Outdoor festivals team up to showcase award-winning adventure films

Two of the UK’s best loved outdoor events have teamed up to put on two special nights of entertainment in the Lake District. Not to be confused by the similarity of their names, Keswick Mountain Festival and Kendal Mountain Festival bring outdoor enthusiasts together at very different times of the year. Now the two events will deliver a specially selected programme of award-winning adventure films, to be screened in the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 May.

Keswick Mountain Festival is one of the UK’s best-loved and most popular events for fans of the outdoors. This year’s festival will run from 16-18 May, bringing thousands of visitors to Keswick for a weekend of outdoor sports and activities, open air live music, speakers, exhibitors, and food and drink. The Festival Village in Crow Park will be the main hub for the event, with a backdrop of Derwentwater and the famous Cumbrian fells.

Kendal Mountain Festival, the world-class outdoor cultural event which takes place every November, will host two cinematic evenings at Keswick Mountain Festival on the Friday and Saturday. Festival goers will enjoy a specially curated programme of award-winning adventure films that showcases daring feats of courage and tales of human resilience. Whether a seasoned explorer or simply someone who appreciates the majesty of nature, Kendal’s film programme promises to ignite everyone’s sense of adventure and leave them with a renewed appreciation of the planet.

Throughout each evening, festival-goers will be able to enjoy a 90-minute showcase featuring nine inspiring short films. The evening will be hosted by local legend Andy Airey from Three Dads Walking, who played a key role in the early days of Keswick Mountain Festival.

One film that is set to captivate the 2,000 trail runners heading to Keswick in May is King of the Fells by Seth Whitfield. This gripping documentary follows legendary fell runner Joss Naylor as he attempts to conquer the Three Peaks Challenge in record time. On 8 June 1971, with rally driver

Frank Davies at the wheel, Joss aimed to scale the highest peaks of England, Scotland, and Wales, running 23 mountainous miles while covering 462 miles by car. Their ambitious goal was to finish in under 12 hours, a feat many believed would stand the test of time if achieved.

Jamie Simpson, Subaru Keswick Mountain Festival marketing director, comments: “We’re really thrilled to be able to bring the Kendal Mountain Festival on Tour to Keswick. Our two events bookend the festival season and both attract passionate outdoor enthusiasts. This is a brilliant opportunity to showcase some of the amazing films that have featured in Kendal’s programme, and add yet another compelling reason to join us in Keswick in May.”

Steve Scott, Kendal Mountain Festival director, comments: “We are delighted to finally support and collaborate with another fantastic event in our region. The Keswick Mountain Festival weekend brings together a wonderful community of outdoor enthusiasts and we are particularly excited to be screening some of Kendal’s award-winning films as part of Keswick’s programmed activities.”

For more details about Kendal Mountain Festival on Tour at Subaru Keswick Mountain Festival and to buy tickets, visit: www.theatrebythelake.com/event/kendal-mountain-tour-2025-a-night-of-adventure-films.

For more details and tickets for the rest of Subaru Keswick Mountain Festival, visit www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk.