A workout and audience Q&A with fitness phenomenon Joe Wicks MBE; a talk on mental health by the doctor and mental health advocate Dr. Alex George; as well as high-energy, party-style workouts led by Maeve Madden, Niamh Cullen and Faisal Abdalla; and House of Voga – the on-trend fitness craze that’s a fusion of vogueing and yoga set to an 80s’ soundtrack – are among the highlights of the full WellFest timetable announced today (28.04.22).

New additions to the line-up were also revealed, including chef and TV presenter Clodagh McKenna, who will do a live cooking demo in the WellFood area; and Angela Scanlon who will participate in a one-to-one conversation about gratitude, with Kathryn Thomas in the WellTalk area.

WellFest, in association with Gym+Coffee, is Europe’s biggest outdoor health, fitness and wellness festival, and will take place on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin 8.

This year, WellFest will feature more than 15 stages; over 150 health and fitness experts; a vast array of talks, workshops, cookery demos and workouts; and a dedicated schedule for children in the WellKids area.

The timetable unveiled today gives details of the ‘big name’ speakers appearing at the festival over the two days, with highlights including:

Saturday, 7th May

  • Joe Wicks MBE, aka ‘The Body Coach’, led thousands of attendees through his ‘Lean in 15 HIIT’ workout in previous years and he’s back to lead it again this year on the Gym+Coffee Main Stage. He will also be reading from his new children’s book ‘The Burpee Bears’, followed by an audience Q&A in the WellTalk area, in partnership with Fitbit. Joe will also participate in a book signing at the Dubray Books tent.
  • Presenter, podcaster and author Angela Scanlon will participate in a talk in the WellTalk area, hosted by the founder of PureResults.ie and broadcaster Kathryn Thomas. Angela will also be signing copies of her new book ‘Joyrider — The Practice of Gratitude’ at the Dubray Books tent.
  • UK fitness expert and personal trainer to stars including Ellie Goulding and Ella Eyre, Faisal Abdalla will deliver his signature ‘NRG HIIT bodyweight-strength workout’ on the Gym+Coffee Main Stage.
  • In the WellFood area, popular UK-based Irish chef and TV presenter Clodagh McKenna will rustle up some of her ‘glow’ recipes, designed to be full of goodness.
  • Dubai-based Irish personal trainer, model and founder of the ‘Queens Don’t Quit’ fitness community, Maeve Madden, will lead a ‘Combat Queens HIIT’ party on the Gym+Coffee Main Stage on both days.
  • Irish woman on a mission to eliminate shame and confusion from sex and promote sexual wellness for women, Jenny Keane, will deliver a talk on holistic sex education in the WellTalk area, along with a tantra yoga session in the WellYoga tent.
  • At the WellMind area, in partnership with Toyota, Gerry Hussey and Miriam Kerins Hussey will deliver several sessions across the weekend covering topics such as ‘dissolving your ego’, ‘unweaving your deepest beliefs and memories’, and ‘rebalancing your central nervous system’. The WellMind schedule also features sessions from other experts on breath work; how to build a healthy brain; mindfulness and becoming a mum.
  • International yoga star Cat Meffan will take to the Gym+Coffee Main Stage and WellYoga area to guide yoga flows.

Sunday, 8th May

  • A&E doctor, UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador and former ‘Love Island’ star Dr. Alex George will take to the WellTalk area, in partnership with Fitbit, for a discussion on mental health.
  • Personal trainer and fitness influencer Bradley Simmonds, a former professional footballer for clubs including Chelsea FC and Queens Park Rangers, will present workouts on the Gym+Coffee Main Stage, and also in the WellFit area, in association with FLYEfit. 
  • Fitness coach and lifestyle influencer Niamh Cullen will take her ‘Sunrise Club’ workout to the Gym+Coffee Main Stage.
  • Chef and best-selling author Trisha Lewis, aka ‘Trisha’s Transformation’, will host a cooking demo in the WellFood tent.
  • Yoga expert and nutritionist Le’Nise Brothers, a specialist in women’s health, hormones and the menstrual cycle, will deliver a talk in the WellTalk area on how to harness your menstrual cycle, as well as guiding a yoga flow in WellYoga.
  • Mental health advocate, author, podcaster and former professional athlete Niall Breslin, aka Bressie, will take to the WellMind stage to host a mental health discussion.

New Festival App

The WellFest timetable can be accessed on the newly launched free WellFest app for IOS and Android. WellFest invested in the app for this year’s festival as a sustainability initiative to help reduce the amount of printing and waste. The full timetable is also available to view at: www.wellfest.ie/timetable-2022

Announcing the timetable today, WellFest’s organisers said they are delighted to be back hosting so many top names in person this year, adding that an enhanced WellMind area is a significant development for this event. Helena Ryan, a co-founder of WellFest, said: “With the festival coming back in-person for the first time in two years, we want to give attendees the best WellFest experience yet. We have secured some of the most exciting, innovative and high-energy names from the international and Irish fitness and wellness circuit across both days.

“We’ve also listened to feedback from previous years, and have jampacked the timetable with highly requested health and fitness experts. We’re also delighted to have an expanded WellMind area this year, as we feel that now than ever, more people are looking for the best advice and routes towards looking after all aspects of their health and wellness. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham next weekend.”

Something for everyone

Over the weekend, the timetable will feature a variety of workout options for festival-goers. House of Voga – a dance-yoga crossover phenomenon set to 80s tunes – will feature on the Gym+Coffee Main Stage on the Saturday of the festival.

Platinum Pilates will return with a full schedule of different styles of classes in the WellPilates area, and McSport will host indoor cycling classes by master trainers in their area.

In addition, FLYEfit is the official gym partner of the WellFit area and will bring various classes to the festival, including dance-HIIT and boxercise.

Healthy drink brand, VITHIT will also have a dedicated area at this year’s festival. They will be bringing along well-known boxer Mary-Kate Slattery, as well as some other accomplished trainers, who will host a variety of classes including boxing fitness, HIIT and boxing fundamentals.

A new addition to this year’s festival is the Reformation space, which will bring together a mix of experiences from breathwork and cacao ceremonies to uplifting dance, tantric yoga and everything in between – all focused on shifting peoples’ perspectives and unleashing potential.

Dedicated WellKids Area

WellFest’s charity partner Barretstown is the official partner of the WellKids area, where activities for children will include singing, dancing and movement. Classes for young festival-goers over the weekend, include:

  • ‘Monkeying with Marcin’ – an animal movement class for 4+ years to help boost confidence;
  • Kids’ yoga classes;
  • Baby Boppers – a singing and dancing class and; 
  • POUND – a WellFest favourite, that combines exercises and elements of drumming.

Gym+Coffee

Ireland’s largest athleisure brand Gym+Coffee is the headline partner for the 2022 festival. The brand has been linked to WellFest for more than five years, having first attended as an exhibitor in 2017.

As part of the new partnership, the main stage at the festival is now known as the ‘Gym+Coffee Main Stage’, where the biggest stars at the festival will appear to host their workouts.

Over the weekend, Gym+Coffee will also have its own area on-site – the Gym+Coffee Clubhouse, which will feature talks with Gym+Coffee ambassadors, a chill-out zone for festival-goers, as well as a coffee truck, and a full pop-up retail store showcasing their brand-new spring-summer products.

Ticket Details

Weekend tickets for the festival are on sale now for €80 + booking fee and day tickets are available for €55 + booking fee. Anyone who retained their tickets for the 2020 event will automatically have their bookings transferred to the new dates.

Further information on the full line-up as well as tickets are available at www.wellfest.ie.