North Devon will play host to the Surf & Conservation Film Festival 2026, taking place Friday 21 – Saturday 22 August at Freshwell Camping, Croyde, in the heart of the North Devon World Surfing Reserve.
The festival brings together two of the world's leading surf and environmental film festivals, Save The Waves Film Festival and the Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival, alongside live music, family workshops, food and drink, all in celebration of waves, nature, and the people working to protect them.
Friday 21 August will open with live music from Laura Kate, followed by the Save The Waves Film Festival, the world's only international surf and environmental film festival, screening on a giant outdoor screen from 8pm, preceded by live music from 7pm. The ten films include ‘Pertama: The Life of Rio Waida’ which follows Rio Waida's rise from Bali to the world stage, spotlighting a new generation proudly carrying Indonesian culture forward, and ‘Save the Bay’, a film on Corralejo Bay's community rising to defend its fragile marine ecosystem against a threatening industrial dock development. Attendees are invited to bring a deckchair or camping mat and enjoy food and drink from The Lazy Wave. Don't worry if it's a chilly evening, DryRobe rentals will be available to keep you snug all night long. There'll also be fantastic raffle prizes.
Saturday 22 August will see a full day of free family workshops and food from 12pm–8pm, before the evening's ticketed live music from Jack Dayman and the screening of the Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival from 8pm–10pm. The eight films include ‘The Detectorists’, a dog's-eye-view otter documentary which has gone viral, and ‘The Living Layer’, a peatland restoration documentary capturing work across Exmoor, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, which was named overall winner at the 2026 Edinburgh Conservation Film Festival.
Tickets cost £10 per person (plus booking fee) and cover entry for both days, with children under 12 going free when accompanied by a paying adult.
All proceeds from the weekend go into projects directly improving the water quality across the North Devon World Surf Reserve.
Community Transport Support
Organisers are keen to ensure the festival is accessible to the wider community. Any community groups or youth groups based in Barnstaple, Braunton or Ilfracombe interested in attending are encouraged to get in touch, as support with transport to and from the festival may be available.
For more information, contact: Laura Carolan at the National Landscape Team: [email protected]
Event Details
• What: Surf & Conservation Film Festival 2026
• When: Friday 21 August, 7pm–10pm and Saturday 22 August, 12pm-10pm
• Where: Freshwell Camping, Croyde, EX33 1NU
• Tickets: £10pp (covers the weekend, plus booking fee). Under-12s free with paying adult. Available via Eventbrite: bit.ly/
The festival is organised by North Devon World Surfing Reserve, Earth Action North Devon, North Devon Coast National Landscape and North Devon UNESCO Biosphere, and is supported by John Fowler Holiday Parks and The Manor House Inn.
