Outdoor clothing company, The North Face, transform Westfield Square as part of their “walls are meant for climbing” campaign. The two-day event saw hundreds of newbies tackle the wall, with experts on hand to give out advice, all while enjoying live music.
The pop-up festival, which The North Face describe as a chance to “celebrate diversity and inclusion” was set up to showcase the power of a shared community – with athletes volunteering their expertise. On the Saturday, the event hosted live performances from R&B musical collective, WSTRN, followed by a set from DJ Carly Wilford.
“Since 1966, The North Face has seen walls not as obstacles, but as opportunities,” says Tina Rolen, VP Marketing at The North Face. “We want to make climbing accessible to all. That’s why we created the event and made it free.
We’ve teamed up with gyms all over the world to provide inclusive climbing opportunities, lower barriers to entry, and celebrate Global Climbing Day on August 24th. #wallsaremeantforclimbing
Find a gym near you: https://t.co/vAZwwJjBX7 pic.twitter.com/sfqTuVLVnY
— The North Face (@thenorthface) July 17, 2019
The event also wasn’t wasteful, with the walls made from re-purposed shipping containers. Each container/wall is planned to be re-homed rather than scrapped.
As well as being a good chance to bring attention to their brand, the company also claims to have organised the “walls are meant for climbing” campaign as a not-so-subtle jab at US President Donald Trump. Back in January, they launched events in the US with a tweet. This tweet featured quotes about climbing over walls. The first of which was said by President Trump in 2014.
Disapointed you missed your chance? Don’t worry. The North Face plan to bring back free climbing sessions to the capitol on August 24th. This will coincide with global climbing day. The company also say they will donate one of the climbing containers to youth charity The Wickers.
Did you give the walls a go? See if you can spot yourself in the photo gallery!
