Wellness in Wembley: the festival bringing yoga, boxing and gong baths to the stadium’s doorstep
From HYROX circuits to meadow-side gong baths, Wembley Park’s first Wellness Festival is a free summer experiment in calm.
Wembley Park is not where you’d expect to find a gong bath. Yet on Sunday 20 July 2025, the neighbourhood better known for Champions League finals and Beyoncé tour nights will be swapping chants for chanting at its first Wellness Festival.
The event is free, runs from 10am to 5pm, and is part of the wider Summer Rocks cultural programme. It marks another step in Wembley’s attempt to reinvent itself as more than a big-night-out postcode — The Sunday Times has already named it one of the UK’s best places to live — and now it wants to be somewhere you come to stretch, sweat and maybe even laugh your way through yoga.
Fitness under the arch
Partnering with Buzz Gym, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independents, the festival lays on a day of high-energy, open-air sessions. The big draw is HYROX, the global race format that mixes running with weighted sled pushes, burpees and strength stations. Usually confined to exhibition centres, it’s getting an outdoor spin in Wembley, powered by PUMA HYROX.
But not everything requires a competition mindset. You can glide through Les Mills Body Balance (a blend of yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates), dance to Caribbean beats in Soca aerobics, or test your bodyweight skills in a calisthenics masterclass.
There’s also family yoga from MoreYoga, London’s largest independent studio, and Pilates with Laura Pelinski, a celebrity trainer whose client list includes Olympic athletes and Hollywood names. If gloves are more your thing, UBX Boxing Wembley brings its boxing-meets-functional-strength format — no sparring, no set class times, just drills and sweat. And for the racket curious, Social Sports Wembley is offering free tasters in padel, the UK’s fastest-growing sport.
Creativity, calm and soundscapes
The wellness theme extends beyond fitness. Fresh Arts and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will host two Sound Sanctuary workshops, sensory-led sessions using live orchestral and percussion instruments. The RPO, which relocates its HQ to Wembley Park this autumn, will be on hand to lead.
Elsewhere, artist Laxmi Hussain takes life drawing outdoors in Elvin Gardens Amphitheatre — a chance to slow down and actually look. Certified practitioner Kalpana Doshi leads laughter yoga, blending breathwork, movement and play to shake off stress.
For those needing deeper rest, MoreYoga will stage a gong bath in Union Park’s new wildflower meadow. It’s an immersive soundscape that feels more east London wellness retreat than north-west London megadevelopment.
Everyday wellness in Wembley
The festival also acts as a shop window for Wembley Park’s long-term wellbeing push. At the heart is Union Park, Brent’s first major public park in more than 130 years. Alongside its wildflower meadows you’ll find tennis courts, paddling pools, outdoor gym equipment, play parks, bee hotels and more than 1,000 trees planted across the estate.
The point is clear: wellness here isn’t meant to be a one-off. It’s built into the pavements, parks and boulevards, a neighbourhood where walking and cycling are encouraged and green space is part of the daily rhythm.
The Wembley Park Wellness Festival takes place on Sunday 20 July 2025, 10am–5pm. Entry is free. More details at wembleypark.com.
Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
