Wellness festivals: UK dates for your diary in 2019

In Goop Health wellness summit

Having begun life in 2008 as an online newsletter, Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘modern lifestyle brand’ Goop has since grown into a multi-million-dollar empire offering alternative therapies and exercise equipment, as well as beauty products and fashionwear. Now, Paltrow’s LA-born In Goop Health wellness summit is coming to London for the first time. Featuring panel talks, self-care stations, alternative medicines and fitness classes, the immersive event is the physical embodiment of everything Goop stands for.

Price: £1,000

Happy Place Festival

The public saw another side to Fearne Cotton when the presenter released a wellness-oriented cookbook, Cook Happy, Cook Healthy, in 2016. The book was followed by several more, each focused on a similar theme, and subsequently a wellness podcast Happy Place, which launched in 2018.

Now, Cotton is turning her attention to the festival scene, debuting her own Happy Place Festival this summer. Spread over two locations and two weekends, the festival is pitched as ‘a place to enjoy all things that make us happy, [from] a clear mind, body and soul, [to] joyful food'.

As such, guests can work to find inner calm in the meditation and mindfulness tepee, while in the yoga and stretch tent, which is being run in association with Sweaty Betty, they can try out an intriguing-sounding scented pilates class as well as yoga and barre.

In the Creative Workshop tepee, the focus is on finding and nurturing a new passion – from origami to embroidery. Complimentary workshops geared towards helping guests to slow down and switch off are also running throughout the festival. If you go, don’t miss out on hearing from the host of celebrity guest speakers who are delivering talks, including Russell Brand, Katie Piper, Joe Wicks and Jasmine Hemsley.

PRICE: £35.75

Lululemon Sweatlife Festival 2019

Luxe gymwear brand Lululemon’s Sweatlife Festival returns this June, bringing with it the chance to join 6,000 other keen gym bunnies in not only sweating it out, but looking after the mind, too. At the heart-pumping end of the scale, you can take part in classes led by some of London’s top fitness studios, including Barry’s Bootcamp, Third Space and FRAME. Mental health wise, there are a number of talks to listen in on, including Science Behind Wellness, in which three doctors sort fact from fiction.

Find inner peace in sessions led by the Richie Bostock (aka the Breath Guy), the Re: Charge team and meditation specialist Dr Dani Gordon. And, if you’re a yogi, don’t leave without stretching in your class of choice: from Roots and Wings’ vinyasa flow, to Mia Togi and triyoga’s ‘align, explore, awaken'.

Price: £35 (day ticket) - £115 (essentials weekend pass)

Love Fit

It’s all about ‘adventure fitness’ at Love Fit, a three-day festival on the St Clere Estate in Sevenoaks, which aims to combine the elation festivals evoke with the euphoria of a workout. You’ll find several top fitness studios in residence here, including KOBOX, Another_Space and F45. You can also push your muscles in ‘broga’ (yoga for gym-loving bros, essentially), or by testing your skills at pilates on a paddle board.

Whichever classes you try, you’ll have the chance to soak your muscles post-workout in a wood-fired hot tub, or have a relaxing spa treatment. As and when you need to refuel, there are food trucks on site serving healthy meals, so you can enjoy a vegan or light-and-protein-led main, followed by the likes of dairy-free ice cream. You’ll need to replenish your energy levels before nightfall, when it’s all about partying to live bands and DJ sets in the magical forest.

Price: £79 - £139

The London Yoga Festival

If it’s yoga with a side of yoga and a little more yoga on top of that you’re after, look no further than the London Yoga Festival. Held over two days in October, the festival this year brings together 30 senior teachers who represent excellence in their field, and students can learn how to engage deeper with their practice. The London Yoga Festival celebrates major and authentic yoga approaches only – so don’t expect to find any ‘broga’ classes here.

This year, the theme of the festival is ‘Kriya’: action through yoga. In the words of its organisers: ‘you can practice, listen, watch, debate, learn, be inspired, connect, all without the distractions and illusion of commercial stalls’.

Price: £171

Wanderlust 108

Wanderlust 108 is an annual festival you don’t have to devote a whole weekend to. For one day only – on 27 July – Battersea Park plays home to the well-rounded fitness festival, which has outposts across Europe and the US, and attracts thousands of attendees each year. This year, the Battersea edition kicks off with a secret meditation, which is followed by a 5K run, an intention-setting class, yoga, more meditation and then a healthy lunch.

In the afternoon, attendees are free to take part in a bonus activity of their choice – from hula hooping to sound healing – before coming together again for the final activity of the day: Soulsonyx & Dance Expression. Here, the idea is that you awaken the superpowers within you through merging guided breathwork with psychoacoustic electric soundscapes and live high vibrational acoustic instruments. All sessions are led by recognised teachers and spiritual leaders.

Price: £15 - £95

Om Yoga Show

Over the past 15 years, the OM Yoga Show has grown to become one of the biggest yoga gatherings in Europe. The London show returns to Alexandra Palace this October, bringing with it three days of thorough and intensive training in a variety of yoga forms. The exact programme is yet to be announced, but attendees can expect to be guided in classes by highly experienced teachers from all over the world.

PRICE: £12 - £21