, Brazil, Singapore, Belarus, Malaysia, China and Egypt.

  6. 2016

    Alongside the U9 and U11 tournaments, Festival PLUS is born for U13 athletes: 136 teams entered in total.

  7. 2018

    Inside Festival PLUS a girls-only tournament is created, to promote women’s water polo.

  8. 2019

    The record edition: 197 teams in total, 2,936 young players in the pool.

  9. 2020

    The Covid-19 pandemic forces Waterpolo Development to cancel the 2020 Festival.

  10. 2021

    The Festival returns with a special September edition: it starts again with 59 teams.

  11. 2024

    The Festival is confirmed as a world event: teams from 19 countries come to Lignano, and all five continents are represented.

Experience HaBaWaBa

Videos from the festival.

HaBaWaBa Community

  • Oltre 55milaParticipants since 2008: players, staff, families and guests.
  • 0Young water polo players at the Festival since 2008.
  • 0Countries the teams come from.
  • 0Teams in the record edition of 2019.

Our partners

  • Federazione Italiana Nuoto
  • European Aquatics
  • World Aquatics
  • CONI
  • COMEN
  • European Olympic Committees
  • iCK

Our sponsors

  • Turbo
  • Compact Waterpolo Goals
  • All Risks
  • Ossidabile

See you at HaBaWaBa.

An international water polo festival for children, organised by Waterpolo Development since 2008.

The biggest water polo event in the world.

The village gathered in pink shirts.

Common questions

What is the HaBaWaBa International Festival?

The biggest youth water polo event in the world: for U9, U11 and U13, held every year in Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD) and drawing teams from five continents.

When is the next Festival?

From 13 to 20 June the week for U9 and U11, from 20 to 27 June the week for U13.

Do boys and girls play together?

U9 and U11 tournaments include girls’, boys’ and mixed teams. The U13 event is split into a girls-only tournament and one for boys-only or mixed teams.

How do you enter the Festival?

Open the page of the event for your team (U9-U11 or U13) and follow the Registration Guide: it contains the information, duties, costs and deadlines. A club can enter more than one team in a single tournament.

Where do teams stay during the Festival?

Teams, made up of players, coaches and officials, all stay inside Bella Italia & EFA Village. Parents, family and supporters travelling with the team can enter the village by paying admission.

What is the Champion’s Passport?

It is a code of ethics: the values of sport to respect in order to be part of the HaBaWaBa community.

What is the aim of the HaBaWaBa project?

To spread the values of sport among children and create a deep bond with water polo through an unforgettable experience.

All questions

Register for the festival.

Register
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