El Gouna to Host Egypt's First Wellness Festival this November

Embracing the power of movement and human connection, ‘Raabta Wellness Festival’ is the first festival in Egypt and the Middle East dedicated to those two elusive things called wellness and healing. Taking place at the idyllic ‘Fish Farm’ in El Gouna between Thursday 18th and Saturday 20th of November, the three-day festival hones in on the human element underpinning wellness and happiness, bringing together a community of healers, therapists, artists, entertainers, dreamers and lovers of life for a liberating weekend getaway.

Over three days, participants will roam freely through nine different platforms (or practices), each one focusing on one type of movement, whether yoga led by famed Egyptian yogi, Amina Taha, or based on an inhibitionless dance with Frogmoose. They’re just two of 40 instructors and healers from a range of disciplines that will host workshops geared at igniting the senses and making you more mindful and connected with your inner self. With aromatherapy, therapeutic drumming, handicraft making, meditation and more, ‘Raabta’ has carefully curated the unique event supported by the country’s leading experts.

One of the driving forces behind the event is founder of Sukun Studios, Sarah Abdel Moneim, who has partnered with Eatducate and Orascom Development to organise the festival, and is inspired by her own journey to more balanced living.

“I lived all my life working in corporate,” she tells #SceneTraveller. “Then I moved to Bali, where I lived for a year and attended the Body Spirit festival, which was quite the inspiration. I wanted to marry my experience working in events with wellness, and so ‘Raabta’ was born.

For Abdel Moneim, an occasion like this is more than just about classes and sessions. It’s about bringing like-minded people together, further emphasising the focus on human connection as a key component.

“I realised that, when I organised my yoga retreats, people don’t come back talking about the best yoga class,” she explains. “They come back talking about the people that they met, the interactions they had and the connections they made. This is the driving force behind the festival. We’re creating a platform for people to connect to every single wellness concept you can think of.”

One day passes are EGP 800, which include movement classes with Amina Taha, access to playground area and aerial arts, opening and closing performances, dance performance, all talks, a bag of goodies, a veggie night BBQ and free fruit and smoothies. Three-day passes include all of the above for all three days for EGP 1700. All additional classes will be charged by a seamless cashless system by Qube. Accommodation packages are organised by Travista.