Huck’s guide to Kendal Mountain Festival 2025
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Kendal Mountain Festival (courtesy of)
Share the Adventure — From film premieres to late-night parties, here are our circled events over the jam-packed weekend.
Once a year, thousands of down-jacket donning, GORE-TEX® protected outdoor lovers descend upon the Lake District for the Kendal Mountain Festival. It’s an action-filled week, with film premieres, keynote speakers, industry panel talks, literature, outdoor art & photography, parties and even group trail runs and cold-water dips.
This year’s edition kicks off this Thursday, November 20, and runs until Sunday 23. As ever, there’s far too much going on to be able to catch everything – there’s over 150 films, 300 speakers and 60+ activities – so we’ve put together a small guide of things we’re most excited for, so you can plan your weekend accordingly.
But beyond the jam packed line-up of events, Kendal is also about the people, so remember to spend plenty of time at Basecamp Village – you might just meet your next adventure buddy there.
Films
All the Mountains Give
When: Thursday, November 20 @ 8pm; Friday, November 21 @ 9pm; Sunday, November 23 @ 9:45am.
Where: Brewery Arts
Before the age of nation states and the advent of hard borders, nomadic Kurdish communities in Kurdistan lived within the Zagros mountains, largely insulated from the outside world. But drawn lines have split them across modern day Iran, Iraq and Turkey, with vastly different conditions. With widespread poverty afflicting Kurdish cities in Iran, a dangerous form of smuggling known as Kolbari has developed, where household goods are carried across the border as a means to make a living for many. Hundreds of thousands of people are involved in the trade, but face the threat of land mines, dangerous mountain conditions and being shot by border and security agents. Filmmaker Arash Rakhsha’s hugely impressive film focuses on two Kolbars, Hamid and Yaser, in a feature that’s as heartbreaking as illuminating.
When: Friday, November 21, 4:15pm; Saturday, November 22, 9:30am
Where: Brewery Arts
One of the Lake District’s most famous (and haphazard) traditional sports is fell running. It’s sport at its rawest, and most noble – runners are usually given a couple of checkpoints to run between, often with little direction or clear path, with steep hill climbs and ankle fracturing terrain to navigate. Fitting, then, for the première of Winner Gets Cake, a 20-minute documentary presented by Rab diving into the sport, to take place at Kendal. Directed by Hendrik Faller and produced by Huck’s parent agency TCO, it’s well worth a watch to gain a sense of the history and gruel hidden among the scenery of the surrounding area.
Retro: the art of walking backwards
When: Friday, November 21, 4:15; Saturday, November 22, 9:30am; Sunday, November 23, 11:45am
Where: Brewery Arts (Friday & Saturday), The Venue at the Barrel House (Sunday)
Ever been ascending a peak, before deciding to turn around and walk facing the foot of the trail? Well, turns out there’s actually a name for it: retro-walking. There’s benefits to the activity, from strengthening glutes to improved hamstring flexibility, but it’s also time old – an investigation found a history of retro walking that goes back over two centuries. A new short film from Kendal Mountain Festival co-founder Brian Hall explores that surprisingly rich history, from his friend who broke a world record walking 80 miles backwards from Leeds to Kendal in 1976, to the recent climb and descent of Mt Kilimanjaro by Ben Stewart.
- Read next: The blind climber scaling new heights
Steps with Deo Kato – presented by adidas Terrex
When: Friday, November 21, 5:30pm; Sunday November 23, 1pm
Where: Brewery Arts (Friday); The Hub (Sunday)
On July 24, 2023, Ugandan-British running coach and athlete Deo Kato began running from Cape Town, at the southern tip of Africa. He would continue running for the next 18 months, over more than 8,000 miles, 22 borders, and all manner of terrain. His goal was to retrace the history of human migration, while searching for purpose and identity in a world where racism dominates the experience for the global majority. A new film presented by adidas TERREX, directed by our own Phil Young and produced by TCO, traces his wild journey, which included illness, bureaucracy and even a stint in prison, with the screenings being followed by Q&As with Kato himself.
Activities
adidas TERREX Kendal Mountain Trail Run
When: Saturday, November 22, 11am
Where: Kendal Town Centre (start and finish)
Fancy a morning jog to get the juices flowing? The annual 10km Kendal tradition starts in the town centre, before ascending Beast Banks along the roads that the Tour of Britain cycle race finishes, then weaves along Scout Scar and Cunswick Scar. It’s picturesque, fun, and raises money for Kendal Mountain Rescue – last year raised £10,000.
The Bouldering Session – presented by Five Ten & Slaphappy
When: Thursday, November 20, 8pm
Where: Kendal Town Hall
One to circle for rock climbing and bouldering enthusiasts. The evening is headlined by phenom Will Bosi, who bagged the first ascent of V17 Realm of Tor’ment in Raven Tor earlier this year, along with Dave Graham and Hamish McArthur, who climbed V17 Megatron in a trip to the USA. There will also be screenings of short films, stories, and a celebration of picking yourself up when you fall.
The North Face Kendal Skyline Ultra
When: Saturday, November 22, 9am
Where: Kendal Town Centre (start)
If the 10km sounds too breezy for you, then consider the mammoth 50km Kendal Skyline Ultra – an all day affair that explores the beautiful surroundings of Kendal, from limestone escarpments to river trails. There’s aid stations, marshals and GPS tracking, making it an accessible event for anyone thinking of dipping their toes into ultra running for the first time.
Arc’teryx Introduction to Wild Swimming with Gilly McArthur
When: Friday, November 21, 8am
Where: Rayrigg Road, Windermere
Rock climber and cold water coach Gilly McArthur leads a group dip in Windermere – England’s largest lake, while exploring the physical and mental health benefits of taking a cold plunge, especially out in nature. She will also be joined by Royal Life Saving Society course trainers Fay and Andy Tennet, and Vicki McCreedie, a local mountain leader and swim coach who hosts sessions across the country.
Speakers and panels
Making Space: Trans+ Voices in the Outdoors
When: Friday, November 21, 7pm
Where: Abbot Hall Social Centre
Transgender athletes have been facing attacks across a huge range of sports in recent years. The outdoors though, and access to the planet’s nature around us, should be for everyone. Hosted by Jamie Cooper, a panel of four trans+ activists and climbers will explore the current landscape for the community, and what can be done to help make the outdoors more accessible and safe for trans+ people. It will then finish at the Queer Connections Social at the Elsewhere Bar, for people to meet and discuss the topics in a safe space.
When: Thursday, November 20, 7pm; Friday, November 21, 3pm, 6pm, 8pm; Saturday, November 22, 2pm, 6pm, 8pm; Sunday, November 23, 2pm
Where: Secret Session Meeting Point – Brewery Arts
Presented by Montane, the Secret Sessions are always festival highlights, and some of the hardest tickets to secure. Each one is different, unannounced, and led by someone from the world of adventure and the outdoors. Previous sessions have included the likes of blind climber Jesse Dufton, who we featured in Huck 80: The It’s More than a Game Issue, and cyclist Becky Surridge.
When: Thursday, November 20, 9am
Where: Castle Green Hotel
This year, Kendal Mountain Festival presents its first ever off-festival B2B summit, which will see a full day of industry leader, marketers, creatives and more coming together to share insight, perspectives and discuss important topics affecting the world of outdoor brands at the moment. Highlights include a keynote presentation debate on the topic of AI & Brand Storytelling led by Daniel Macauley, a panel on Brand Purpose and Effective Storytelling led by Looking Sideways’ Matt Barr, and another hosted by our own Phil Young that will discuss Brands in the Community. Facilitation Not Exploitation with Ultra Black Running’s Dora Atim, Huck writer Sam Haddad, and business strategist Jonathan Weaver.
Breaking Trails Without Breaking Bones – presented by The GORE-TEX Brand
When: Sunday, November 23, 9:30am
Where: Kendal College
Worldwide waterproofers The GORE-TEX ® Brand presents a session on balancing ambition and risk in the outdoors. It’s headlined by the aforementioned Jesse Dufton, who will be joined by mountaineer and mountain risk management PhD holder Maud Vanpoulle, who will share some of their rawest, make-or-break stories, and tips for navigating extreme conditions and terrains with safety.
- Read next: Dora Atim: “Bravery is going off piste”
Parties
When: Friday, November 21, 8:30am
Where: The Yurt – Presented by Yeti at Basecamp
This year, the UK’s Supreme Court upheld the existing right to wild camp on Dartmoor, which was a huge win for access rights, and the Right to Roam campaign, whose members have been working tirelessly to open up access to the UK’s land to the public. Join them for an evening of chatter and drinks – in their words: “There will be anarchy, there may well be utter chaos.”
When: Saturday, November 22, 8:15pm
Where: Brewery Arts – Malt Room
A pub quiz, but make it mountain themed? Sign me up. Hosted by Rab athlete and mountaineer Andy Cave, it’s a chance to put your ultra-specific specialist knowledge to the test, with complimentary drinks and snacks, as well as a raffle to raise money for Climbers Against Cancer.
The Ultimate Party – presented by Merrell
When: Friday, November 21, 10:30pm
Where: The Warehouse at No Hands Rest
Merrell is bringing its Trail Sonified project to Kendal – the UK’s first club night powered by the trail – with a huge party taking place on Friday night. DJ sets will come from Liam Furneax AKA Advanced Rock and AUX.berwick, along with a live LED installation and giveaways.
Kendal Mountain Festival takes place between November 20 – 23. For more information and tickets, visit its official website.
Buy your copy of Huck 82 here.
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