Sick of spending your summer waking up in a sweaty tent stinking of cider, with a half-eaten, ill-advised mystery meat burger and only fuzzy memories of the night before?
Yeah.
Your festival season doesn't have to be all about hangovers and boozing. The wellness festival industry this year is bigger than ever before, which means you can swap queuing for gross toilets with sunrise yoga, swerve watching a questionable band for a workshop on how to meditate your way to success, and give undercooked cheesy chips a miss in favour of a sweet potato and quinoa bake topped with freshly caught salmon. That sounds nice, doesn't it?
Here are a few of the best wellness festivals to go to this year.
Wilderness Festival
The beautiful festival full of beautiful people is back this summer with the usual food to die for and hedonistic afterparties but remember, there are also fitness classes from Triyoga, Frame and Bodyism. There are wild runs for those who fancy zipping through the forest after dark, wild swimming, meditation, massages, foraging, nature walks, horse riding and everything yoga – from raves to brunches. Best of all, though, are the self-defence classes that Refinery29 is hosting. Yep, we've teamed up with Ramla Ali, a boxer who's represented Team GB, to host sessions throughout the weekend to help teach women self-confidence and personal safety at the same time.
Balance Festival
Handily located in east London's Truman Brewery, this three-day event packs in more fitness and food than even your annoying friend who does Pilates every day before work could handle. Try out classes from fitness big-hitters Another Space (their Box HIIT class is terrifying but excellent), Barry's Bootcamp, Boom Cycle, Triyoga and Equinox. Then, once you're suitably tired out, get on the food with live cooking theatres from Annie Clarke, Deliciously Ella, and the Doctor's Kitchen, with – of course – all the (healthy) food you could possibly eat.
Soul Circus
This Cotswolds-set festival covers every wellness buzzword under the sun. Think hot yoga, gong baths, aerial classes, sunset meditation, light therapy, juices, clean eating... the list goes on. Don't worry though, it's not too virtuous – there's also gin tasting, live music and afterparties, so you can still do what comes naturally at festivals (just make sure you do some yoga afterwards to combat the excess).
LoveFit
What kind of people have we become that paying to work out for three days at a festival seems like a sensible idea? And yet here we are. LoveFit is the festival dedicated to fitness and features classes from 1Rebel, Fierce Grace Yoga, Good Life Yoga and even Mr. Motivator himself. There are also 'boutique' afterparties, including one in the forest on Saturday night followed by acoustic sets on Sunday to recover while indulging in meditation, hot tubs, reflexology and wild runs.
Festival No. 6
Another festival that sits firmly in the 'boutique' category, Festival No. 6, staged in the famously beautiful Portmeirion, may be tough to get to but as well as a stellar musical lineup (Erol Alkan, Everything Everything, Anna Calvi) there are also plenty of wellness activities, from woodland runs, swimming, paddle boarding and hot tubs to yoga, massages, various treatments and inspirational talks.
Nature Nurture at Green Man
Green Man festival is already super zen but, if you want to go deeper, head over to its Nature Nurture healing garden for everything from yoga and Pilates classes, meditation, Indian summer massages and outdoor wood-fired hot tubs (glass of champagne encouraged) to saunas, showers, hairdryers and straighteners. Who said camping had to be messy?
16th-19th August, Brecon Beacons
Body & Soul
Born out of a wish to celebrate the summer solstice, this festival in Ireland features a magical musical lineup with everyone from Fever Ray to Shamir, Jon Hopkins to Chronixx performing. However, there's also the wellness aspect to enjoy – head down to the Sanctuary to check out therapists and masseuses as well as sound healers, yoga teachers and more. The Immerse Spa Experience features luxurious seaweed baths, and Balinese steam treatments.
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