Thousands work out with Joe Wicks in grounds of Irish hospital

The Body Coach was among the highlights of the line-up from day one of Europe’s largest health, fitness and wellness festival – which kicked off at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham today.

Thousands of festival-goers gathered to workout with Wicks for his session on the Gym+Coffee Mainstage at the event, with his Q&A in the WellTalk area, hosted by Irish broadcaster and fitness entrepreneur, Kathryn Thomas.

Over the weekend, the meadows at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham have been transformed into 15 stages dedicated to different areas of health, fitness, food and wellbeing for the duration of the festival, featuring over 150 health and fitness experts from Ireland, the UK and further afield.

Katie Ryan, co-founder of WellFest, said: “We are delighted to have WellFest back as a physical event this year. There has been such a great buzz at the festival today, and seeing people in such high spirits, enjoying themselves, really makes it all worthwhile.

“Whether you’re interested in working out or doing yoga, or your passion lies in food, or you’re interested in mindfulness and mental health – the variety of expert presenters and areas at the festival, means that there is something for everyone to enjoy and get involved in at the festival. We’re excited to welcome the crowds back tomorrow again for day two!”

Diarmuid McSweeney from Gym+Coffee, said: “Day one of WellFest has been a great success. We’ve been involved in the festival for a number of years now, so we’re delighted to be here this year as the headline partner for the first time.

" The atmosphere over the weekend so far has been electric – people are in high spirits, running off the endorphins of a live-event, and there’s a real sense of community – we are delighted to be part of it all.

“Today we’ve been hosting festival-goers at our special Gym+Coffee Clubhouse, which features talks with our Gym+Coffee ambassadors, a chill-out zone for people who wanted to have a rest, as well as a coffee truck, and a full pop-up retail store showcasing our brand-new spring-summer products. We’re looking forward to doing it all over again tomorrow!”