Vivacity to launch Dumfries & Galloway’s first large scale wellbeing festival at The Crichton
Tribe Fortune and Velocity Events partner to create a landmark celebration of health, wellbeing and community at one of Scotland’s most historic locations, with Menopause Matters joining as headline women’s health partner.
Dumfries and Galloway is set to host its first ever large scale health and wellbeing festival this autumn, as Tribe Fortune and Velocity Events announce the launch of Vivacity
Wellness Festival at The Crichton on Saturday 17 October 2026.
The one-day festival will transform the historic Crichton Estate into a vibrant destination celebrating physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Early bird tickets go on sale from 12pm on Friday 31 July 2026, with a limited number of early bird tickets available at £56. Tickets can be booked at velocity-events.com/vivacity-wellness-festival.
With more than 500 visitors expected, the festival will bring together over 25 expert practitioners from across Dumfries and Galloway and beyond. Visitors can explore a diverse programme of movement sessions, creative workshops, sound experiences, holistic therapies and inspiring talks, discovering new ways to support their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The programme will feature expert panel discussions on women’s hormone health, menopause and men’s health, alongside practical workshops covering nutrition, journalling, mindfulness and nature-based wellbeing.
The festival’s women’s health programming will be anchored by Menopause Matters, the influential midlife health organisation founded by Dr Heather Currie MBE, who has worked to break the stigma around menopause in Dumfries and Galloway since the early 1990s. Dr Currie will host a dedicated ‘Menopause Matters. Let’s Talk.’ discussion and panel, joined by Ruth Devlin, founder of Let’s Talk Menopause and menopause educator, exploring nutrition, mental health and lifestyle approaches to menopause, alongside a ‘Movement in Menopause’ panel with expert local practitioners.
The festival is a collaboration between Tribe Fortune, the Dumfries-based wellbeing community founded by Kirsten Scott, and Velocity Events, the UK events company specialising in wellness retreats, workplace wellbeing programmes and large-scale participation events.
The Crichton has been chosen as the festival’s home because of its unique place in the history of health and wellbeing. Established following a bequest from Elizabeth Crichton in 1823, the estate became home to the Crichton Royal Institution in 1839 and went on to earn an international reputation for pioneering approaches to mental health care. Its historic patient archives are recognised on the UK’s UNESCO Memory of the World Register, alongside documents such as the Magna Carta and the Declaration of
Arbroath.
Today, The Crichton continues that legacy as a thriving centre for health, education and wellbeing, bringing together physiotherapists, massage therapists, holistic practitioners, businesses, students and the wider community across its beautiful grounds. The festival aims to celebrate this heritage while showcasing and championing local businesses and wellbeing practitioners from across the region, creating opportunities for visitors to discover the people and organisations helping to build Dumfries and
Galloway’s growing reputation as a destination for health and wellbeing.
A proportion of every ticket sold will be donated to Dumfries and Galloway Mental Health Association, whose headquarters are based on The Crichton Estate, supporting the charity’s ongoing work across the region.
Kirsten Scott founded Tribe Fortune in 2024 and is known locally for co-creating the monthly Dumfries Market Festival on the town’s High Street, as well as organising community events supporting the town’s fountain restoration project. She said: “The Crichton has been supporting people’s wellbeing for almost 200 years, so there couldn’t be a more fitting place to bring this festival to life. Our vision is to create a welcoming day where people can move, learn, relax, connect and discover the incredible wellbeing community that already exists here in Dumfries and Galloway. We want visitors to leave feeling inspired, energised and proud of everything our region has to offer.”
Matt Coulson, Director of Velocity Events, whose background includes senior roles at David Lloyd Leisure, Center Parcs and Chiswick Business Park, shares why he is excited about the partnership and this new initiative: “Demand for health and wellbeing experiences continues to grow across the UK, and we believe Dumfries and Galloway has all the ingredients to become a recognised wellbeing destination. Partnering with Tribe Fortune allows us to combine national event expertise with genuine local knowledge, creating an event that celebrates both the region’s remarkable heritage and its thriving community of wellbeing professionals.”
Dr Heather Currie MBE, founder of Menopause Matters, added: “For too long menopause was something women were expected to manage quietly, on their own. Bringing
Menopause Matters into Vivacity means we can talk openly about nutrition, mental health and lifestyle, not just prescriptions, and reach women right across Dumfries and Galloway who need to hear it.”
Showcasing the very best of the region’s thriving wellbeing community, Vivacity Wellness Festival is set to become one of Scotland’s largest one-day celebrations of health and wellbeing.
