Take a look at SUPFest 2024

SUPFest describes itself as a festival with SUP at the heart of it.

Words: Sam Rutt. Photos: Tom McNally Photography

SUPFest describes itself as a festival with SUP at the heart of it. It’s perfect for families and friends who want to spend the long weekend relaxing, camping, and listening to live music. You’ll enjoy talks from some of the country’s most inspirational paddlers, not to mention the fun and games on and off the water, and this year, it didn’t disappoint.  

Run over the May bank holiday. You could arrive on Friday afternoon, pitch your tent up, park your mobile home, and enjoy the spectacular scenery of the River Eden. The SUPFest venue is in a sleepy little village deep in the heart of the Lake District, and once you are in, you will have everything you need for a beautiful weekend full of all things SUP! 

Friday was very laid-back. Guests could arrive and set up, enjoy the mobile caterers on site, register for the many workshops that would be offered over the weekend, and listen to live music before dancing the night away.  

As it was a bank holiday, we could not avoid the appearance of our wonderful UK rain on Friday evening, which raised the river levels. The events safety team decided not to allow river activities that evening, but that didn’t stop the fun!  

Representatives from the Eden Rivers Trust and APHA were on site to help spread the word on invasive species. Paddle UK’s official partner, Bio Mate, also came along to share their simple and effective cleaning systems, which help you check, clean, and dry your craft and stop the spread of invasive species. 

Paddle UK proudly sponsored the riverside stage where most of the talks were being held, and on Friday evening, the festival goers were delighted with their FREE Paddle UK event t-shirts. To say they went down a storm was an understatement, with many putting them on right away; no matter where you looked, you would see the fantastic new re-branded logo.  Festival goers also loved that Shortees SUPwear, who had produced the tops, had done so using recycled bottles, a win for the environment.  We also had the first-ever Paddle UK dance-off with prizes and laughter
all-round! 

Saturday and Sunday SUPFest was a buzz with families attending workshops alongside talks and presentations in the Paddle UK Tent from some inspirational paddlers. Brendon Prince from the Above Water charity and WW SUP with Paddle UK coach Tom Westaway, Inland touring with Jo Moseley, amazing and very funny introduction to SUP surfing with Simon Palmer. 

The afternoon saw teams take to the water to battle it out on the mammoth SUPs, with cheering from spectators on the riverbanks. Once everyone was dry and off the water, it was time to grab your best 80s fancy dress outfit to listen to the ABBA tribute band, with some very creative fancy dress outfits! 

Finally, John Wilson, the brains behind the event, wanted to say, “SUPFEST is a community-driven SUP festival, with its origins going back to 2014 when a small group of Cumbria paddlers met at a campsite once a year to paddle, camp, swap stories, and relax. 

“As the word spread, SUPFest evolved. As more participants contributed their time and energy to add more content, presentations, yoga, SUP polo, bands, and DJs began to be added to the weekend.

“It’s now the biggest gathering of recreational paddlers in the north of England, and the paddling community is still very much at its heart. The festival is managed by the team from Lake District Paddleboarding, with huge contributions from the Leeds Dock Paddleboarding school and SUP Adventures, as well as a growing core team of SUP instructors and coaches, clubs, and paddling groups from all over the country. Without this community, SUPfest wouldn’t exist.

“Despite its growth, the core values of the event remain the same, community inclusivity – everyone is welcome, safety and the environment.”

To find out more about SUPFest and stay in the loop for next year’s events, head over to the Lake District Paddleboarding website: https://lakedistrictpaddleboarding.co.uk/