Since 2009, over 500,000 sports fans to date have flooded into the sun-drenched streets for one action-packed summer weekend in Italy’s Polignano a Mare. In what’s become almost an annual tradition, this laid-back town on Italy’s southern coast undergoes a transformation, shifting the pace from relaxed Mediterranean calm to full-blown buzz.

Beaches overflow, balconies fill with cheering locals and the entire town pulses with energy. The change in atmosphere can only mean one thing: the arrival of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. When the world’s top cliff divers roll into town, they’re joined by Polignano a Mare residents, sports fans and holidaymakers who’ve timed their visit just right – lucky enough to witness 24 elite athletes perform gravity-defying dives up to 27m above the Adriatic Sea.