The 14 best wellness festivals of 2020 – Telegraph.co.uk

"There are so manysimilarities between the elation festivals inspire and that euphoric feeling that follows a workout, so why not bring the two together? asks Lauren Bath, founder of Kents LoveFit festival. Theres been a shift in the way we view fitness. Its no longer about punishing yourself in the gym, its about living life to the fullest.

Whether its restorative lakeside yoga or wild adventure and trail-running you seek, the rise of fitness and well-being on the UKs festival circuit is healthy hedonism at its best.

Festival-goers in 2020 want to come away from a weekend with more than just a hangover (that doesnt necessarily mean forsaking a drink or two altogether, although you may be more likely to find yourself nursing a kombucha or a green juice): either maximising the festival experience by packing in enriching activities, or retreating to an outdoor barrel saunaat the picturesque Wellbeing bythe Lakes festival, set in a Dorset sculpture park.

That doesnt mean all-star headliners and great music are out. People still love a festival vibe, but want to do right by their body and mind at the same time, explains Big Retreat Wales co-founder Amber Rich. Its not so much about giving up old habits, its about assimilating new ways of getting kicks and feeling all the better for it.

Wellness festivals are also evolving to embrace the topic of mental health, touching on what used to be taboo topics, often using comedy and inspirational speakers to break down barriers. Others encourage people to turn their hands to new disciplines, skills and crafts. Put that all in the mix with a special location, and a festival can have a hugely positive impact on well-being.

At dedicated festivals such as WellFest this year in both Dublin and Richmonds Old Deer Park, and Soul Circus in the Cotswolds, attendees flock to meet their wellness world heroes and to feel they are part of a community.

Personal trainers, yoga teachers, athletes, nutritionists, meditation gurus and mental-health advocates are celebrated as rock stars: a stellar line-up might include Third Spaces Alice Liveing (catch her at Balance festival), Thor star Chris Hemworths trainer Luke Zocchi (appearing at WellFest) and fitness legend Mr Motivator, appearing at LoveFits welcome party.

Meanwhile, arts and music festivals are also expanding their wellbeing offerings this year. "There are different festival crowds: some want a hedonistic party or a cultural gathering, while others want a more tranquil experience, explains Green Man festival director Fiona Stewart.

Whatever form your dose of festival well-being might take, theres a festival out there for you. Heres our pick of the best to book this year.

April 17-19

A celebration of feeling good in Shoreditch, with bookable big-name boutique studio workouts from Barrys Bootcamp (cardio and strength), Boom Cycle (spin, but with RuPauls Drag Race levels of sass), and F45s functional 45-minute circuits. It used to be cool to get drunk at music festivals, todays crowd is more into being genuinely in tune with themselves, the planet and feeling healthy, says founder Ludovic Rossignol-Isanovic.

Speakers include Stay Wild Swim founder Zanna van Dijk and elite performance coach Harry Jameson; recover at the Refuel Caf, in the Mindful Drinking Zone and in the Meditation Dome, and shop the stalls at The Market, featuring over 150 wellness products to sample, from vegan ice creams to raw chocolate. In The Locker Room, youll find athleisure gear and skincare experts.

The Old Truman Brewery; 15Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR; full day admission from 55; balance-festival.com

Ireland May 9-10 and London June 6-7

Europes largest outdoor health and wellness festival was previously held only in Dublin, but this year will also take place in the UK for the first time, headlined by fitness broadcaster Davina McCall. Other star guests include Seattle-based yoga teacher Patrick Beach, famed for his hatha vinyasa yoga.

People come to WellFest for a feel-good experience thats going to leave them inspired and motivated, but they also get the best parts of a traditional festival the setting, music, food and sense of community, says co-founder Helena Ryan.

Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin; wellfest.ie/festival; and at the Old Deer Park, Richmond, London; wellfestuk.com; weekend admission from 58

May 22-24

Billed as Britains biggest running party, RunFestRun 2020 is founded by Chris Evans and co-hosted by radio presenter, endurance runner and author Vassos Alexander.

The event sees running royalty Paula Radcliffe, Colin Jackson, Natasha Evans and Steve Cram captaining teams. Its a family-friendly gathering over three nights, with opportunities to take on your running route of choice, be it a 2.5k, a half marathon, a 10k, a relay or the popular family fancy dress run. This years music line-up includes All Saints, Basement Jaxx and The Feeling. Other special guests include Olympians Jo Pavey and Graham Bell.

Windsor Great Park, adult weekend tickets from 155; runfestrun.co.uk

May 22-25

Set amid Britains only coastal national park, in Pembrokeshire, special speakers this year include podcasters and comedians The Scummy Mummies, Richie Bostock (aka The Breath Guy) and Life Kitchen founder Ryan Riley. Attendees can take part in Clubbercise (a workout with glow sticks), Crossfit, triathlon training or roller skiing. In the calm of the yoga tent, binge on gentle yin yoga and gong baths. Most activities are included in the ticket price. Non-alcoholic drinks are increasingly in demand, so were having a Mindful Bar this year but also a Welsh gin bar for those that want to learn all about our wonderful gins! says co-founder Amber Rich.

Lawrenny, SA68 0PP; adult weekend tickets from 189; thebigretreatwales.co.uk

22-25 May

Named after the Leonard Cohen song, HTLGI is the world's largest philosophy and music festival, hosted by the Institute of Art and Ideas in an idyllic riverside location.

Get intimate with intellectuals in the inner circle tent, attend debates on topics including "Promiscuity and Power" with erotic capital theorist Catherine Hakim, or discuss the Power of the Present with McMindfulness author Ron Purser. Later, dance to Belle & Sebastian and The Correspondents, catch stand-up comedians like Olga Koch, and, once youve overdosed on culture, tuck into a long table banquet and hit up the wellness offering. The dedicated spa and wellbeing area offers classes, workshops, massage sessions, and alternative-healing therapies like Vortex Healing. Pay extra to stay in a luxury yurt, if youre feeling swish.

Wye End Road, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford HR3 5BG; 22-25 May; adult tickets with camping from 168; howthelightgetsin.org

July 3-5

A festival where ideas run wild: set in 50 acres of Capability Brown-designed parkland. As well as authors, speakers and academics like Philippa Perry, bands perform against the backdrop of a lake fringed with trees; theres fiery feasting from chefs such as Cabritos James Whetlor and Zoe Adjonyoh of Zoes Ghana Kitchen, plus rum shacks and tapas bars.

Whatever wellness is, you probably dont need 80 leggings to do it, posits this thoughtful festivals take on well-being, which offers eight pillars of well-being: lets get physical, community, environment, emotional intelligence, purpose in life, a spiritual element, new thinking and self-renewal. This could mean guided swims at sunrise, family acro yoga, Brazilian forr dance workshops, a cabaret show on a hay bale,songwriting, fermenting sourdough orimproving your improv with Richard Vranch, or listening to Professor Julian Savulescus discussion of love drugs and the chemical future of relationships.

Park Farm, Compton Verney, Warwick CV35 9HJ; adult weekend tickets 105; also-festival.com

July 2- 5

Trail-running music heads Thehttps://www.lovetrailsfestival.co.uk/o Larn-Jones and George Restall founded Love Trails on the Gower Peninsula in 2016. Just 35 close friends attended their first weekender; but this July theyre set to welcome over 3,500 attendees to enjoy running, adventure activities and music in equal measure.

Expect four nights of camping, parties and all-you-can-eat yoga: running novices are welcome scenic trail runs exploring the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty range from 5km to 42km (run as far or as little as you like, Larn-Jones emphasises).

Some trails promise a new activity to try at the finish: we like the sound of Run to Coasteering, Run to Rock Climbing, Run to Surfing and Run to SUP. Alternatively, just take part in the World Beer Mile Relay Championships and hang around to see The Futureheads or Shy FX on stage, relax in the wood-fired sauna, and catch the 30 speakers appearing on the Campfire Stage.

Weobley Castle, West Castle Farm, Llanrhidian, Swansea, SA3 1HB; standard festival ticket 149 for three days; lovetrailsfestival.co.uk

July 17-19

Fancy a spin class in a forest after a strongman-style workout session with GymBox (featuring tyre flipping and sled dragging), or a morning of honing your aerial yoga skills, followed by woodland spa stint and vegan food from Wrap It?

Following a welcome party from Nineties fitness legend MrMotivator, thats exactly what youll get at LoveFit festival, which also features a speed wall from Clip n Climb Chelsea. Instead of driving there, keen cyclists can even opt for a group 35-mile cycle from Greenwich to Kent to getthere via the Surrey Hills (theyll take care of your bags).

St Clere Estate, Kemsing, Sevenoaks TN15 6NL; early-bird weekend tickets from 124; lovefitfestival.com

30 July-2 August

This years main stage at glitter-abundant Wilderness is dominated by Foals, Supergrass, Loyle Carner and Kelis. Theres theatre, arts and food and drink galore (this years notorious long table feasting tent will see guest chefs Angela Hartnett, Skye Gyngell and Richard Corrigan serving banquets) but theres also a wild swimming lake and spa offering soothing post-party treatments (Veuve Clicquot hot tub bubbles optional, but recommended).

In total, four dedicated spaces cater to wellbeing: The Studio, The Shala, Mindful Space and Wellbeing in the Wild, Alternatively, sweat it out in the Hotpod yoga tent or embark on a Wild Run with The Midnight Runners. We also like the sound of disco dodgeball, and plant medicine walks with rewilding expert and author Rachel Corby.

Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire; spring release adult tickets 185 (plus 11.25 booking fee);wildernessfestival.com

1-2 August

Described as the 'Woodstock of Wellness' by Russell Brand and also back for its second year, this festival from presenter-turned-mental health advocate and podcaster Fearne Cotton (who has penned numerous self-help books including Quiet: Silencing the brain chatter and believing that youre good enough) promotes positivity and a clear mind through yoga (dont forget to bring your mat, and be prepared to give hip hop, reggae yoga or animal movement a go), creative workshops and inspiring celebrity speakers and authors (last year welcomed authors including The Body Coach Joe Wicks and The Telegraph columnist, mental health and body positivity campaigner Bryony Gordon). The full 2020 line-up is yet to be announced.

Chiswick House and Gardens, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London W4 2RP; day tickets from 35.75; happyplacefestival.com

20-23 August

Film, comedy and visual arts are a draw at this independent music and arts festival in the Brecon Beacons National Park, headlined by Michael Kiwanuka, Goldfrapp and Little Dragon. But wellbeing is also high on the agenda, says festival director Fiona Stewart. The spa area, Nature Nurture, is a place to soothe mind and body with sunrise yoga, restorative massages, meditation and mindfulness workshops, as well as the obligatory wood-fired hot tubs.

Einstein's Garden, the festivals science area, explores the latest research in health and the environment, and the spa area, Nature Nurture, is a place to soothe mind and body with sunrise yoga, restorative massages, meditation and mindfulness workshops, as well as health talks and wood-fired hot tubs. Green Man also offers a Settlers Pass which extends to a 7-day stay, encouraging pony trekking, hand gliding, waterfall walks and canoeing.

Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons; 195 for a standard adult weekend ticket; greenman.net

August 21-23

With dance parties from Roni Size and DJ Yoda come nightfall, soul setters at this holistic well-being festival can pick from over 400 workshops wrapped into the ticket price, including reiki, tai chi, hot yoga from Fierce Grace studios, live DJ yoga with Yogangsta, and breathwork in Lululemons Breathpod tepees courtesy of transformational breath coach Stuart Sandeman.

A highlight is the 20ft aerial yoga rig, featuring silks and hoops. Pole-dancing classes are new for this year, too. The Circus caf tent is a hub, with live music and wood-fired pizzas. Do book in advance for a treatment at lakeside Soul Spa they sell out fast. Its child-friendly, with discos, yoga sessions and crafts for kids. Confirmed highlights include teachers Stewart Gilchrist, Ana Forrest, Ambra Vallo, Michele Pernetta and NadiaNarain.

Hollow Farm, GL2 3SG, Gloucestershire; first release weekend tickets from 175; soulcircus.yoga

Sept 5-6

Verve Festival, set on an organic farm in the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, bills itself one of the UKs first zero-waste festivals, with a focus on nature and ecotherapy alongside health and wellness. As well as Pilates, breathwork, and fitness classes, there are bushcraft sessions and kids yoga plus opportunities to forest bathe and star gaze. Our disconnect from nature not only harms our environment but also our mental health, says founder Anna Hayward. Once youve had your fix, indulge in a hotstone massage at The Zest Spa and head to eitherthe sober curious cocktail bar, or the alcoholic cocktail bar (were not judging either way).

Broad Chalke, Salisbury SP55DR; weekend tickets 50; feeltheverve.com

Sept 11-13

Good Vibrations is the theme of this festival, set in Simon Gudgeons 24-acre sculpture park in the valley of the River Frome (think drumming circles, sound bowls and acoustic massage. Bliss). Back for its second year, it explores what it means to be mindful in a fast-paced world. There will be wellness speakers (last years line-up included Liz Earle MBE and Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten), talks on everything from modern career building to gardening for well-being, drop-in classes (qigong or kundalini yoga and dance fusion, anyone?), buzzing market stalls, cooking demos with produce fromthe on-site kitchen garden, creative art therapies and live music on Friday and Saturday evening until 10pm.

Pallington, Dorchester, DT28QU; super early bird three-day passes from 100, day passes from 35 (no accommodation on site); wellbeingbythelakes.co.uk

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The 14 best wellness festivals of 2020 - Telegraph.co.uk