World’s first running and music festival returns to south Wales

One of Wales’ most distinctive summer festivals will return to the Gower Peninsula next month for its 10th anniversary edition.

Love Trails Festival, powered by Garmin, returns for its sold-out 2026 run in what organisers hope will be a landmark year for the world’s first running and music festival.

Taking place from 2 to 6 July 2026 at West Castle Farm, Weobley Castle, Love Trails grown from a grassroots coastal gathering into a unique festival experience, bringing together trail running and hiking, live music and DJs, wellbeing and community.

This year, Love Trails is offering bigger after-dark production and new live performances with a setlist spanning electronic, soul, jazz, afrobeat, indie and live performance.

This year’s bill features nimino, Mr Scruff, Nubiyan Twist, Joshua Idehen, Falle Nioke Soundsystem, Oby Onyioha, Anaïs & MC Texas, The Joy Formidable, 1-800 GIRLS and more.

Also joining the programme are over 50 run and hike communities, making it the biggest gathering of its kind in Europe.

Headline moments include the return of Andre Coggins and Mafia Moves, Birmingham crew Made Running, Josh Lynott’s run-to-poetry experiences, Becky Briggs, RUN-N-RAVE, The Five Points Project and Raziq Rauf’s run-to-creative-writing sessions.

The race programme also returns in full, from the Garmin 5km and 10km to the Love Trails 16km, Salomon 27km and Ultra-Trail Gower Peninsula, alongside the launch of Timed Out, a new immersive race concept.

Beyond running, Love Trails continues to make the most of its Gower setting with opportunities for coasteering, rock climbing, sea kayaking, surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, foraging and birdwatching.

New sessions at Cwm Ivy marsh will offer another way to connect with the peninsula’s landscape and wildlife, which organisers say “adds another layer to the weekend”.

For the full programme of events, visit the Love Trails site here.