The National Forest Walking Festival

The National Forest Walking Festival will take place between 15-29 May 2026

We are delighted to welcome you to the 2026 National Forest Walking Festival! This year marks the 17th edition of our annual celebration, made possible by the dedication and enthusiasm of our incredible volunteers, so a huge thank you to each of them for helping bring this event to life.

This year, we invite you to explore the Forest through the lens of art and culture. You will be taken on walks that encourage playful engagement with sound, texture, and colour, or those that explore the ways the Forest has shaped communities and local history. In addition, the Youth Landscapers Collective will join the festival as artists in residence, to mark their tenth anniversary. With a spirit of curiosity and creativity, they will appear at selected walks to collect the sights and sounds of the Forest in imaginative ways. Recordings and images collected will be used in a new public artwork later in the year.

The National Walking Month falls during May and we think this is one of the best times of the year to be outdoors in the National Forest. The drama of spring blossom, the heady scent of bluebells carpeting ancient woodlands, and the chance to see wildlife in abundance, are all wonderful for the body and soul.

The Forest story is one of huge landscape-scale transformation, from black coalfields to green tree-scapes. Three decades of forest creation in this part of the Midlands demonstrates how trees can transform landscapes, communities and the economy.

Follow the Festival on Facebook for updates. The Festival Guide to the full programme of walks can be viewed via the link at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, complete the online form and we will send a copy out to you.

We warmly invite you to join us and hope this year’s festival inspires you to see the Forest in new ways and unleash your own creativity, both during the event and beyond. Enjoy your walks!

Why not stay overnight?  Explore accommodation in the Forest

The National Forest Walking Festival is supported by East Staffordshire Borough Council, the National Forest Company and South Derbyshire District Council together with the huge number of organisations and individuals that volunteer their time to design and lead walks.

If you would like more information regarding this event, accommodation, or general tourist information please email: info@visitsouthderbyshire.co.uk

Unable to join us for the Festival?  There are lots of walks featured on our Walks page for you to explore on your own or with friends and family.