The UK’s Premier LGBTQIA Wellness Festival, Out & Wild launches its first event June 10 -13th 2022
Out and About LGBTQ launches Out & Wild, the UK’s Premier LGBTQIA Wellness Festival designed for women and those that are non-binary, but open to all, that will take place in Pembrokeshire June 10-13th 2022.
A new LGBTQIA Wellness Festival – Out & Wild – is launching for women and non-binary people, many of whom feel left out of LGBTQIA events
Out & Wild will take place in Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales for three days and nights from 10-13 June 2022. Organisers expect to attract festival goers from across the UK.
The theme of Out & Wild will be Explore, Experience and Embrace. There will be more than 100 activities over three days and nights spanning music, comedy, wellness, pampering, tasters of sport, wild swimming, workshops, spoken word, guided walks, hikes and runs.
The festival will be open to all but is designed for women and non-binary LGBTQIA people. It addresses research that says 79% of LGBTQIA women feel that gay men have more visibility than they do. Many LGBTQIA women feel that there are not enough events for them, with one in three claiming that there are not enough LGBTQI events aimed at their interests and this is a barrier to attending them.
Polly Shute, co-founder of Out and About LGBTQ, the festival organiser, says: “This innovative, new wellness festival is the first to be based on what women and non-binary people in our community actually say they want.”
“We are delighted to host the first ever Out & Wild Festival in Wales, especially given the Welsh Government’s commitment to be ‘the most friendly’ nation for LGBTQIA people in Europe.
“We love the venue in Pembrokeshire, it will provide all we need for a great three days of wellness, entertainment and sport. It will allow those who attend to reconnect with themselves, with others and with nature, especially after such a difficult couple of years.”
The Festival Team will be working with the local community to provide a platform for existing and new acts, entertainment and businesses, aligning with The Welsh’s Government’s aim for Wales to be the ‘most friendly’ LGBTQ country in Europe.
Out & Wild will be working with support from and key travel, sport, wellness and LGBTQIA organisations. This includes Visit Pembrokeshire and Sport England’s LGBTQ expert partner, Pride Sports. Pride Sports will be curating The Taster of Sport Zone. This will allow attendees to take part in a number of different sport tasters including volleyball, five-aside football and hockey, wild swimming, paddleboarding as well as local hikes, walks and runs.
Lou Englefield, director of Pride Sport says: “LGBTQ+ people have faced disproportionate isolation and subsequent mental health concerns during lockdown. We know inclusive sport can have a big impact on both mental and physical wellbeing, so Pride Sports is delighted to be partnering with Out & Wild on their first ever Festival.”
Out & Wild has been designed to be a safe and supportive space to explore new activities and experiences and embrace the natural surroundings, especially after what has been a very challenging period for the LGBTQIA community.
LGBTQIA people are more likely to experience poor mental health partly as a result of ongoing discrimination and marginalisation. The profound impact that the crisis is having on mental health can also be seen from LGBT Foundation’s helpline data, showing a 50% increase in calls about mental health. Throughout the crisis mental health has been consistently the most common issue discussed in their helpline calls.
Out & Wild will be releasing more details of acts and activities in the coming months. Tickets – including camping and VIP glamping – have gone on sale today and you can buy yours www.beoutandabout.co.uk/out-wild-festival/
