Drinking and mindfulness may not be two words that you would typically throw together. But a festival coming to London this weekend is determined to make both of these worlds collide, mixing the culture of enjoying a few drinks with the positive benefits of mindfulness.

The event is hosted by Club Soda, a mindful drinking movement that seeks to get more people into non-alcoholic drinks.

The goal of the two founders has always been “to create a world where nobody has to feel out of place if they are not drinking alcohol”. Together, they started a website that offers an eight-week online course to help members achieve their alcohol drinking goals, whether that be cutting down or stopping entirely.

A few years ago they started bringing this concept to life, and this weekend (Saturday 28 July) will see Club Soda’s third mindful festival hit London, taking place in Spitalfields Market from 11am to 6pm.

For those keen to experience a festival atmosphere (in an alcohol-free way), this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

There’ll be fairground games and entertainment, which always go down well in the summer sun, and a morning rave hosted by Morning Gloryville – so make sure you come armed with glitter and lots of enthusiasm. 

Of course, a festival wouldn’t be a festival without some live music. So rest assured there’ll be some great performances from local musicians, as well as DJ sets to get you dancing.

Those who have been to Spitalfields Market before will know that an incredible food market sets up every Saturday, offering an array of delicious treats from all over the world. The organisers recommend exploring the culinary delights on offer, and invite you to bring your lunch back into the festival to enjoy it with many of the drinks on offer.

The festival will also showcase the best-tasting non-alcoholic drinks brands in the industry, as well as providing talks and tasting sessions from producers and experts, among a medley of samples, a ‘perfect serve’ event with Fever Tree and a stall from Heineken® 0.0 who are sponsoring the event. 

And for those who are looking to get a little more from their festival experience, it’s possible to book a one to one session with a drink-coach to discuss your future plans with alcohol. 

The best bit? It’s all entirely free, so there’s nothing stopping you perusing the fun and getting a taste of festival life without having a drink.

Want to find out more? Why not attend ‘The New Approach to Mindfulness: Wellness in the 21st Century’. Join wellness advocate and founder of the app Happy not Perfect, Poppy Jamie, as she takes us through the science underpinning the importance of a mindfulness routine.

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Images: Fever Tree / Instagram