Gravity Adventure Festival 2014 - 6
The Gravity Adventure Festival 2014 is set to be the best yet. With over a decade of successful events behind them, the festival organisers have had lots time to fine tune the event. In its essence though, it hasn’t changed much at all.
The Gravity Adventure Festival began as a kayak event, timed to coincide with the high-water season on the Palmiet River. Today this is still the case except that the event has diversified somewhat. The 2013 festival incorporates kayaking, trail running, mountain biking and rock climbing. It is currently the only festival of this sort in South Africa and is unique in the amount of cross-pollination that occurs – often competitors will partake in more than one discipline, helping disciplines across the board to develop.
Generally, the route distances are short and sweet with a little spice thrown in. For example, on Friday you can take part in the 4km or 8km trail runs…at night. The same goes for swimming but the distances are shorter. Saturday is the day when kayakers show up in force while the rock-climbers in the crowd can get high on adrenaline while partaking in the all-day rock rally. In addition to swimming, running, rock –climbing and kayaking, there is also a 31km mountain bike race taking place on the Sunday morning. The new craze for Stand Up Paddle Boarding has also been incorporated into the event as have various children's events.
As you can see, this outdoor bonanza offers something for a wide-range of outdoor nuts. But what if you’re not the active, outdoorsy type? Don’t worry they’ve got you covered too. Apart from soaking up the event energy as a spectator (and we all know how enthralling it can be to watch people tumbling out of kayaks and speeding down single tracks on a bike!) do not forget that the event is taking place in the most spectacular location! The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO recognised reserve which is home to approximately 1880 plant species, 77 of which are endemic to the 100 000 hectare region. This means there is a remarkable variety of nature to explore, trails to be walked and inspiration to be had.
As with most events, the Gravity Adventure Festival will have the usual array of food and drinks stands, but more importantly the organisers realise the value in the old adage work hard, play hard, meaning there is a whole non-sporting line-up of activities suitable for competitors and spectators alike. Over the course of the weekend there will braais going with live bands and DJ sets keeping things upbeat in the evenings. As with previous years, the festival is hosting what it calls the ‘Adventure Film Festival’ where various short films which showcase the wonder of the outdoors will be shown.
For adventure festival accommodation, you can take the camping option, the price of which includes entrance to the band area and film fest, or you can opt for one of the many self-catering options which abound in the nearby town such as Kleinmond, Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay.
Thus to recap, the Gravity Adventure Festival is kayaking, rock-climbing, trail-running, swimming, mountain-biking, live bands, braais and short films all rolled into one awesome festival. With so much excitement packed into one weekend, you can’t afford to miss it!
While care has been taken to ensure that information contained on the Sleeping-OUT website is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information. Sleeping-OUT gives no warranty or assurance, and makes no representation as to the accuracy or reliability of any information or advice contained on the website, or that it is suitable for your intended use. Sleeping-OUT recommends always confirming the details of the event with the organiser before booking accommodation.
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