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This summer The Yoga Picnic is broadening its focus: alongside yoga and breathwork, organisers are placing food and nutrition at the heart of the event. The festival returns to Lilliput House on the shores of Lough Ennell, Co. Westmeath, on Saturday, July 4th and will introduce an interactive culinary area aimed at showing how everyday cooking supports wellbeing.
Food moves to the centre
For years wellness events have prioritised movement and meditation. Now, organisers say, nutrition is getting equal billing because what we eat affects mood, sleep, energy and even gut health.
The Yoga Picnic will host a new interactive space called the Cook With Kia Kitchen, powered by Kia Electric Vehicles. Festival-goers can watch live demonstrations, pick up practical recipes and hear tips from nutrition-focused cooks and food creators throughout the day.
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The programme in the Cook With Kia Kitchen features familiar names from Ireland’s food scene, including Emer Simms, Samantha Forrest, Ciara Turley (The Tummy Fairy), Alannah Sheehan (Worth Fighting For) and Irish Mammy Cooks. Sessions are designed to be hands-on and accessible, showing how flavourful, nourishing meals can be part of daily life.
A broad programme of wellbeing
Founded by sisters Alice Harrison and Katy Harrison alongside Mary Gardiner, The Yoga Picnic has expanded from a small gathering into a major Irish wellness event. Now marking its fifth anniversary, the festival offers more than 100 experiences in a single day.
Along with yoga and Pilates, the schedule includes sound healing, herbal medicine, breathwork, nervous-system regulation and workshops aimed at holistic wellbeing. International teachers such as Tara Judelle, Michael James Wong, Adam Husler and Hannah Barrett will join leading Irish practitioners.
New features for 2026
This year brings several additions across the site. A dedicated Reformer Pilates Tent will appear for the first time, while a new woodland venue called Ceol sa Choill will host evening sets from DJs Zaneta and Medalla, creating an atmospheric late-afternoon and evening programme beneath the trees.
Families are catered for with children’s yoga and family-friendly activities. The lakeside Uisce Spa returns, offering wood-fired saunas, hot tubs and cold-water immersion experiences for those looking to combine relaxation with recovery.
Culture, community and a lakeside finale
Beyond movement and food, the festival programme includes poetry, live music, astrology sessions, artisan stalls and forest-based experiences — opportunities to connect and explore in a relaxed setting.
As daylight fades, attendees gather by Lough Ennell for the closing concert led by musician, folklorist and yoga teacher Jack Harrison, which blends music and storytelling rooted in Celtic tradition.
Mary Gardiner, one of the festival’s founders, describes the new culinary focus as a natural evolution: she says wellness is shaped by daily habits, and highlighting food at the festival brings together sustainability, education and enjoyable, nutritious cooking. Organisers hope the addition will inspire visitors whether they come for yoga, food, music or simply to spend time together.
