Organisers of Keswick Mountain Festival have unveiled two new running events that will make their debut in 2026.
The KMF Dusk Run and KMF Dawn Run will give participants opportunities to experience the sunset and sunrise while exploring the Lakeland fells.
The new runs are the latest additions to the festival programme of outdoor sports and activities, high profile speakers, live music, food and drink, and exhibitors, which will run from May 15 to May 17 next year.
Founded in 2007, Keswick Mountain Festival is one of the UK’s best-loved and most popular outdoor events, and traditionally kicks off the summer festival season.
Its heart is the Festival Village in Crow Park, on the shore of Derwentwater and with a backdrop of the iconic Lake District fells.
The KMF Dusk Run will be held on Saturday May 16, when runners will board a launch at Crow Park and cross Derwentwater to Hawes End, accompanied by a live string musician.
The run itself will begin at 5.30pm and will take participants on a 19km, 1,100m ascent along trails to the summit of Grisedale Pike, timed to reach the top as the sun sets over the west-northwest facing ridgelines.
While on the summit, runners will be entertained by a DJ set and enjoy a unique, small-batch tasting session featuring local drinks.
They will then descend back toward Keswick, returning to Crow Park as twilight fades.
The KMF Dawn Run will kick off the final day of the festival on Sunday May 17.
Starting from Crow Park at 5.30am, the self-guided sunrise experience will follow a 13km route (with 369m of ascent) along trails to Castlerigg Stone Circle, where runners will be met by cloaked druids and live drumming, to create an evocative sunrise ceremony among the ancient stones.
On returning to Crow Park, participants will redeem fresh coffee and breakfast tokens in the Festival Village.
Jamie Simpson, marketing director of Keswick Mountain Festival, said: “The spectacular Lake District landscape is front and centre of what makes Keswick Mountain Festival such a special event, and we’re always keen to develop different opportunities for showcasing that to visitors.
“Both of these new events will do that in very distinct ways, on one hand capturing the magic of ‘golden hour’ and on the other, providing an atmospheric and energising start to the day.”
