Love Trails Festival powered by Garmin, the world’s first running & music festival and one of the UK’s defining summer weekender formats, has announced the first wave of programming for its 10th anniversary year, held in South Wales, 2-6 July 2026
Tickets are released this Friday 6 February, Tickets will be released exclusively to those on the waitlist:.
Love Trails has grown from a small coastal gathering of friends in 2016 into a world-first and world-class festival that attracts a community travelling from across the UK and Europe for a weekend of trail running and hikes, live music and DJs, wellbeing, talks and adventure experiences.
With demand rising year on year, Love Trails marks ten years since the independently run festival began and returns with an expanded cultural programme for 2026. First music names include headliner Mr Scruff with his feel-good, genre-hopping sets, Nubiyan Twist blending jazz, soul and global grooves, Falle Nioke (Soundsystem) bringing West African rhythms into electronic territory, Joshua Idehen fusing spoken word and club-ready energy, and Oby Onyioha, the cult disco-boogie voice behind “Enjoy Your Life”, with more to be announced later this month.
For 2026, Love Trails is expanding the running and hiking programme across the weekend. Expect 25+ Love Trails Running Experiences, immersive, non-competitive runs typically ranging from 3km to 25km, with the full programme still to be announced. The race schedule includes 5k, 10k, 16k and 27k trail races, with longer-distance options including 52km available for those who want to go deeper into the Gower’s trails.
New for this year is Timed Out, a Love Trails immersive race concept that blends trail running with creative, feel-good moments on the course. Unlike a traditional race, the clock pauses when participants reach Experience Stations, creating space to dance, make something, reset, or connect with others before heading back out.
Alongside the curated experiences, the festival will host 50+ guided community trail runs and hikes, its biggest partner programme yet, spotlighting the grassroots run crews, hike collectives and outdoor communities shaping the future of movement culture. More than 33 crews were announced in the first wave, with further updates still to come.
Love Trails is built around movement that feels welcoming, not intimidating, with a programme designed for varied experience levels, from first-time trail runners to seasoned ultra athletes. Alongside guided trail runs and hikes (plus race distances for different abilities), the daytime programme offers a full menu of experiences: yoga, mobility and breathwork, recovery sessions including sauna and ice baths, and the kind of outdoor adventures the Gower is made for, from wild swims and stand-up paddleboarding to kayaking, surfing, climbing and coasteering. The schedule is rounded out with inspirational talks, panels and workshops led by voices from running, outdoor adventure and culture.
The festival returns to the Gower Peninsula, a coastline celebrated since 1956 when it became the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From the castle grounds at West Castle Farm, the festival sits within a setting of big skies, wild beaches and dramatic cliff paths, giving festivalgoers a weekend with a true sense of escape.
Love Trails flips the traditional festival script. The music still runs late, but the weekend is just as shaped by sunrise meet-ups, coastal trails and wellbeing sessions, underpinned by a community atmosphere that welcomes solo attendees quickly.
Theo Larn-Jones, Founder of Love Trails Festival, said:
“Love Trails started as a small idea between friends in 2016. Ten years on, it’s become a weekend people genuinely plan their year around. The Gower gives us the backdrop, the community gives it the heart, and the mix of movement and music makes it what it is. This first artist announcement is just the start. We’re building a special edition that celebrates how far Love Trails has come, and the people and place that have shaped it.”
Tickets will be available via the waitlist on Friday 6 February at 11:00.
