ORGANISERS of Keswick Mountain Festival are celebrating after this year’s event proved to be the biggest yet. 

The 10th anniversary festival attracted a record number of visitors, providing a vital boost to the Cumbrian economy at the start of the summer season. 

More than 20,000 people flocked to Keswick to see big name speakers like Julia Bradbury and James Cracknell, live music by Bjorn Again, Toploader and Scouting for Girls, participate in outdoor activities and sporting events, and enjoy the taster activities in the Festival Village on Crow Park, by the shore of Derwentwater.

Sponsored by Hi-Tec, Keswick Mountain Festival ran from May 19 to 22, and attracted around 3,000 more people than in 2015. On Saturday night alone, 7,000 people watched Scouting for Girls and Toploader perform on the Lexus Stage, while 2,800 competitors took part in nine different sporting events, 1,800 visitors attended talks in the Theatre by the Lake and 1,000 people stayed on the festival’s own pop-up campsite.


Julia Bradbury in Keswick Nicola Meadley, Keswick Mountain Festival director, comments: “The10 th Keswick Mountain Festival was our biggest and best yet. We welcomed UK visitors from as far afield as Dover and Dumfries, as well as many who travelled from overseas. 2016 definitely established the festival as an international celebration of mountain sports and is now a very important event on both the outdoor industry and Cumbrian calendars. 
Bjorn Again performed live

“We are very grateful for the support that we received from people and businesses in Keswick and Cumbria. Contributions from a huge number of individuals and organisations have been fantastic and were an essential part of the festival’s success. And not forgetting all of our sponsors, partners and exhibitors, and those who attended the event and enjoyed everything that it had to offer. We have had wonderful feedback from our visitors and we can't wait to return in 2017.”

The dates for next year's festival have already been confirmed: Keswick mountain Festival will return from May 18 to 21, 2017. For more information about the event, visit www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk