Dartmoor Outdoor Festival, which runs for a week at the end of August 2025, is set to host more events this year than ever before, spanning walks, talks, workshops, adventures, film and music. A celebration of the beauty of the landscape and the joy of being outdoors, the festival has been running since 2016, previously known as Dartmoor Walking Festival. With new co-directors Richard Matthews and Hannah Durdin taking over in 2024, the festival has been re-branded this year in recognition of the broader diversity of events available as the festival expands.

The DPA are delighted to be lead partner for this event, alongside the Dartmoor National Park Authority. We are pleased to see the many sustainable recreational activities which Dartmoor offers showcased in this manner, and we are supporting access for all to the festival by funding places on the four walks we are running. Having the chance to spend time on the moor, and connect with the landscape, is so important for mental and physical health, as well as, for many, being the first step to wanting to actively advocate for Dartmoor’s protection.

‘We hope that many people take this opportunity to experience Dartmoor in a new way, and that they come away feeling empowered to enjoy the moor confidently and responsibly. It’s important to us that financial pressures do not bar people from accessing Dartmoor and we encourage families and individuals to take advantage of the free tickets for DPA walks’, says Helen Bruce, Communications Officer for the Dartmoor Preservation Association.

Festival Co-Directors Richard and Hannah said: ‘This year’s festival, celebrating the community and countryside of Dartmoor, is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

‘The festival has been designed to highlight the many sustainable recreational activities that can be enjoyed in the national park, and to encourage everyone to access Dartmoor responsibly.

‘We are keen to make the festival as affordable and accessible as possible, and we have been delighted with the response from people booking activities. Some events have already sold out and many more are close to capacity.’

Booking is open for all the individual festival events which run from Friday 29th August to Friday 5th September, taking place across Dartmoor, with the festival hub at Princetown. The festival is aimed at people of all ages, particularly local families and young people, and covers all experience and skill levels.

The festival kicks off with a free family fun day on Friday 29th August, 10.30am to 3pm, at Haytor visitor centre, Haytor Vale. Visitors will be able to take part in interactive experiences, find out all about the wonderful wildlife and deep history of the moors and tors, and learn from subject experts on a series of guided walks. Other festival events include accessible walks, gorge scrambling, rock climbing, forest tai chi, a film night and a ceilidh.

The festival is supported by lead partners Dartmoor National Park Authority and Dartmoor Preservation Association and a number of other key partners. Over the years, the festival has raised thousands of pounds for its chosen charity, Devon Air Ambulance.

Festival events can be booked HERE.

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