Glastonbury Festival: Promoting the Hub

Festival Happies: Fun, Games and the Wellbeing Economy at Glastonbury

From lively board room conversations to uplifting connections in green fields, it’s a privilege to share ideas that truly matter – about positive wellbeing, happiness, and a better future through a Wellbeing Economy.

I’m Dr Vikki Barnes, founder of Positive Wellbeing and author of Free Happiness. As a Clinical Psychologist specialising in positive psychology, I run a global organisational wellbeing consultancy offering proactive, preventative strategies for health, happiness and success. Summertime is spent in the UK, speaking at festivals and events to spread the positive word.

A highlight this year was speaking at Glastonbury Festival, where I was thrilled to promote the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) England Hub – a growing movement of individuals, communities, and organisations across the country who are working to transform the way our economy works.

With a flyer in hand and passion in my heart, I invited festival-goers to reimagine our economy, not as something that exists for profit and endless growth, but as something that exists for the wellbeing of people and planet. The WEAll England Hub aims to play a key role in bringing this vision to life by connecting change-makers and supporting practical efforts to redesign our systems for the better.

Festivals: A Living Example of the Wellbeing Economy

Festivals are incredible spaces for inspiration, connection, and transformation. They allow us to imagine different ways of living and being and that’s exactly what the Wellbeing Economy is all about.

I saw first-hand how open and engaged people are when it comes to new ideas about happiness, wellbeing, and systems change. Whether it was over tea, music, or shared stories under the stars, conversations bloomed about how we can all be part of creating something better.

• People are open-hearted and ready to explore what truly matters

• Communities form quickly, modelling the kind of society we want – collaborative, joyful, and inclusive

• Ideas around sustainability, social justice, and wellbeing naturally take centre stage

• There’s a tangible sense of hope and creativity, where systemic change feels not only possible, but already in motion

Wellbeing in Action: Creativity, Connection and Collective Imagination

These festival sessions were playful, participatory and rooted in wellbeing economy principles, where learning happened through laughter, connection, and shared insight. We explored questions like: What truly brings us happiness? What kind of world do we want to live in? What would our lives and communities look like if wellbeing (not profit) was at the heart of everything?

In one activity, “Happiness Mapping”, participants reflected on personal moments of real joy and fulfilment. The themes that surfaced were connection, time in nature, creativity, community, love, rest and purpose and these mirror the core values of the wellbeing economy. Not one person mentioned material wealth or consumption. It was a beautiful reminder that we already know what matters most.

We also co-created visions of what a wellbeing-focused society could look like. The ideas that flowed were powerful and practical:

• Local high streets buzzing with independent, ethical businesses

• Shared community spaces and gardens

• Education systems that prioritise wellbeing, curiosity and kindness

• Flexible working that values care, rest and contribution

• Circular, regenerative economies rooted in fairness and sustainability

Through games, storytelling and group imagination, people saw how the wellbeing economy isn’t just a concept but something we can feel, imagine, and begin to build together.

What struck me most was that people intuitively understand the wellbeing economy when given the space to connect with their values, hopes, and lived experiences. These sessions offered more than conversation, they sparked confidence, creativity and collective purpose.

These are just a few examples of the many ways in which we can become part of the wider movement for a society where people can thrive in balance with the planet. Promoting a wellbeing economy at festivals was definitely a lot of fun!

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going; Let’s Build Something Better, Together.

To learn more or get involved:

• Visit WEAll to connect, access resources and learn more about the great work being done globally

• Visit Positive Wellbeing to learn about organisational programmes and charity projects

• Grab a copy of Free Happiness, the positive mindset toolkit

• Get in touch with WEAll England – we’d love to hear from you!