Creativity, Community and Skating Come Together to Inspire Brighter Futures at The Coping Festival 2025
Free Manchester-based event returns to support mental health through action sports, art and connection.
Manchester, UK | 21st June 2025 | Creatives, skaters and wellbeing advocates from across the UK and beyond will come together this summer to deliver inspiration, practical learning and support at The Coping Festival 2025, a free community-led event helping young people turn personal grief into collective hope.
Now in its sixth year, The Coping Festival is created by The Coping, a Manchester-based social enterprise using action sports, creativity and mindfulness to support mental health and wellbeing. This year’s event is more personal than ever, following the loss of founder Wil Hesketh’s sister to cancer shortly after last year’s festival.
“Life is hard enough without fighting battles inside our own minds,” said Wil. “At The Coping, we believe in telling stories that unite, uplift and heal not stories that divide, shame or judge. When we stop judging ourselves and others harshly, we can start learning, growing, and building something better together.”
The Coping founder Wil Hesketh and his sister Molly on her 46th birthday, just 11 days before melanoma took her life.
Since 2019, The Coping has raised over £17,000 for vital charities including The Christie, 42nd Street, and the Ben Raemers Foundation. Their annual festival and growing network of events offer young people a positive space to connect, express themselves and find strength alongside others.
Returning for its 6th year, The Coping Festival 2025 is a free celebration of skating, creating, and wellbeing — where action sports and creative communities unite in a festival of kind and rad vibes. With a focus on C.A.R.E. (Connection, Action, Reflection, Education), this year’s programme invites everyone to take part in activities that build personal and collective wellbeing.
Confirmed activities include:
Free Beginner Skate Lessons
Creative Workshops
Oakley Community Day
Team Rumble XL (£1000 prize)
Live Music
Good Vibes, and more TBA!
Whether you're dropping into your first ramp or picking up a paintbrush for the first time in years, The Coping Festival is a space where people of all backgrounds can come together, feel supported and be inspired.
With a goal to reach one million people worldwide and inspire stories for brighter futures through free wellbeing focused activities, the movement is only just beginning.
The Coping invites the local community, artists, businesses and skaters alike to get involved — to help write new stories of resilience, creativity, and hope.
Stories For Brighter Futures.