The Anthem GO Outside Festival (GO Fest) returns to Elmwood Park in Roanoke, Virginia, this October 13-15. Organizers are pleased to announce a new partnership with Explore Park to offer festival camping to attendees, as well as the return of favorite shows including the renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and an opportunity to raise funds for regional outdoor initiatives through Project Outside.
GO Fest is celebrating its 13th year of building a better outdoor community, and the addition of Explore Park to the festival community showcases the Roanoke Region’s unique metro-mountain lifestyle, connecting the remarkable outdoor recreation area to the vibrant downtown core with a short shuttle ride.
Attendees wishing to camp out during the festival can reserve camping spaces with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism in early September. These campers will be able to spend part of their day wandering Explore Park’s hiking and biking trails, accessing the Roanoke River, playing disc golf, enjoying an aerial adventure at Treetop Quest, or drinking craft beer at Twin Creeks Brewing. Then, they can hop on the courtesy shuttle to the festival where they will explore hundreds of outdoor activities, pro-athlete shows, gear demos, live music, and world-class adventure films.
Setting an exciting tone for the weekend will be the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour presented locally by Mast General Store. Traveling to remote vistas, analyzing topical environmental issues, and bringing audiences up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. The films will begin Friday, October 13 at 7:30 PM in the Elmwood Park amphitheater.
Attendees can expect a jam-packed schedule of shows and activities throughout all three days. One featured show is the awe-inspiring Freedom First Highline Show in which professional slackliners perform death-defying tricks on a 250-foot-long slackline more than 70 feet above the crowd. Also slated is the beloved Member One Lumberjack Show, complete with chainsaw acts, log-rolling fun, and witty hijinks. Attendees can also look forward to BMX stunt shows, gear demos, group meetups,
and more to be announced soon. The festival schedule can be found on roanokegofest.com and activities will continue to be added right up until the event.
GO Fest remains free, but the event will feature opportunities to donate to Project Outside. This fund was created in 2020 to champion local outdoor maintenance and access projects. To date, more than $150,000 has been awarded to 24 regional projects including contributions to river access and parking lot improvements on both the Roanoke and James Rivers; the purchase of a walk-behind skid steer for the Blue Ridge Off-Road Cyclists (BROC) to use in regional trail projects; the support of Humble/Hustle’s outdoor recreation programs for local black youth; and the building of a public mountain bike skills course along the Roanoke River Greenway at Vic Thomas Park, to name a few.
The proceeds from beverage sales, race registrations, and festival merchandise will go toward Project Outside. Festival merchandise is now available for pre-order with pick up at the event. There will also be opportunities throughout the festival to donate either by pledging a monthly gift or through a simple, one-off contribution.
Those looking to be the first to hear about the music lineup and other festival announcements should follow along on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up for email updates. Volunteer shifts are available now, and this year all who complete at least one shift will receive an ENO hammock in addition to a GO Fest t-shirt!