Launceston is gearing up for its first winter wellness festival, with Unwind kicking off today across venues in the city centre.
The 10-day festival, running from August 13 to 23, features 47 free, ticketed and walk-in friendly events spanning movement, mindfulness, creativity and community connection.
Presented by Launceston Central, a not-for-profit funded by the City of Launceston, the festival puts the spotlight on the city’s growing wellness sector.
Gab Dicarlantonio, chief executive of Launceston Central, said the community response had been encouraging.
“This is Unwind’s first year and we have been blown away by the community response,” she said.
“More than half of the ticketed events are fully booked, which shows strong demand for community events that focus on wellness.”
Among the sold-out events is a series of free early morning yoga classes hosted at The Shed, with a free coffee from Kudos by Parla.
Unticketed events such as the Silent Reading Club at Quixotic Books and a lunchtime workout at Curves will welcome last-minute attendees throughout the festival.
More than 15 local businesses are also running special offers for the duration of Unwind.
Dicarlantonio said the wellness sector had become a significant part of the local economy.
“Last year we observed a whopping 40% of newly opened businesses in our city centre are in the wellness sector,” she said.
“NORTH Festival, our annual celebration of our culinary culture,
demonstrates how putting the spotlight on a specific sector effectively highlights their impact and value to the community.”
“We hope Unwind will do the same thing for the wellness sector, which globally has seen massive growth over the last few years.”
She said Launceston Central worked closely with businesses to include different approaches to wellness in the programming.
“We know that the term ‘wellness’ means something different to everyone, so we made sure that the program reflects the different ways we can all refill our cup,” she said.
More details are available on their website.
