2025 Anthem GO Outside Festival Recap: A Celebration of Outdoor Community 15 Years in the Making
With the support of Anthem and our incredible community of event sponsors including Freedom First Credit Union, Oboz Footwear, Carilion Clinic, Member One, Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Gentry Locke, Haley Toyota, Mast General Store, The Cave Conservancy of the Virginias, Virginia is for Lovers, Walkabout Outfitter, Carter, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Land Rover, along with hundreds of vendors, and a small army of dedicated volunteers, the 2025 Anthem GO Outside Festival delivered a world-class, free celebration of outdoor culture for the fifteenth year. Together, we reaffirmed the Roanoke Region’s standing as a Top Adventure Town and a truly welcoming place to live, work, and play.
For three packed days, attendees immersed themselves in inspiring professional athlete shows, adventure films, live music, panel discussions, races, group runs, bike rides, guided hikes, hands-on activities, outdoor gear demos, and countless opportunities to celebrate healthy living in the outdoors.
A High-Energy Outdoor Festival with Meaningful Impact
Each year, the GO Outside Festival hosts meaningful opportunities for people to connect with the outdoors and deepen their appreciation for our region’s commitment to healthy living. The festival committee (comprised of Roanoke City Parks and Recreation, Roanoke Outside Foundation, and Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism) may facilitate the action, but it’s the outdoor businesses and organizations and the people who ultimately bring the festival to life. GO Fest is a true representation of the region’s collective energy, enthusiasm, and love for the outdoors.
The numbers below are just one way we see the impact of this collective effort:
Attendee Impact
40,000 attendees over 3 days
$3 million economic impact on the Roanoke Region
Festival by the Numbers
2 Locations: linking the metro hub of downtown Roanoke with the mountain adventure of Explore Park
102 vendors: All selected for their commitment to building an outdoor community and stewardship for our environment
103 activities: hands-on opportunities to climb, paddle, run, hike, bike, and explore at every ability and experience level
1,324 volunteer hours (performed by 244 volunteers)
A new kid on a bike every 90 seconds at the newly reimagined Kid’s Bike Zone. A prime example of collaboration with Roanoke Mountain Adventures, Roanoke Star Cycling, and WeeWheel Roanoke who hosted the zone, outfitted bikes, and provided an intentional space for getting the next generation on bikes
250 people commuted to GO Fest by bike demonstrating that it’s possible to navigate city streets on two wheels
34 professional athlete shows: attendees were treated to flipping bikes, leaping dogs, pun-powered lumberjacks, extreme bike balancing, highliners on death-defying heights, not to mention… 5 sightings of celebrity BMX rider Ryan Nyquist
25% fewer plastic cups than 2024 and 34% fewer than 2023: We are a bring-your-own-cup festival and happy to report that this stat shows attendee behavior is in line with our goal to limit single-use plastic
800 lbs of waste diverted to compost by Star City Compost– Roanoke’s first food waste and organics recycling program
8 talks and 11 films showcasing the varied experiences of people in the outdoors: Mast General Store championed these platforms, and we heard about everything from veterans therapy expeditions to a climbing gym built in a low-income neighborhood, to a viral foraging TikToker (who also led a jam-packed foraging session!), to the high-adrenalin story of a woman’s “drop” at RedBull Rampage, and so many more.
Moments and Experiences worth a Special Mention
💎The festival captures attention far beyond city limits. One standout moment came from WSLS News, where attendee Justine Feinstein shared:
“So excited, we traveled in from Ohio probably about five hours just for this.”
💎The Freedom First zone (situated under the climber mural of their Headquarters) came alive with a host of kids’ activities, including climbing and games hosted by Camp Bethel. It also saw the return of the CaveSim, which saw 1,000 participants over three days crawling and navigating their simulated cave, a feat made possible by Freedom First and the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias.
💎Ryan Nyquist, who is the celebrity BMXer many millennials will remember from the peak X-games hype of the 2000s/2010s, performed in Gentry Locke’s Pro-Town BMX Stunt show. Not only was he there to meet fans and sign autographs after the shows, but he also brought his son, solidifying our belief that outdoor recreation is a family activity.
💎The guided group hikes sponsored by Oboz saw a special group of attendees come together to explore the region’s trails. One adult hiker came back to the festival after completing a sunset AND sunrise hike, saying these were her first hikes ever (and she left with a fresh pair of hiking shoes she bought in downtown Roanoke). Streets packed with 40,000 people and big, exciting athlete shows are great, but this special story of someone trying something new hits at the very heart of what GO Fest is designed to do.
💎Last, but certainly not least, was the 15th anniversary celebration parade. A moment when festivalgoers gathered to circle the festival basecamp, dancing and soaking in the glow of community, nostalgia, and the kind of happiness that only comes from celebrating outside together.
Thank You, Roanoke
The 2025 GO Outside Festival was made possible by every partner, vendor, volunteer, athlete, performer, nonprofit, and attendee who helped build an unforgettable weekend. It’s no wonder this event was awarded platinum by the crowd-sourced 2025 Best of Roanoke awards in not one, but three categories: “Favorite Local Festival, Best Family Friendly Festival, and Best Outdoor Recreation Festival.”
Your energy fuels our mission to create a healthier, more connected outdoor community—year after year.
We’re already dreaming up what’s next. See you at GO Fest 2026! Save the date!
