Wanderlust co-founder Sean Hoess has a wish for Whistler.
"I dream of walking around the village and not see anyone without a yoga mat," he laughs.
After five years at the resort, the yoga, mindfulness, arts and healthy-living festival has found its own rhythm.
"We've got a couple of new things. The core of our event, which we loosely group around a few pillars — practice, the arts — is the same. But there is a bunch of new talent and experiences," he says.
On the talent side, musicians Jose Gonzalez, Steel Pulse and Rising Appalachia perform free concerts at Whistler Olympic Plaza that are open to the non-Wanderlusting public.
"I think people will be blown away," Hoess says.
There are also new instructors, including yoga teacher and author Kathryn Budig, and yogic teacher and healer Jonny Kest.
"Because we're very international now, we've been able to bring some of our talent that has been growing in some of our other festivals. We have people from our Australian events," Hoess says.
Chef Kevin Callaghan is the executive chef of Wanderlust Festivals and will be overseeing table events and other food experiences.
"We try to have each event reflect the culture of where it is taking place. You need to do that well and find great partners who embody our passions but add their unique flavours," Hoess says.
"Part of that with Whistler is in the local teachers we work with and also taking advantage of the natural and manmade things — like food and wines — that Whistler has to offer."
Along with weekend passes, single-event tickets are available for those wanting to attend just one or two classes. The Wanderlust box office can be found in front of the main entrance to the Whistler Conference Centre.
For more information, including schedule, visit www.wanderlust.com/festivals/whistler.
Highlights
Reggae band Steel Pulse performs at Whistler Olympic Plaza on Friday, July 29 at 7 p.m., with Rising Appalachia and DJ Drez.
Singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez performs at Whistler Olympic Plaza on Saturday, July 30 at 7 p.m., with Yotam Agam and Rafe Pearlman.
Renowned yoga teacher and author Kathryn Budig will lead five workshops — The Hero's Journey, All About that Bass, Arm Balances, Backbend Foundations, and To the Moon and Back. Her second book, Aim True, was released in 2016.
Teacher Eoin Finn returns to Whistler Wanderlust with strenuous workshops: Lose Your Inversions, Sweat Your Intentions, Classic Rock Vinyasa Flow and Superflow Ocean-Inspired Yoga.
Meditation classes, speakers and dining experiences also run throughout the weekend.
