# Amateur Athletic Festivals 'Virgin Sport' is Creating Events for a Wider Variety of Athletes By Katherine Pendrill | Published 2017-01-18 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virgin-sport References: [fortune](http://fortune.com/2017/01/17/virgin-sport-mary-wittenberg/) & [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/pg/virginsport/photos/?ref=page_internal) Sir Richard Branson's [Virgin Group](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/middle-seat-lottery) empire recently began carving out a place for itself in the world of amateur sports with its new '[Virgin Sport](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cruise-portfolio)' division. Instead of hosting events that will only attract top athletes, the division aims to create "festivals of sport" that will appeal to a wide range of consumers with varying athletic abilities. With four events already scheduled for 2017, Virgin Sport is giving consumers a new option when it comes to amateur athletic events. The festivals build on the growing trend of race organizers offering [half marathons or 5K runs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marathon-series) to increase the number of participants. Similarly, Virgin Sport's festivals will combine short road races with group fitness activities such as yoga, bootcamp and pilates for a more inclusive fitness experience. Ultimately, the goal is to make sporting events more accessible for those with varying interests and abilities. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.3/10 - Popularity: 34% | Activity: 57% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Health](https://www.trendhunter.com/health) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Inclusive Fitness Experiences:** Creating athletic events that combine short road races with group fitness activities like yoga and bootcamp to appeal to a wider range of consumers. - **Amateur Sports Festivals:** Hosting festivals of sport that attract consumers with varying athletic abilities, rather than just top athletes. - **Expanding Participant Numbers:** Increasing the number of participants in athletic events by offering options like half marathons or 5K runs. ### Where This Applies - **Sports and Fitness:** Opportunities for fitness companies to create inclusive events that cater to consumers with varying interests and abilities. - **Event Management:** Providing services to organize and coordinate amateur athletic festivals that appeal to a wide range of consumers. - **Wellness and Lifestyle:** Creating experiences that promote wellness and an active lifestyle through inclusive athletic events and activities. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Hybrid Athletic Events](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lt-games.md) - [Multi-Faceted Virtual Competitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/online-10k-challenge.md) - [Social Running Activities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/olympian-meeting.md) - [Novel Fitness Raves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fitness-rave.md) - [Affordability-Focused Sports Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/usa-triathlon.md) - [Exclusivity-Challenging Golf Events](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/golf-town.md) - [Interactive Fitness Competition Activations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-sportsbook.md) - [Singles-Only Running Events](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/singlesonly-running-event.md) - [Inaugural Demanding Fitness Competitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/worlds-toughest-mile.md)