The Big Retreat Festival

About The Big Retreat Festival

Started in Lawrenny in 2016, The Big Retreat Festival 2027 runs 28–31 May at The Big Retreat Wales, Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, as a wellbeing-led festival with live music.

The weekend covers live music, wellness, fitness, food and comedy, with more than 300 experiences included in the ticket price. The format is self-paced.

A 2019 report put daily footfall at around 2,000 visitors. A 2022 Pembrokeshire strategy document planned growth to 5,000 attendees by 2027.

Lineup and Programme

The bill is not built around music alone. Announced acts include Abba Revival, named as the first 2027 Main Stage act.

Programme strands cover live music, wellbeing and wellness, fitness, yoga, food and drink, comedy, talks and water activity. The site map lists 11 named festival areas.

• Live Music
• Soul Space
• Fitness Field
• Chef's Kitchen
• Talk Tent
• Mind Space (Art)
• Darwin's Den
• On the water
• Family Time
• Tangled Woods
• The Feel Good Field

Activities listed for the weekend include sunrise yoga, wild swimming and cold dips, cooking demos and chef sessions, talks and workshops, fitness classes and running club, breathwork and meditation, bushcraft and foraging, axe throwing, silent discos and live bands, paddleboarding and sauna or hot tubs.

Who Is It For?

Adults at heart is the festival’s audience line. Families are welcome.

The published audience covers solo travellers, couples, friends and parents with children, with a low-pressure setup that still includes live music and late-night socialising.

Under-5s go free but need a ticket; ages 6–17 use concession tickets. Under-14s have limited access to some fitness and wellness classes, under-16s must be with an adult, Challenge 25 applies, under-18s cannot drink alcohol, and gin/prosecco sessions and bars are over-18s only.

The Venue and Site

The site sits on the Cleddau Estuary inside Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, with listed coordinates 51.726726, -4.872546.

Camping and glamping run alongside the festival, but camping is separate from the festival ticket. Designated family, quiet, general, glamping and campervan areas are used.

Cars are not allowed onto the campsite, and campers have to follow steward directions. BBQs and fire pits are prohibited.

Facilities listed for the site include hot showers, regularly cleaned toilets, posh loos, fresh-water wash stations, pot-wash areas, a chill-out tent with plug sockets and hairdryers, phone charging blocks, an info booth, accessible toilet and water point, 24/7 security and a campsite crew. The Woodland Spa lists hot tubs, outdoor sauna, massage and holistic therapies.

Travel

Lawrenny sits in Pembrokeshire, with road approaches from the A40 and A477. Swansea is about 1h 20m by car.

• Rail: Narberth and Kilgetty are the nearest stations, both about 15 minutes by taxi.
• Road: One signed route uses the A40 to the Saint Clears roundabout, then the A477 toward Pembroke Dock, Broadmoor traffic lights, the B4586 and signed roads through Cresselly and Lawrenny.
• Road: Another route uses the A40 to the A4075 turn-off at the Canaston Bridge roundabout, then signs to Lawrenny.
• Parking: Weekend, day and campervan parking are booked separately. Accessible parking is on the main site along a hardstanding road.

Cardiff is about 2h by car, Bristol about 2h 30m, and London about 4h 30m.