This summer 2023, a unique new pop-up hot tub festival is coming to the Cotswolds.
Launching on Saturday 24 June 2023, Sprig and Shake presents Hot Tub Summer is a brand-new day festival taking place at a secret location near Chipping Norton.
The event promises luxurious wood-fired hot tubs with incredible views over the Cotswold countryside; toasty saunas; chilled plunge pools; space for sunbathing; and DJ's playing Ibiza-inspired tunes all day long.
Guests can also enjoy a carefully curated selection of craft ales, cider, sparkling prosecco cocktails and street food like wood-fired pizza, with low ABV cocktails available for designated drivers, too.
The unique event is being organised by Joe Gray, a born-and-bred Londoner who started his love affair with the Cotswolds when he moved here from the capital four years ago.
He started his career as a professional chef, training at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, where he gained an incredible insight into the hospitality industry and everything that surrounds it, from the ingredients grown on the farm to the way you look after diners in the restaurant, before making the move into the events industry where he worked on everything from high-profile private dining experiences to yacht parties at the Monaco Grand Prix.
After the struggles of the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired by pop-up dining experiences in the uber-cool Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, Gray started running pop-up dinner parties, with a curated musical journey, five-course menu and cocktail pairing for each course.
From this, Sprig and Shake was born with the aim of creating exciting events that blend top quality food, drink and music, with a farm to fork ethos and an authentic vibe.
Gray said: 'Attention to detail is key. Really good quality food and drinks, taking people on a journey, having a bit of personality and character.'
When asked why he wanted to start a hot tub festival in the Cotswolds, Gray said he loved 'the elegance, the softness, the countryside' and the 'rural chic' of the Cotswolds and wanted to create a completely unique event where people could enjoy 'being outdoors with a wonderful view, eating great food, drinking great drinks, listening to great music, popping into the hot tub, sauna and plunge pool, having a little dance and enjoying it.'
Sustainability is also at the heart of Gray's ethos, using the lessons he's learned from a lifetime of summers spent at festivals and living in fields to find ways to look after the land, reuse water safely and reduce the environmental impact of the events he runs.
Sprig and Shake hopes Hot Tub Summer will be the first in a series of regular pop-ups taking place across the season, with another event planned for Saturday 8 July 2023.
There are also plans to develop the event and offer a more wellbeing-focused retreat towards the end of summer, with things like gong baths, high energy workouts, nutritious menus and boutique accommodation on offer — with the events company also catering for private events, weddings and corporate days with a difference.
The first Sprig and Shake presents Hot Tub Summer event takes place on Saturday 24 June 2023 from 11.30am to 10.30pm and offers free entry to the festival site, with pre-bookable hot tub experiences costing from £30 per person for an hour session in a shared hot tub, or from £210 for a private hot tub for up to eight people with a glass of prosecco each.
Hot tubs will also be available to book on the day, depending on availability of time slots, so anyone with a free ticket is encouraged to bring their swim gear along, too.
