NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
If the last music festival you attended left you recovering for two weeks afterwards, you might be wary about booking tickets this year.
But that doesn’t mean your summer festival dreams have to be over.
Wellness festivals are popping up across the UK this summer, promising an altogether more zen way of partying.
From outdoorsy fun like wild swimming and forest bathing to a weekend of vegan activism, here are the health-conscious festivals to head to this summer.
Founded in 2017 to help health-conscious partygoers find their feel-good, the vibe is more about rebooting your mental and physical health than raving til the sun rises.
Restore and replenish in the Soul Space where fire-walking sits beside yoga; sweat it out with dancers and runners in the Energy Field; and chill out to 90s rock survivors Toploader and Reef, headlining the main stage.
Day tickets from £66.
Hate camping? Rooms at the Ty Milford Waterfront Hotel from £80pn.
A ‘next generation ideas festival’, Also is a cerebral affair – think dry wit with a glass of dry white (not techno and tequila).
Tapping into the demand for planet-conscious experiential fun, the organisers have curated a programme of thought-provoking experiences, from breath-work and flower-crown-making to forest foraging and night-time nature adventures.
Day tickets from £42.66.
Hate camping? Mercure Warwickshire Walton Hall Hotel & Spa has rooms from £67pn.
Wilderness was one of the first to understand the new discerning festival-goer looking for more wholesome cultural and social interactions.
As such, it’s retained its old-school air of fun, encouraging sparkly festival fashion alongside enriching wellbeing experiences.
Wild tea ceremonies, paddleboard yoga and a ‘goddess space’ for empowering women are all factored in alongside rituals, reiki and gong baths. At night, the DJs come out, so drinks and dancing are also on the menu.
Non-camping weekend tickets from £208.33.
Hate camping? The Bull Inn, Charlbury, has rooms from £109pn.
Covid’s unrelenting pressure and a massive rise in the alcohol-free movement has seen a new breed of party-person emerge – the healthy hedonist.
Cue Medicine: all about connecting with others while having fun.
There’s a huge emphasis on healing – both personally, by way of wild swimming, forest bathing and yoga, but also through cultural exchange with guest speakers from indigenous communities around the world.
Sunday tickets cost £84.
Hate camping? The Malmaison Reading has rooms from £99pn.
More serious headliners such as Earthling Ed and Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch are balanced by the cheeky irreverence of Simon Amstell and RuPaul Drag Race’s Bimini Bon Boulash.
Grime MC JME and reggae artist Macka B bring chilled daytime vibes and each night finishes with a DJ-led after-party.
On the fence about how incredible vegan food can be? Head here for an education.
Weekend tickets from £75.
Hate camping? Rooms at the Greyhound Inn in Lutterworth from £80pn.
For more mental health advice, discover our Mentally Yours podcast.
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Follow us on Twitter at @MentallyYrs.
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