The Yoga Picnic celebrates five years with biggest ever festival

In a matter of weeks a unique calm will envelop Lilliput House on the shores of Lough Ennell. The tranquillity will be channelled through the yoga enthusiasts who gather at this exceptional location for the fifth iteration of The Yoga Picnic.

That calm is in direct contrast to the organisation that has had to take place to make this fabulous event happen. What began as a small yoga gathering in rural Westmeath has grown into one of Ireland’s biggest wellness festivals, attracting thousands of visitors from across Ireland, Europe and the United States.

It's been quite a journey. The first Yoga Picnic welcomed just 120 attendees. By year two, early bird tickets sold out in nine minutes and attendance jumped to more than 1,000 people. The event has since grown to attract over 2,000 attendees annually.

This year The Yoga Picnic returns to the grounds of Lilliput House on July 4. Crafted by sisters Alice and Katy Harrison, and collaborator Mary Gardiner, The Yoga Picnic is an Irish small business success story, growing organically from a simple community idea into an internationally recognised wellbeing festival in just five years.

“We're flying people over from America, the UK and India for the Picnic,” Katy Harrison told the Examiner, “We have presenters and teachers coming from all over the world. We also have a few attendees of the festival from England and America as well. That's really exciting.”

Drawing people in search of peace to Lough Ennell is one of the easier tasks for the organisers: “I feel the location is really magical. Lilliput House is like a step away from the world. Everyone says they feel that the minute they arrive on the day, it's an escape from the busyness or chaos of their life.

“Lilliput, with the surrounds of the lake and the forest, presents the openness and expansiveness of the land,” Kate tells.

The idea was born after Alice, a criminal barrister and published legal author, moved from Dublin to rural Westmeath to be with her husband, who runs an organic farm. Searching for connection and community in her new home, she found it through yoga classes run by Mary Gardiner in Kilbeggan.

What started as a small outdoor yoga picnic for a handful of teachers and students quickly snowballed.

“We never planned for it to become a festival,” the organisers said. “But there was clearly a huge appetite for connection, wellbeing and community.

“We’re incredibly proud that something which started as a small local gathering in the Midlands has become an international event bringing people to the heart of Ireland.”

The festival’s family roots are central to its story. Alice and Katy were both trained by their father, Jack Harrison, founder of the Celtic School of Yoga in Kinvara, Galway, creating a rare multi-generational Irish yoga business.

To celebrate this landmark fifth year, the festival is introducing an exciting lineup of new areas along with internationally renowned teachers Tara Judelle and Dylan Werner both from the USA coming to Ireland especially for the festival. For the very first time, attendees can experience a dedicated reformer pilates tent.

Foodies will be treated to the brand-new “Cook with Kia Kitchen” where incredible celebrity chefs including Ciara Turley also known as ‘The Tummy Fairy’ and Alannah Sheehan known more familiarly online as ‘Worthfightingfor’ will host live cooking demonstrations in a kitchen uniquely powered by Kia electric cars.

As the sun sets, the festival will transition into the evening with a brand new night-time stage featuring live DJs to keep the energy going. For 2026, organisers are bringing internationally renowned yoga teachers and wellness experts to the Midlands, alongside new additions including reformer Pilates, cooking demonstrations and a range of wellbeing experiences.

The festival has also gained recognition for its sustainability initiatives. In partnership with Kia Ireland, The Yoga Picnic replaced traditional diesel generators with electric vehicles to power festival tents, significantly reducing emissions and noise.

The Yoga Picnic brings together Ireland’s leading holistic practitioners for a day of movement, therapies, discussion and music.

Mary, a mother of four and yoga studio owner, together with Alice, a mother of two held the first festival in 2022. They were joined by Katy, a full-time primary school teacher, in 2023 and together they built The Yoga Picnic to showcase Ireland’s incredible yoga teachers and promote awareness about yogic philosophies, wellness, mental health, sustainability and the environment.

The Yoga Picnic 2026 will take place at Lilliput House, Co. Westmeath. More information is available at www.theyogapicnic.com.