Why wellness is booming at festivals in the UK

Why wellness is booming at festivals in the UK Image source, Josh HarkonImage caption, Wellness has been part of the Boardmasters festival for nearly a decade, according to its founders ByAlice CullinaneWest MidlandsPublishedJust nowSmelly outside toilets, muddy fields, day drinking and not sleeping might sound like a familiar festival experience to many. But, as people spend more money on activities that improve their wellbeing - it is a multi-trillion pound industry - music events are dedicating spaces to things like yoga classes and wood-fired saunas, to appeal to festival-goers.Worth more than £160bn, the UK's wellness industry is continuing to grow in 2026 and the average consumer spent about a third more in 2024 than five years before that, according to the Global Wellness Institute.Organisers of the Boardmasters festival, in Newquay, Cornwall, said they have seen a massive shift in demand for wellness, as attendees seek to "maintain their at-home rituals" like morning yoga, runs or treatments while at the event."Five or 10 years ago, wellness was very much a niche add-on. Now it's a core part of why people come," organisers said. Image source, Darina FistralImage caption, Organisers of Boardmasters said wellness was "right at the heart" of the festival Their festival programme has increased over the years to include run clubs, sound baths and Pilates, alongside activities like jewellery and candle-making.They have introduced a boutique spa for 2026 as they said demand for wellbeing activities continued to boom and it will offer treatment tents, facials and aromatherapy as "moments of serenity" for festival-goers. Attendees were increasingly looking for experiences that were not just about partying but where they could "recharge and reconnect" with their wellbeing, organisers said."People want both the euphoria of a headline set and the calm of a cliffside yoga session the next morning," the...