How often do we take a moment to ourselves? I’m sure I’m not alone in saying taking time for myself is usually at the bottom of my to-do list, and is a box that rarely gets ticked.
This is a sentiment shared by Happy Place founder and broadcaster Fearne Cotton, who’s Happy Place Festival dedicated to wellness, self improvement and positivity arrived at Tatton Park this weekend.
Within moments of arriving, Happy Place already felt like a totally different, but exceptionally welcome, new festival experience. Looking around at tents including the Uplift Stage and the Massage Sanctuary, I was excited to explore the site.
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As the clock hit midday, we sat down on deckchairs to watch the Yoga Soul class whilst munching on our delicious Chick’n Greek Gyros (every food outlet we saw served up exclusively vegan and vegetarian dishes).
After a wander around the many stalls of independent traders in the shopping village, we headed to the Talk Stage to listen to our first speaker of the day. We hadn’t read up too much about Katie Brindle prior to the talk, but suffice to say we were blown away, and couldn’t follow her on Instagram quick enough. An expert in Chinese Medical Practices, Katie spoke about how we should all be better at ‘Self Care Snacking’ - taking a moment every day to re-centre ourselves.
We quickly walked back to the Creative Workshops area to take part in our pre-booked class, beginners embroidery. I really enjoyed getting hands-on and being taught the basics of the skill by Manchester-based artist Stephie, the brains behind business Hoop and Fred. Even in the middle of a busy festival setting, the activity felt therapeutic, and it was easy to see how this hobby is often used for mindfulness.
If you’re a seasoned festival goer like myself, you’ll know it is the little things that really make a huge difference to your experience.
The Happy Place team had executed the finer details brilliantly, with clean, accessible toilets and undercover spaces to rest your legs. The small-yet-perfectly-formed site even had free water bottle refill stations, so there was no need to pay those notoriously inflated festival prices to stay hydrated.
There were smiles all-round as the sun finally broke through, which was our cue to head to the ice cream van. Listening to the music from the Energy Studio in the background, it dawned on me that this was the first festival I had been to without seeing anyone drinking alcohol. In fact, there was nowhere on-site serving it. It was refreshing to see a crowd of people so happy sipping on their soft drinks!
We walked back to the Talk Stage to secure a beanbag ahead of arguably the day’s most anticipated live podcast guest. Busted’s Matt Willis had spoken to Fearne earlier in the afternoon, but it was now time for Olivia Harrison. Olivia is an author, film producer, activist, and the widow of The Beatles star George Harrison.
As a huge music fan, it was exciting to hear her talk about her life with George, coping with grief and how she found healing through poetry. Fearne and Olivia chatted about her new poetry book ‘Came The Lightening, Came The Light’, which documents her personal feelings towards her late husband.
Olivia spoke about how her spirituality enabled her to be better at living in the present, and being thankful for the here and now. After spending an hour listening to Olivia, and other inspirational people throughout the day, Happy Place Festival felt like the push to go and do something you hadn’t had the confidence to previously.
It felt like a treat to take a day to indulge in some self care. Of course, you don’t need a festival to achieve it, but Happy Place empowered me with the wisdom and tools to apply it to the everyday - whilst having a great time in the process! The organisers had succeeded in their mission to make the space a place of sanctuary.
Yoga mats, poetry, clean toilets and not a bucket hat in sight? I’m already excited for 2023!
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