UK’S LONGEST ESTABLISHED WATER AND BEACH SPORTS FESTIVAL RELOCATES

Windfest, the annual water and beach sports festival, is moving to Lymington this September under the name ‘Windfest Re-Tuned’.

From September 14-16, the festival will transform the stunning grounds and private beach of Pylewell Park into an extreme water and land sports playground.

Hosted on Sandbanks beach in Poole for the past 14 years, Windfest Re-Tuned has evolved to feature more than 15 action sports and now needs additional land and camping facilities to grow. The new venue in Hampshire boasts 1,500 acres of land, an 18th century house, beach and lakes with close access onto the Solent.

Organiser and founder of the event, Gary Willingham says: “Windfest has grown enormously since 1998 and it is exciting to now be working on Windfest Re-Tuned. We wanted to make the event all-encompassing where everyone can camp overnight – a longstanding request we are now able to deliver – and enjoy the atmosphere of a huge action sports community. Pylewell is a stunning location and provides us with everything we need and more to allow the event to grow in the future.”

Maintaining its goal to provide something for everyone, the festival will cater for families and sports enthusiasts alike. This cool camping weekend will still have all the popular action sports, but will also include some new ones such as kite boarding, land buggying and power kiting.

Sports demonstrations from leading professionals in kitesurfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, BMX, skateboarding, slacklining, Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), volleyball and Frisbee will be staged daily, with plenty of opportunities for ticketholders to have a go themselves.

Unwind with SUP yoga on the tranquil lake, mountain bike through ancient oak trees and forage to taste the fruits of the forest with help from local food producers. The SUP taster sessions will run through the basic board and paddle skills and are open to all, subject to weather conditions.

With the addition of woodlands to play in this year, slackliners can find a new level of fun as high as the treetops. For those who prefer to keep their feet firmly on the ground, take a leisurely ramble through the beautiful grounds or challenge fellow festival goers to a game of Frisbee and volleyball.

The egg and spoon race will be making a comeback for the Kids Games, along with welly throwing, face painting and golf. In daily workshops, kids can have a go at making their own kites to fly freely and safely in the wide open fields.

With comedians and musicians aplenty, revellers will party under a blanket of stars to their own soundtrack. The Silent Disco is always a memorable experience and this year it will be magical. With the moonlight bouncing off the Solent water and the tall trees creating a canopy overhead, this is the ideal setting for dancing the night away before retiring to a bell tent, yurt or campervan.

Rise and shine for the early morning yoga sessions to help limber up for another action-packed day of activity.

Gary adds: “We are pleased to provide our festival goers with a unique experience not found at any festival in the UK. Open New Forest fields, ancient oak trees with access to the open sea will enable a weekend of paddleboarding, kite flying, kayaking, mountain bike trails, slacklining, skateboarding and much more.

“We want the festival to be an active, healthy, family-friendly and sports-driven escape to the countryside – with good music, food, comedy, silent discos and loads of other entertainment in a safe and relaxed environment.”

Tickets are available from www.windfest.co.uk with special offers for group bookings.