Fed up of festivals that leave you feeling battered, bruised and hanging for a week straight? We have a solution. Welcome to the wellness festival – a place where health and hedonism coexist, combining wholesome wellbeing activities with the best parts of a traditional festival experience. Spend your days experiencing sound baths, working up a sweat or wild swimming and nights revelling underneath the stars. Who said you can’t have it all? Here are the best wellness festivals to book in 2022-2023…
Six Senses Ibiza Alma Festival
From 3rd-6th November, Six Senses Ibiza will transform into Alma, uniting likeminded zen seekers in a spiritual paradise filled with sunset ceremonies, soulful workshops, fireside conversations and communal banquets. Over the three days, Alma will host an impressive range of insightful experts, including wellness whizz Jasmine Hemsley, “father of biohacking” Dave Asprey, Mindvalley CEO Vishen Lakhani and co-founder of meditation app Calm Michael Acton Smith to name a few. The festival will conclude with a closing ceremony at the Beach Caves, Six Senses Ibiza’s newest extension to the resort.
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Wonderfruit Wellness Festival
Set amongst the exotic tropical fields of Siam Country Club, just two hours away from Bangkok, Wonderfruit festival offers a collection of unique experiences inspired by art, culture, music and nature, with meditative soundscapes, ancient rituals, sonic nature immersion and more.
There’s an organic bathhouse designed by Ab Rogers, a whole part of the programme dedicated to the human body as Axis Mundi plus new and specially planted ancient forest designed by the world’s leading Miyawaki Forest Makers.
Escape to Wonderness, to revive and rebalance the soul, with self-discovery workshops and heart opening healing. Afterwards, explore Forbidden Fruit, a beautiful boudoir built from bamboo, which provides a home for musical and artistic takeovers from all over the world, and a platform for bold statements and unashamed self-expression.
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Verve Festival
Move, breathe, learn, connect and relax at Verve festival, a celebration of health, wellness and nature. Yoga and meditation are at the heart of the event, from blissful Yin, to energising Disco Flow yoga, to powerful Pilates and breathwork exercises. After working up an appetite, satisfy your hunger with wholesome and hearty arrays of culinary delights created by gastronomic gurus of the South West.
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Soul Circus 2023
Set in the rural Cotswolds countryside, Soul Circus is a wellness festival where music, yoga and holistic therapies meet glittery festival antics. Indulge your inner wellness warrior with shamanic journeying, ecstatic meditations and hip-hop fused yoga sessions that will have you twerking your downward dog. Happy hour sees the Cotswold bar company serving ice cold sun downers to lead you into dusk dancing, with after parties running till 2am every night.
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Boardmasters 2023
Fistral Beach becomes a sanctuary for surfers at Boardmasters festival, with Pro Surf, skate and BMX competitions, art installations, live music and a bustling shopping village. Tempt your tastebuds with local artisan produce at the Cornish food market or lose yourself to dance and discover hands-in-the-air happiness when running wild across the UK’s largest silent disco.
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LoveFit 2023
LoveFit brings together all of your favourite workout studios into the woods. Detox by day and retox by night in 3-days’ forest fitness festivities. From hot tubs to trapeze, trail runs to tarot readings, there’s activities to be enjoyed by everyone. Teaming up with Thomson & Scott, the festival features organic, vegan Prosecco on tap around the clock – it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, right? And when you do fancy swapping tequila slammers for ginger shots, B.Fresh is ready and waiting to serve up glasses of 100% cold pressed juice, the perfect hangover antidote.
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Wilderness 2023
Wilderness festival is a healthy hedonist haven set in Oxfordshire offering wild swimming, psychedelic therapy, a variety of enlightening talks from guests including The Guilty Feminist, wilderness workshops and feasting. With the main stage hosting worldwide worshipped Peggy Gou, Years & Years and Sophie Ellis Baxter, there won’t be any murders on the dancefloor or grooves killed at this boogie fest.
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Balance Festival 2023
Balance Festival is the ultimate wellness weekender. Workout with London’s leading boutique studios like Barry’s, quench your thirst with mindful cocktails such as Caleño drinks, revolutionise your recovery with Therabody and hang out with health friendly inventions at the Start Up Village. Make sure to save room for tasters when sampling your way around the market, where over 150 vendors will be displaying what’s hot in the world of wellness. Think delicately crafted raw chocolate, experimental alt-milks, vegan ice cream, kombucha infusions, fresh produce and healthy(ish) booze, plus much, much more.
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Big Retreat Festival 2023
Find your feel good at the Big Retreat Festival, set in Pembrokeshire. Explore over 300 carefully curated, experiences, classes, workshops and inspirational talks to help you relax, reboot and reflect. Little retreaters can also get involved with snorkelling, dance classes, circus skills, bushcraft, foraging, music, and arts & crafts.
WellFest 2023
Featuring a stellar star-studded line-up of qualified health and wellness experts, WellFest is the place to be inspired and takeaway tips to help you on your own wellness journey. Headliners include Joe Wicks, Bradley Simmonds, Cat Meffan and Tally Rye. Utilise the opportunity to try out leading methods and styles of movement, from HIIT to yoga, dance cardio and more.
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World Yoga Festival 2023
Head-to-Henley on Thames for four days dedicated to yoga, gong baths, reiki healing, philosophical talks and concerts. The festival will be filled with finger licking food stalls and there will also be the opportunity for retail therapy, with a sacred market of crystals, hempen, eco conscious clothing and natural beauty products.
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Happy Place Festival 2023
Described as the “Woodstock of wellness” by Russel Brand, Ferne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival is a creative space for self-love and happiness involving everything from talks, workshops, meditation and yoga classes, to arts and crafts, massages and a variety of fitness classes and taster sessions.
Book here
Liked his review of the best wellness festivals in 2022-23? Read ‘How a festival in my 20’s compares to one in my 30’s‘
FAQ
What can I expect from a wellness festival?
At a wellness festival, you can expect to participate in a variety of activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. You can also expect to meet like-minded individuals and learn from experts in the wellness industry.
Are wellness festivals suitable for beginners?
Yes, wellness festivals are suitable for beginners as they offer a range of activities for all levels of experience. Many festivals also offer beginner-friendly workshops and classes.
How much do wellness festivals cost?
The cost of wellness festivals varies depending on the location, duration, and activities offered. Prices can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars for a VIP package.
Hettie is the editor and co-founder of DOSE. A keen runner, she’s also partial to a blast of high-intensity and hot yoga. A country girl at heart, she divides her time between London and the lush rolling hills of North Devon. When she’s not jetting off on her next adventure, Hettie can be found in a candle-lit alcove with a laptop, a spaniel and a full bodied Malbec.
