Preview: Wild & Well 2018

Move, eat, connect and explore are the four themes of Wild & Well, a new festival taking place in across Bristol over the weekend of October 20 and 21.

Co-founded by four friends who have been working in the events industry for over a decade, Aisling Mustan, Gemma Thorogood, Ali Rowe and Kat Ballam, it was a gap in the health and wellbeing market that first made the team think about running this sort of festival.

The festival aims to connect people to nature and each other, as well as offering talks, food demos and fitness events

“There are certain wellbeing events out there that are very ‘hippie’ and appeal to people on a higher level of consciousness,” Aisling deadpans, “and then there are fitness events that are all about denial and getting the perfect body and selling products. We’re all really passionate about wellbeing and wanted to do something in the middle.

“We’re putting on a diverse and engaging programme of events plus a range of tools to live happier, healthier and more connected lives. There will be loads of things for people to pick from – we’re not shoving solutions down the throats of the people who come along, but rather empowering people to make decisions for themselves. We want to create a real community that can support each other and continue through the year after the festival ends.

“We’re also getting away from the idea of perfection, and that if something doesn’t work for you it’s your fault because that’s just setting people up to fail. There is a lack of vulnerability in the Instagram fitness craze: it’s success or nothing. The reality is that you know you best, and should be allowed to work out what’s best for you. For a lot of us that means leaving an exercise class with a smile on your face, not feeling the burn. Fitness should be enjoyable.”

Eco-chef Tom Hunt will be at the foodie hub on Brandon Hill to talk about eating well and ethically

The programme for the two-day festival is certainly diverse, stretching across several festival sites with a regular shuttle bus to connect them. A yurt on Brandon Hill will provide the focus for the food and drink events, while Ashton Court Estate will host activities like trail running, mountain biking, forest school, hiking and foraging.

Two dedicated yoga venues will offer a programme of classes and workshops for every level, while We The Curious and Arnolfini will host panel talks and workshops with a diverse lineup of speakers. The festival will also be taking over the IMAX cinema within Bristol Aquarium for a Wild Film Festival.

“Wild & Well has a forcefield around it, and people have been dying to work with us, which is amazing for a first-time event,” Aisling continues. “I put that down to us having captured an appetite. People keep saying to us ‘I can’t believe it’s not happened before’, and it really is hard to believe.”

Activities for wild youngsters include sessions with Woodland Tribe, who help young people build their own adventure playgrounds

Wild & Well’s fitness events and classes hope to emphasise feel-good fun, with events including drum’n’bass workouts and ballroom dancing. The team has also teamed up with Bestival to bring SPIINBOX to Bristol for the first time: a unique spinning studio created by DJ Rob Da Bank and former Olympic triathlete Tim Weeks.

Bristol felt like the natural choice for the festival for several important reasons, Aisling says. “The connection with nature in Bristol is huge: you’ve got Wildscreen, the Festival of Nature and the BBC Natural History Unit and as a city we are passionate about outdoors.

“There’s also a philosophy of collaboration here: there’s a real maverick attitude to doing things in Bristol, and also a lack of competition: people want to see great things happen and support those who are doing them.”

A limited number of early bird tickets for Wild & Well festival are available from £25. To book tickets and find out more about the programme, visit www.wildandwell.org