Dorset-Born Festival Wild & Wiser Brings a New Kind of Women’s Gathering to the Countryside

A new Dorset-based festival is inviting women to step away from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with something quieter, more personal - themselves.

Created in Dorset, Wild & Wiser is a two-day immersive experience designed for women looking to pause, reflect and rediscover what matters to them. 

Set within the Dorset countryside, the festival blends nature, wellbeing, creativity, and conversation. It sits between a retreat, a workshop and a community gathering. But behind the concept is a much more personal story.

For founder Kelly Keating, Wild & Wiser grew from a gradual shift in her work and life.

"I kept seeing capable women putting themselves last," she explains after years of working with women navigating change.

“Then a few significant personal things happened last year that made me pause and really reflect on how I was living my own life. 

Losing my dad unexpectedly was a big part of that. It brought a real sense of urgency and perspective - kind of, if not now then when?”

Leaving her corporate career gave Kelly space to combine experience, values, and creativity.

 

A new kind of experience

Taking place on 19th and 20th September 2026, Wild & Wiser has been thoughtfully built to offer something unlike a standard festival or retreat: an experience where women can shape their journey in a supportive, inspiring environment.

“It sits somewhere between a festival, a retreat and probably even a conference, and that’s very intentional,” says Kelly.

“It’s not a festival where you’re constantly ‘on’, and it’s not a retreat where everything is highly structured. It’s designed to give women choice.”

Attendees are free to shape their own experience, whether that’s moving, resting, learning, connecting or simply taking time out.

From wellbeing sessions to creative workshops and deep life-and-work discussions, the programme offers a uniquely supportive space for exploration without the pressure to participate in everything.

But there is no pressure to do everything.

“You curate your own experience depending on what you need in that moment,” she adds. “There’s no right or wrong way to experience it, only your way matters.”

 

More than just a weekend

At its heart, Wild & Wiser is about creating space - something many women feel they don’t often give themselves.

“I want women to feel an immediate sense of exhale when they arrive,” Kelly says. “Like they can put everything down for a moment - the roles, the responsibilities, the expectations, and just be. For some, it will be dancing like no one is looking. For others, it will be getting lost in nature. The beauty is that both are equally valid.”

It’s those smaller, often unexpected moments that she believes will stay with people long after the weekend ends.

“A conversation that shifts your perspective. A quiet moment where something clicks. Laughing with people you’ve only just met. Or simply giving yourself permission to slow down.”

 

Built by women, for women

While the idea began with Kelly, she’s clear that Wild & Wiser is already becoming something much bigger.

“Building something from scratch, especially as a first-time founder, stretches you in ways you can’t fully prepare for,” she says.

“It’s been a rollercoaster - equal parts energising and exposing. There have been moments of doubt, but also huge pride in bringing something to life that feels so aligned with my values.”

What’s made it special, she says, is the community forming around it.

“The amazing collective of women contributing their energy, ideas and support - it’s reminded me that whilst this started as my idea, it’s very much becoming something bigger than me.”

 

Why connection matters more than ever

At a time when so much of life happens online, the festival taps into a growing need for real, in-person connection.

“We’re so connected digitally, but often quite disconnected in real life,” Kelly reflects.

“Growth doesn’t just happen in isolation - it happens when we’re seen, heard and supported.”

 

There’s something powerful, she says, about bringing women together in one space.

“Community creates that sense of ‘it’s not just me’. And from there, change feels more possible.”

 

A first chapter and something more

2026 will mark the very first Wild & Wiser festival - something Kelly describes as both exciting and a little bit brave.

“There’s something really special about being there at the beginning of something,” she says.

“But what I really hope is that it sparks something beyond the weekend - new friendships, new ways of thinking, or simply the confidence to live life a little more on your own terms.”

 

Why it matters for Dorset

For Dorset, Wild & Wiser represents more than just a new event.

It reflects a growing shift towards more meaningful, experience-led gatherings - ones that bring people together and support wellbeing. It also celebrates Dorset's natural setting. As demand grows for experiences that feel both personal and purposeful, it’s exactly the kind of offering that puts Dorset firmly on the map.

Kelly explained; "The setting itself felt just as intentional. After fourteen years together, my husband and I were married last year in a way that truly reflected us-relaxed, joyful, and rooted in a festival feel we’d always dreamed of. When friends first mentioned Wooders Campsite, it immediately felt like somewhere different. From the moment we arrived, we were drawn not only to its natural beauty, but to the quiet way it encourages you to slow down, connect, and simply be. Heidi and Fi, who run Wooders, embody that same spirit - living with both freedom and grounded wisdom, and it made the whole experience feel even more meaningful. It wasn’t just a place, but a reminder of how life can feel when you allow it to unfold a little more naturally."

 

Find out more

19th & 20th September 2026

www.wildandwiser.co.uk