Summer is here and that can only mean one thing… it’s festival time!
If you fancy dipping your toe into a brave new world of adventure over the coming weeks and months, take a look at our pick of the best 10 festivals on offer in the UK and beyond…
All set for the Stay Wild Expo
1. STAY WILD EXPO
When: August 26 – 28, 2016
Where: Portland, Oregon
Cost: Free – just fill out a form to register your interest in workshops
Organiser: Stay Wild
Perfect for: Anyone who is passionate about getting out to the wilds.
What to expect: A cool outdoor gear show, food and drink, brands, field trips and workshops including everything from wild swimming and cliff jumping (now sold out) to crafting scents, yoga in the woods, adventure writing, making a chair, weaving a basket from ivy, shaping a surfboard, outdoor photography for women, surfing, a motorcycle trip to the coast and back, more maker things, bird watching, travel by bike to fly fish and more! More info and tickets.
Basecamp Festival
2. BASECAMP FESTIVAL
When: September 2 – 4, 2016
Where: Sabine Hay, Peak District
Cost: Last minute tickets now £139.95
Organiser: Explorers Connect
Perfect for: Those looking to have new adventures with like-minded people
What to expect: A welcoming, relaxed and non-pretentious vibe. By day, exciting off-site activities like mountain biking, kayaking and climbing, and on-site activities like climbing, slack-lining and cool workshops. By night, the chance to meet explorers, hear adventure stories, enjoy great food, dance to live music and indulge in fire pit chitter chatter. More info and tickets.
Two hundred 21st Century Careerists at Escape to the Woods, 2015
3. ESCAPE TO THE WOODS
When: September 1 – 4, 2016
Where: Clayton Organic Farm, East Sussex
Cost: £110 (camping) or £190 (glamping)
Organiser: Escape the City
Perfect for: go-getters, connectors and entrepreneurs who want to escape the day-to-day routine, reconnect with nature and accelerate and celebrate their 21st Century career.
What to expect: A chilled-out vibe by day with inspiring talks, creative workshops, games, and workouts in the woodland. When night falls, enjoy casual chats around the fire pit, open mics, soulful music and dancing under the stars. Food is a highlight here and you can sup everything from real ales to cocktails to quality coffee and take your pick from the pop-up organic food stalls. More info and tickets.
Having a wild time at South West Outdoor Festival
4. SOUTH WEST OUTDOORS FESTIVAL
When: September 23 – 25, 2016
Where: Heddon Valley, Exmoor National Park
Cost: Free though some activities have an entry/booking fee
Organised by: The National Trust
Perfect for: Everyone who’s looking for a fun, action-packed weekend, from young children to adventurous adults. You can even bring the dog.
What to expect: A new outdoor festival which offers something for all ages and levels of skill, experience and fitness. Go hiking, biking, trail running, open water swimming, camping, or stargaze and forage for wild food. Build your own adventure weekend or chill out in the wilderness of the West Country. More info and tickets.
Image credit: Alpkit
5. ALPKIT BIG SHAKEOUT
When: September 23 – 25, 2016
Where: Bakewell, Derbyshire
Cost: £60 (Indivdual ticket) £150 (Family ticket) + optional extra
Organised by: Alpkit.com
Perfect for: The whole family.
What to expect: Active and energetic days with a host of onsite activities, including mountain biking, paddle making, fell running, biathlon and slack lining. There’s also great live music, interesting lectures, adventure films, home-baked cakes and a nice big area with hay bale seats. The evening entertainment which includes talks in cosy yurts and the storytelling workshop with a man named ‘Creepy Toad’. More info and tickets.
Main stage, Women’s Adventure Expo, 2015
6. WOMEN’S ADVENTURE EXPO
When: October 8, 2016
Where: The @Bristol Science Centre, Bristol
Cost: £35
Organiser: Sisters Rebecca Hughes and Tania John
Perfect for: Women (and men!) who are looking for a hefty dose of motivation, resources and information to take on the world, or even the local park!
What to expect: A laid-back, informative and inspiring day packed with spine-tingling tales from leading female explorers like Anna McNuff, Mollie Hughes, Lois Pryce and Sarah Outen, and thought-provoking workshops on adventure writing, planning for independent adventure travel, adventure psychology for women. Chill out in the evening with a craft beer or two on Bristol’s harbour. More Info and tickets.
Wilderness expert Andres Roberts enjoying the great outdoors
7. THE BIG RETREAT
When: October 10 – 16, 2016
Where: The Amiata, Southern Tuscany, Italy
Cost: £745 (flights not included)
Organiser: Andres Roberts
Perfect for: anyone who wants to connect to the land and the natural rhythm of life and explore the questions, challenges and intentions around who they are and what they are here to do.
Expect: An unforgettable experience with three nights spent alone in the wild. You will camp around a beautiful mountain cottage which will be used to prepare organic food and shower after wild excursions, long walks, great conversations and thought-provoking exercises. Activities include workshops, dialogues, T’ai Chi or Chi Gong practices, awareness practices, wisdom teachings. The wilderness ‘solo’ is inspired by ancient and indigenous practice and guided in a gentle and supportive way. You will choose where to spend 72 hours alone in the wild in a marked circle inviting whatever lessons and insights nature helps to bring. More info and tickets.
8. YESTIVAL: The Say Yes More Festival
When: October 21 – 23, 2016
Where: A field near London – secret venue announced later this month
Cost: £155 – £165 depending on how early you book
Organiser: Dave Cornthwaite and the Say Yes More team
Perfect for: Anyone who is looking to change direction in life, to plan for the future, to feel differently about their life right now. Families are welcome.
What to expect: A joyful, uplifting, energy-boosting weekend of positive vibes, inspiring talks, deep discussions, enlightening moments, relaxed workshops, country walks, group hugs, late night dancing and early morning workouts. And you’ll make lots of new friends. More info and tickets.
9. AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE FESTIVAL
When: October 21 – 23, 2016
Where: East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Cost: Free but you have to register online.
Organiser: East Gippsland Marketing Inc.
Perfect for: Anyone who wants to immerse themselves in nature.
Expect: A full weekend of adventure events including mountain biking, trail running, and paddling. The aim of the festival is simply to bring together adventurers, and their friends and families, to celebrate the world of adventure in one ultimate festival. And, to do so in a naturally magic, untouched, adventure playground. More information and tickets.
he Australian Adventure Festival will include for locals, Victorians and internationals who love the outdoors. Covering Lakes Entrance, the Gippsland Lakes, the Colquhoun State Forest and plenty of other East Gippsland gems, the festival will be a showcase of what the region has to offer.
The festival program is made up of events for all abilities, and for those wishing to watch on in year one, the Patties Foods Festival Hub will be the place to be on Sunday, October 25. Events, entertainment, activities for the kids and sponsor activations will mean that there is no shortage of things to see and do. The Patties Foods Festival Hub will also be the prime location to watch the finish of the One-Day Adventure Challenge.
BANFF Festival: Image courtesy of Ines Papert
10. BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM AND BOOK FESTIVAL
When: October 29 – November 06, 2016
Where: Banff, Alberta
Cost: Ticket prices vary
Organiser: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Perfect for: Book lovers, writers who love adventure
What to expect: A showcase of the year’s best adventure documentaries and writing, talks by big names of the outdoor world and the chance to participate in a variety of workshops and classes, plus explore ground-breaking exhibitions galore set within the country’s first national park and surrounded by the towering Rockies. If you can’t get to Banff check out the yearly tour, which travels around 240 locations across 36 countries. More info and tickets.
Where will you be heading for your big adventure this summer?
