Beyond a great day: what we learned from the first DOSE Fest

The first DOSE Fest brought hundreds of people together for a day of wellbeing, creativity and connection. But we wanted to understand something more important:

Did people actually leave feeling different?

Early findings from the DOSE Fest 2026 Impact & Social Value Report suggest they did!

The inaugural festival was designed as a pilot for a different approach to prevention through effective community health - creating accessible opportunities for people to connect, move, learn, create and belong before they reach crisis point.

Of the written reflections collected during the festival, 90% included at least one positive emotional descriptor, with attendees using words including happy, calm, inspired, connected, hopeful, supported, relaxed and joyful.

One attendee simply wrote:

“I feel brighter and lighter.”

Connection and belonging were also among the strongest themes to emerge.

People spoke about meaningful conversations, meeting new people, spending time with family, shared laughter, feeling welcomed and experiencing a sense of community.

But the findings suggest the impact went further than feeling good on the day.

Attendees identified practical changes they intended to make afterwards, including moving more, spending more time outdoors, making time for self-care, joining local groups, strengthening relationships and practising self-compassion.

People also discovered new organisations, tried activities for the first time and found support that had previously been difficult to access.

One male attendee told us:

“Having everything in one place helped me access information I had been trying to find online for over a year.”

For founder Myra Merchant, this is an important part of what preventative health should look like.

“Prevention begins with helping people understand themselves - their bodies, emotions, relationships and individual needs - but none of us can thrive in isolation. Human connection is fundamental to our health, and trusted communities are often the best places to find encouragement, knowledge and early support.”

The festival also created opportunities for health research to connect directly with the community. The National Institute for Health and Care Research generated 28 Be Part of Research registrations during the event, alongside new community connections and opportunities for signposting into specialist support.

The findings are early evidence rather than the end of the story. Future DOSE evaluation will look more closely at longer-term behaviour change, signposting and referrals, partner outcomes and the wider social value created.

But the first pilot has given us an encouraging starting point.

People didn't simply attend an event.

They left feeling better, more connected, more informed and more willing to take positive action for their wellbeing.

And that is the impact that The Happiness Equation hopes to build on.

Follow the journey and join our mailing list to hear about the next stage of DOSE.