This summer, Medicine Festival returns from 12 – 17 August in Wasing Park, Berkshire continuing its mission as one of the UK’s most distinctive independent festivals, a community-rooted, not-for-profit gathering that brings together artists, musicians, facilitators, elders, activists, and curious humans from around the world to explore what it means to live in right relationship with ourselves and each other. Medicine 2026 will feature internationally acclaimed artists and speakers including Fatoumata Diawara, Pat Mccabe, Charlotte Church, Leah Song of Rising Appalachia, Acid Pauli, Gene Keys founder Richard Rudd, and respected Indigenous elders including Mamo Senshina and Alois Pokorwa. This year’s theme is “Walking Together” and focuses on the concept of a pilgrimage of the heart, a living prayer and commitment to move in harmony, tend our relationships, and create the conditions for peace.
Medicine Festival is guided by regenerative principles, aiming to work in harmony with the land to look toward a regenerative future, and to educate all on how we can live with a smaller environmental footprint on earth. Medicine operates as a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), meaning its core purpose is social good, not profit. They publish an annual transparency report (read this on their site here), openly sharing how funds are distributed and the real-world impact of its work.
Welcoming a record number of over 10,000 attendees, artists, team and facilitators, Medicine has built its reputation as an access point and bridge for those seeking connection, healing and a different way of living, without needing to fit into a single identity, belief system or path. The festival has organically grown as its message and offering appeals to an increasing number of people giving hope to many in the backdrop of what seems to be and feels like a more divided world.
An Immersive Cultural and Wellbeing Experience
Medicine brings together a wide spectrum of experiences from yoga, music and talks to ceremony and indigenous teachings, creating an environment that is welcoming to newcomers while remaining grounded in depth and integrity. Beyond the music and talks programme, Medicine Festival offers an immersive wellbeing experience set within the woodlands and lakes of Wasing Estate. Guests can enjoy wild lake swimming, wood-fired sauna sessions, sweat lodges, yoga, movement, meditation, healing therapies and a wide-ranging wellness area designed for restoration and connection. Across the site, nourishing plant-based cuisine, artisan cafés, chai houses, cacao bars and a vibrant street food offering create spaces to gather, replenish and celebrate community throughout the weekend.
Expanding LGBTQIA+ Inclusion and Representation
In 2026, Medicine strengthens its commitment to inclusion, with a growing focus on LGBTQIA+ community representation and programming. Highlights include Pan’s Curators – a dedicated queer space curated by queer facilitators Seda & Ria, and expanded queer-led talks, workshops and music, with input from Chris Fitchew. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Chris is a cornerstone of Medicine Festival, having been part of the community since its inception.
This sits alongside the evolution of Azania, a space celebrating African diaspora culture and community, reflecting the festival’s increasingly diverse audience. Additional spaces include Gwynns Grove, a men’s space and Ceridwens Cauldron, a women’s space.
A Community Interest Company with Real-World Impact
To date, the Medicine Festival has donated over £109,427 to a wide range of grassroots, environmental and Indigenous-led initiatives, including:
Amazon Watch – International NGO defending Indigenous land rights and protecting the Amazon rainforest.
BOA Foundation – Supports Indigenous-led sustainability and sovereignty projects across Brazil.
Maasai Nation (Ngorongoro) – Supports Maasai communities facing displacement, including vital water and land protection initiatives.
Huni Kuin Community – Amazonian Indigenous group preserving ancestral traditions and forest knowledge.
School in Arid Kachuru (Kenya) – Expands access to education for vulnerable children in remote pastoral communities.
Cool Earth – Funds rainforest communities to tackle deforestation and protect vital ecosystems.
War Child – Supports children affected by conflict with protection, education, and mental health care.
Survival International – Working in partnership with Indigenous peoples to amplify their voices on the global stage and change the world in their favour.
See their full list here. The festival’s model is built on long-term partnerships, reciprocity and collaboration, with a focus on supporting Indigenous communities who are at the forefront of protecting the planet’s biodiversity and cultural knowledge.
Supporting Indigenous Wisdom and Regenerative Futures
Medicine works closely with Indigenous leaders and organisations, placing them at the heart of its programming and decision-making. Through both its live events and year-round initiatives, the organisation:
Raises funds for Indigenous communities and partner organisations
Provides platforms for Indigenous voices, teachings and cultural exchange
Supports the preservation of land-based knowledge, traditions and languages
This approach reflects a broader mission: to inspire regenerative ways of living and reconnect communities with nature, reciprocity and shared responsibility.
Why Medicine Is Different
Medicine Festival stands apart from other festivals through a deeply embedded values-led approach. The festival:
Redistributes money to communities connected to the festival
Measures and reports its impact, with transparency at its core
Offers supported access initiatives for underserved groups, including refugees and single parents
Creates a fully alcohol-free environment focused on presence and connection
Supports women’s wellbeing, including consideration for pregnant women such as no-queue policy
Champions LGBTQIA+ inclusion and culturally diverse representation
Centres community, reciprocity and regeneration over commercial gain
Medicine also operates its Solidarity Initiative, a supported access programme offering free tickets, travel and food support to people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend. Through a community-led nomination process, the initiative aims to welcome a broader range of lived experiences into the festival, including disadvantaged young people, refugees, recent migrants and underrepresented communities, reinforcing Medicine’s wider commitment to inclusivity, care and belonging.
At Its Heart: A Shared Vision
Medicine’s long-term vision is to help nurture a world rooted in connection, respect and balance, where communities are empowered, cultural differences are celebrated, and humanity lives in greater harmony with nature. Through its gathering and wider initiatives, the festival continues to build a growing network of people committed to that vision – what it describes as a “mycelial network” of change.
Location: Wasing Estate near Reading, one hour from London.
Dates: 12-17 August 2026
Tickets: Available now to buy via the website, from £333 per adult / £100 per child
For more information or to register interest in attending the festival, get in touch with the Polka Dot Elephant team: Lallie Fraser lallie@polkadotelephant.com and Katherine Brennan katherine@polkadotelephant.com
