San Diego’s Wellness-Meets-Music Festival RENEW Might Be the Best Way to Spend a Sunday

Somewhere between a wellness retreat and an electronic music festival, there’s RENEW. 

Returning to San Diego’s Mission Beach on November 15, RENEW brings the two worlds together with a result that is still pretty hard to compare to anything else, created by Same Same But Different Festival co-founder Brad Sweet and Almost Nakey founder Liv Johnson.

The daytime lineup is essentially a wellness playground. Guests can move between vinyasa yoga with Reach Yoga, Pilates with SALTVAULT, breathwork with Breathe Degrees, meditation with Trilogy Sanctuary, cold plunges, saunas, massage therapy, group fitness, and more. Then, rather than calling it a day after the last class, it shifts gears into an open-air sunset festival experience.

Leading the lineup is Tchami, the Grammy-winning electronic artist who also earned a production credit on Lady Gaga‘s Chromatica album. Nostalgix and LYRAH will join him for an evening that promises a pretty different kind of post-workout cooldown.

RENEW made its debut in August, nearly selling out its first edition. Hundreds of attendees took part in its mix of yoga, workouts, recovery experiences, wellness vendors, and games before the day gave way to performances from DJ Susan, ERO808, and Big Gigantic.

The idea, according to Sweet, was to make wellness feel less intimidating and a lot more fun. Judging by the response, there’s an audience for the concept. And with RENEW returning for a second round, it’s making a case for a new kind of festival experience: one where taking care of yourself and having a really good time aren’t mutually exclusive.

Tickets are available for purchase here.