Plans have been announced for a brand new summer outdoor festival named the Snowdonia Outdoor Festival (SOF).
Set to run from 11-13 August on the banks of Bala Lake  in Gwynedd, the festival will feature outdoor activities, live music, sporting events and camping, all aimed at a family audience. It’s expected that it will attract up to 12,000 visitors over the weekend.
The idea for SOF comes from the team behind the successful Keswick Mountain Festival which has managed to establish itself as one of the main events on the UK outdoor calendar over the last ten years. The Lakeland event has attracted music acts including Badly Drawn Boy, KT Tunstall, Seth Lakeman and Cast as well as leading outdoor brands and sporting competitors.
RELATED: Click here for details of this year’s Keswick Mountain Festival
At the heart of the Snowdonia Outdoor Festival will be the Festival Village, a base for retailers and exhibitors, the SOF Talks Tipi, food and drink, and taster activities for all ages.  The village will also be the site for live music on the Saturday and Sunday nights.
The activity programme  will apparently include guided walks, canoeing, mountain biking, open water swimming, bushcraft, stand up paddle boarding, sailing and more.  There will also be a full schedule of sports events, with three trail runs, two open water swims, two mountain biking events and a sportive.
“We’re really excited about the potential of the Snowdonia Outdoor Festival,” said Event director Nicola Meadley. “Bala Lake provides a brilliant base for exploring the north and east of the magnificent Snowdonia National Park and it’s really accessible for visitors.  We are building partnerships with local organisations in the area and putting together what I am sure will be a hugely welcome and successful addition to the summer programme of events.”
Tickets for the first Snowdonia Outdoor Festival will go on sale at the start of March from www.snowdonia-outdoorfestival.co.uk, where full details of the programme will be listed as they are confirmed.

Image credit: Gwynedd Council