Organisers of Keswick Mountain Festival have confirmed that they are reverting back to the month of May for their 2019 event.

The 2017 and recent 2018 festivals were held in June, following a switch from previous events in May.

Now it has been confirmed that the 2019 Keswick Mountain Festival will run from May 17-19 and it will help kick off the Lake District town's busy calendar of events.

The festival will continue to use its traditional base in Crow Park and use a range of other venues and sites in the area for its various activities and attractions.

Organisers have pledged to make next year's event bigger and better than last month's impressive extravaganza.

The 2018 Keswick Mountain Festival saw the event’s biggest ever programme of sporting events, outdoor activities, speakers, live music, taster activities, camping and exhibitors.

Over 3,000 people took part in the sporting events, 12,000 watched two nights of live music, and thousands more visitors made the most of attractions in the Theatre by the Lake and the Festival Village in Crow Park.

Spice Girl Melanie C headlined the Saturday night bill this year, giving her own seal of approval to Keswick in front of the thousands who had flocked to Crow Park for her set.

Melanie C, dressed casually in black jeans and a black Pink Floyd t-shirt, told the crowd as the sun set over the park: "I grew up not far from here, but have never been to Keswick before! Isn’t this the most incredible place in the world?"

Earlier it had been the turn of 90s Britpop stars The Farm to perform on the Subaru Stage as dusk began to fall.

Tickets for the 2019 Keswick Mountain Festival sporting events are expected to go on sale in September, with other festival tickets being available from January.

Nicola Meadley, Keswick Mountain Festival director, said: "Keswick Mountain Festival is a big and complex event to organise, particularly now that it has grown to such a large scale, so it is important to have plenty of time available to prepare.

"After really constructive conversations with local stakeholders and our sponsors, we are very pleased to have been able to confirm the 2019 dates.

"Now we can get on with the job of delivering a festival that’s even better than this year’s, which will be quite a challenge."

Good weather blessed last month's festival, which saw visitors enjoy taster sessions in adventurous activities such as slacklining, zorbing, climbing, orienteering and BMX riding.

Sporting events included trail runs, open water swims, triathlons, a cycling sportive and a range of junior events.

New for 2018 was the Jack Wolfskin KMF 3 Peaks Challenge, which saw hundreds of walkers tackle an 18-mile route around Derwentwater that included the three iconic fells of Cat Bells, Walla Crag and Latrigg.

Big-name speakers included round the world cycling record holder Mark Beaumont, multiple ironman triathlon world champion Chrissie Wellington and leading figures from the world of adventure, such as mountaineer Alan Hinkes, Alastair Humphreys of #microadventures fame, BBC Natural History’s Emma Brennand, and Sean Conway, the first and only man in history to cycle, swim and run the length of Britain.

Keswick Mountain Festival was launched in 2007 and has developed into one of the UK’s best loved and biggest events for outdoor enthusiasts.