Slow Food & Yoga Festival, 2019

In June 2019 we had our first edition of Slow Food and Yoga Festival. It was 5 magical days with focus on food, local culture, and yoga. During the days of June 20-24, the island of Gili Air was transformed into a true festival paradise, where different events took place all over the island. As the event was such a big success, we quickly decided to make another edition of Slow Food & Yoga Festiva to be hosted in October 2019.

The purpose of the Slow Food & Yoga Festival is to share the authentic beauty of Gili Air’s people and nature with visitors and locals alike. The Festival also presents opportunities to foster connections and valuable partnerships between locals and expats. During the festival days, festival-goers will had the opportunity to kick off their shoes and wander the vehicle-free island exploring Gili Air culture through yoga, food, performance, and art.

Yoga is a fundamental part of the Slow Food and Yoga Festival. During the festival days, attendees could find their inner peace in assorted yoga classes run by acclaimed facilitators in various locations across Gili Air. Slow Food, a movement focused on growing your own, eating locally and seasonally is an equally important part of the festival. Festival-goers were invited to sample delicious cuisine from famous Indonesian chefs at various locations around the island.

Aside from yoga and food, many other workshops and sessions also took place. Thai massage workshops, therapeutic workshops, handstand workshops, ecstatic dance workshops, women’s/ men’s circles, sound healing, and local school performances were just some of the many events that was held across the island during the Festival.

Additionally, several local charities managed market stalls to fundraise for their causes. The Pituq Foundation, which focuses on supporting the underprivileged and earthquake survivors to rebuild lives, and the Daur Project, concerned with finding sustainable solutions for environmental issues were represented.

The festivities continued on Gili Trawangan with a triathlon.