Orlando, Fla. – The most legitimate rail event in wakeboarding is returning this summer to The Projects outside of Orlando, Florida where the world’s top pros will be battling for the belt on May 8-10, 2008. Helping turn The Carnival into an annual event is presenting sponsor Fox Riders Co., as well as Red Bull, Sea-Doo, Hyperlite, and Alliance Multimedia.

Known as the first rail contest in the history of the sport, and the event that put The Projects on the map in 1999, riders like Thomas Horrell, Gator Lutgert and champion Scott Byerly proved that rail riding was a category within the sport that deserved attention.

After a two-year hiatus, The Carnival rose again in 2001 with some incredible rails, gaps and even unimaginable structures like a full-size quarter pipe. With increasing popularity in rail riding, the vibe was heavy and another one of the sports biggest names walked away with the belt, Mr. Parks Bonifay.

Resurrected in 2007, the excitement continued. Bonifay was just getting back on the water after a debilitating knee injury and defended his belt in an amazing fashion. Keith Lidberg was also a standout, as well as Aaron Rathy, Anthony Hollick and Shawn Watson, who battled it out in a head-to-head format for the opportunity to take the coveted Carnival Belt and title away from Bonifay. In the end, it was Lidberg who challenged Parks in the final showdown finishing with a very respectable second place finish.

For 2008, The Carnival will set the bar even higher by adding new rails and a fresh format. Eight invited riders will compete against eight qualifiers who make it through Thursday’s round, which is open to 30 riders.

For more info, go to: http://www.foxwake.com

Register at: http://www.thecarnivalcontest.com

For more info on The Projects Wake Camp go to: http://theprojectspark.com