Festival Season

BEST FOR:

FITNESS BUNNIES

Lovefit Festival, St Clere Estate, Kent, July 28-31

This year sees the arrival of a brand-new weekend of fitness, wellbeing and music
in a beautiful forest setting. Spend the day working out with an al-fresco spin class or gym session in the forest, a paddleboard yoga session on the lake or a Muay Thai lesson overlooking the Kent Downs. Unwind in the forest spa, where you’ll find bubbling hot tubs, saunas, hammocks and organic treatments. Then dance the night away, as the forest transforms into a music festival. Take your tent or upgrade to glamping accommodation, from bell tents to deluxe tenthouses. COST: from £140, including three days and nights’ entrance to the festival camping, plus four complimentary classes a day; lovefitfestival.com

Refresh Festival, Wellington Country Park, Berkshire, September 2-3

If you’re on the hunt for a family-friendly fitness festival, look no further than Refresh. Olympic runner Dame Kelly Holmes will host the debut festival, which has eight different zones including workout stages, yoga and Pilates workshops, nutritional advisors, spa treatments, healthy food stalls, shopping and chill out areas. The festival is keen to become the most environmentally sustainable festival in the market and is encouraging families to attend by including a children’s sport day and plenty more activities for little fit bunnies. COST: Early bird family tickets start from £55; refreshfestival.co.uk

BEST FOR:

BEACH LOVERS

Boardmasters, Cornwall, August 9-13

Inspired by the freedom, adventure and the creativity involved in surfing and music, Boardmasters is an exhilarating five-day festival of surf and music action. It spreads across two stunning Cornish locations: Fistral Beach, the UK’s surf mecca where the world class International Surf Competitions are held; and the beautiful Watergate Bay, where you can catch live music from acts including Alt-J, Jamiroquai and Jake Bugg. Party into the night, then revive your senses with a Boardmasters Beach Yoga Session on Fistral Beach or a coastal run, before spending the day surfing or lazing on the beach. New this year, the Holistic Tent at Watergate Bay will offer luxury therapies including massage, reiki and holistic massage. COST: Weekend tickets from £169 including Wednesday to Monday entry, camping and access to Fistral beach for
all competitions; boardmasters.co.uk

BEST FOR:

YOGIS

Soul Circus Yoga & Wellness Festival, Gloucester,
August 18-20

Yoga fans will love this new fusion festival. Start your day soaking up nature with
an outdoor sunrise yoga class, then immerse yourself in a whole range of yoga sessions – from rocket to restorative – led by top teachers. You can fuel your practice with delicious, wholesome food sourced from local farmers at The Circus Kitchen and Dining Room. Then, enjoy cosy supper clubs at the Counter Bar; music from a mix of genres, or dance your way into the night with the DJ after-party in the woods. COST: A weekend ticket costs £199 including classes, workshops and entertainment; soulcircus.yoga

Wanderlust 108, Victoria Park, London, September 23

Calling all yogis, the producers of the largest yoga lifestyle events in the world, is bringing Wanderlust 108 to London. Wanderlust has worked with leading fitness brand Adidas to create a ‘mindful triathlon’, which includes a 5K run (or walk), a 90-minute yoga class and a guided meditation. After you’ve completed your ‘mindful triathlon’ you can enjoy live music, delicious food, and a free class such as aerial yoga, acro-yoga, hooping and walking meditations. COST: Early bird tickets start from £26.25; wanderlust.com/108-events/london/

BEST FOR:

CULTURE VULTURES

Port Eliot Festival, St Germans Estate, Cornwall,
July 27-30

Set in the beautiful, rolling countryside and gardens of St Germans estate, this magical celebration of words, music, food, fashion and imagination is the original boutique festival and still manages to feel like a private garden party. For four days, you can roam the grounds wild swimming in the estuary, picnicking under the trees, watching cooking demos from top foodies, including Gizzi Erskine and Thomasina Miers or listening to gigs in Cornwall’s oldest church. When you’ve sated your cultural appetite, head to Lark’s Haven, an oasis of Zen with hot tubs and saunas to soothe weary limbs and workshops to help you find inner peace. Stretch out, meditate and dance in The Yoga Yurt with sessions including Vinyasa flow, Disco Yoga and Tibetan chanting. There’s also medicinal foraging sessions, astronomy adventures, a host of activities for kids from a Forest School to Amazing Art Cart workshops, and so much more. COST: A weekend ticket costs from £165; porteliotfestival.com

BEST FOR:

FOODIES

Foodies Festival, Syon Park London and across the UK. from May 27-29 and dates through the summer.

Dubbed the ‘Gastronomic
Glastonbury’, this series of
(non-residential) food-loving
festivals has a healthy living
focus this year so you can
indulge, guilt free! The largest
food festival in the UK, it visits
Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Oxford and more, celebrating local food and small producers, talented chefs and bakers. Alongside cookery demos from top foodies and chefs, Q&A sessions with nutritionists and stars including Nadia Hussain, there’s meditation, yoga classes and live music. COST: London Day tickets cost from £12; weekend tickets cost from £25; foodiesfestival.com

The Big Feastival, Cotswolds Farm, Kingham, Oxfordshire, August 25-27

Looking to make plans for the August bank holiday weekend? Jamie Oliver and Alex James’ six-year-old event The Big Feastival combines the perfect mixture of great food and music for an amazing weekend on the idyllic Cotswolds Farm. Enjoy classes and demonstrations from world-class chefs, award-winning street food, live music from British favourites, and plenty of fun activities for teenagers and little festival-goers. COST: Day tickets start from £37 and weekend tickets from £104.50. You can also book a campsite from £104.50; uk.thebigfeastival.com

BEST FOR:

ECO QUEENS

Wilderness, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire,
August 3-6

If you love camping and communing with nature just as much as you enjoy the music and partying side of festivals, head for Wilderness. Set in a private nature reserve with ancient forests, undulating meadows and a fresh-water lake where you can wild swim, there’s space to breathe and dream while you enjoy the magic. With no day-guest passes, it’s a truly immersive experience. You could spend the entire festival lazing at The Lakeside Spa, being pampered in the Neals’ Yard yurts or trying the huge array of yoga, Pilates and Barre classes. But then you’d miss the pop-up banquets from chefs such as Ottolenghi, amazing theatre performances and stimulating debates, clubbing deep in the forest at The Valley and rocking out to this year’s headliners including Grace Jones. COST: From £168.50 for a weekend ticket; wildernessfestival.com

BEST FOR:

MUSIC FANS

Bestival, Lulworth Estate, Dorset, September 7-10

For all you die-hard music lovers, Bestifval will quench your desire for a classic summer music festival, packed with a myriad of national and international talent. Catch renowned British band The XX as they headline the event with their brand new album I See You, or boogie down to iconic 90s band A Tribe Called Quest’s sounds. It’s not all about the music, though – there is heaps more to do. Stroll up to the Slow Motion arena where you can take part in yoga and spin classes, nature runs, or relax in hot tubs and enjoy healthy food. All this, with the beautiful Lulworth Castle as a backdrop! COST: Adult weekend tickets start from £196, with discounted options available for students and children aged under 17 years old; bestival.net

Camp Bestival, Lulworth Estate, Dorset, July 27-30

If you can’t make Bestival but still want a taste of the action, why not check out it’s little sister event, held earlier in the year, in the same location. The festival includes similar activities to Bestival, such as the Slow Motion wellness and fitness area. Again, live-music trumps the festival with almost 100 incredible performances to enjoy over the weekend. More family-orientated, Camp Bestival features a huge kids’ area where you can let your little ones run around and explore the many activities including soft play, circus skills, go-carts and shows. COST: Adult day tickets start from £65; campbestival.net