Timber Festival returns for another unforgettable weekend of art, music, talks, dancing, campfires, and activism in the heart of the National Forest. Festivalgoers are invited to join a community of action and optimism at Feanedock Woodland from Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7. Tickets are now on sale at www.timberfestival.org.uk.

Described by The Guardian as 'a fantastic forest festival,' Timber is a unique, family-friendly event that joyfully embraces nature, trees, and forests to explore a positive future for the planet. Timber has all the usual festival offerings of sunrise yoga, secret woodland DJ sets, and world-class author talks – but visitors to this independent gathering can also expect to break bread together at a communal '20-mile supper', watch the sun set from Timber's very own Stone Circle, and even don their best flora and fauna fancy dress for a Human Flower Show.

Among the offerings at this independent gathering, festivalgoers can expect:

• Special Guests: Lou Rhodes, Mercury-nominated singer-songwriter and founding member of Lamb, alongside multi-instrumentalist Rohan Heath as part of their collaboration Kiiōtō, join internationally acclaimed sound artist Jason Singh and folklore-inspired artists Stone Club to curate Timber's diverse lineup.
• Music: Audiences are in for a treat with a lineup showcasing a tantalisingly diverse range of sounds. Kiiōtō will headline the opening night with their debut album, while electro-folk artist Frankie Archer and Rozi Plain of This Is the Kit provide an ethereal soundtrack to the festival.
• Activism and Talks: Dive into workshops on protest tactics and tools led by environmental groups Right To Roam and Trash Free Trails. All The Elements CIC, focused on diversity in the outdoors, will bring new voices and conversations to Timber, supported by outdoor apparel company, Patagonia. World-famous activists and writers including surfer-scientist Easkey Britton will also make appearances.
• Wellbeing: Timber is known for its creative wellbeing, movement and mindfulness offering. Festivalgoers are invited to stretch their bodies and centre their minds – and try everything from laughter yoga to forest bathing, Bollywood dancing workshops to gong baths. 
• Art & Creativity: Trailblazers in the Outdoor Arts scene, Timber have programmed a spectacular circus show on a rig built from giant bamboo by NoFit State Circus. Crowds will be hypnotised by artist Mark Anderson's Warning Notes, a large-scale installation which uses 'sound sculptures' - gongs, bells, whistles, and explosions - to give voice to the climate crisis. And for those who want to get hands on, Timber will have a whole area dedicated to 'Craftivism', a space where visitors can make and create things with their own bare hands - from knitting and weaving to working with wood and twine.

Rowan Cannon, founding director of festival organisers, Wild Rumpus, said, "We can't wait to welcome audiences back to the hopeful oasis of Timber Festival, a place where you can unplug from the worries of everyday life. Our growing Timber community will step into a forest wonderland transformed by artists, musicians, activists, and speakers into a place of action, hope, and fierce optimism, right in the heart of the National Forest."

Tickets are available at www.timberfestival.org.uk, with adult day tickets at £60 and weekend tickets at £160. Residents of the National Forest receive a 25% discount on all tickets.

ENDS

Photos and video can be downloaded from Dropbox

Notes to Editors

Timber Festival (5-7 July 2024) is an immersive and revitalising weekend festival in the National Forest, celebrating our relationship with trees and woods through carefully curated musical performances, installations, debates and workshops. Music, art, and ideas weave together during this three-day festival tucked away at Feanedock, a 70-acre woodland site at the heart of the National Forest. For three days in July, new thinkers, activists, makers, artists, musicians and writers gather to play, provoke and inspire as we explore our relationship with nature. Timber Festival is created by award-winning festival and event producers, Wild Rumpus.

www.timberfestival.org.uk

Limited press passes for the event available - please send me a message and let me know if you would like to join us.

Wild Rumpus exist in a space where arts and culture meet the natural environment. Working from the Whirligig, four acres of woodland in Cheshire, they create experiences which inspire curiosity and design events that immerse audiences in incredible stories and moments of wonder. In addition to Timber Festival, Wild Rumpus produce other ambitious outdoor arts events including Yuletide at Tatton Park Gardens, Solstice at Battersea Arts Centre, and Just So Festival for families on the Rode Hall Estate in Cheshire. Wild Rumpus also run an extensive volunteer and talent development programme working with performers, producers and programmers to shape a cultural environment where excellent outdoor work thrives.

www.wildrumpus.org.uk

About the National Forest

The National Forest covers 200 square miles of the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. Its creation began in the early 1990s, a radical vision to bring the benefits of trees, woodland and multi-use forestry to lowland England, where thousands of people live and work.  

The Forest provides a national demonstration of the value of the natural environment to drive regeneration and showcase policy and practice, research and development in the heart of the country. 

It was the first broadleaf forest to be created at scale in England for 1,000 years and is now seen as one of the boldest environmentally led regeneration initiatives in the country. It has transformed a post-industrial Midlands landscape – scarred by coal mining and heavy industry - from black to green. 

Year by year, the National Forest has been steadily turning what was once one of the least wooded areas of England into a multi-purpose, sustainable forest. Nine million trees have been planted so far. Forest cover has increased from 6% to 22%, approaching double the national average for woodland cover. The aim is to reach around a third forest cover.   

Trees have been the catalyst for change and transformation. The National Forest is a positive response to the climate crisis and is putting in place the building blocks to deliver mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Through partnerships the NFC is working to create wildlife habitats, reduce flooding, improve air quality, store carbon and create space for outdoor education, supporting the health and wellbeing of communities and enabling Forest-related businesses to thrive.

The National Forest Company (charity no: 1166563) leads the creation of the National Forest, working in partnership with landowners, local authorities, businesses and its communities. It has strong support from government, politicians and the public, and continues to be supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.