WellNXT NOLA releases free festival lineup for New Orleans Marathon weekend

WellNXT Global unveiled the full schedule for WellNXT New Orleans x Fest 2026, a free three-day wellness festival at City Park’s Tad Gormley Stadium during New Orleans Marathon weekend. The event aims to draw more than 30,000 attendees with fitness classes, health talks, tastings and worker-focused programming across three stages.

Why it matters: - WellNXT New Orleans x Fest 2026 is designed to turn New Orleans Marathon weekend into a broader wellness event for runners, families, health-conscious attendees and hospitality workers. - The festival is free with registration, which lowers the barrier to entry for a large public audience. - Organizers expect more than 30,000 attendees across the festival, the New Orleans Community Games and the New Orleans Marathon.

What happened: - WellNXT Global released the full programming lineup for WellNXT New Orleans x Fest 2026 on Oct. 28, 2026. - The free festival takes place at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park. - Festival days run Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. - A marathon packet pickup party is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. - Admission is free with registration at event registration. - The event is produced with Fit Fête New Orleans as part of the Weekend of Wellness. - More than 120 brand partners are involved. - Presenting sponsors include New Orleans & Company, Ochsner Health, First Horizon Bank, NOLA Cannabis Co. and GoodCannaNow. - Eight community grant recipients are participating across three stages.

The details: - The Performance Stage features free fitness classes, live music and athlete talks. - Thursday programming includes race nutrition tips and a Race-Ready Flow yoga class with YEAH! YOGA. - Friday brings Mackie Shilstone with April Dupre to open the Community Games, CrossFit 101 with Tanya Silvernagel, a Workplace Wellness Lab with Spencer Shilstone, heart-health Zumba with the American Heart Association, gut-health nutrition with sound healing, the Community Games Awards and a Race Day Fashion Show with Niccola Running. - Saturday programming includes functional fitness for adults 40 and older, awards for the 5K, Half Marathon and Marathon, The Discipline Behind Performance with Mackie Shilstone and WDSU’s Meg Farris, post-race recovery with NOLA Miles Club and Nyla, a sleep session with Dwellspring founder Brandon Reed, Flipping Out with Austin Raye and a family workout with The 18th Ward. - Race morning opens at the start line with the Ochsner Health Pre-Race Warmup. - The Longevity Lounge focuses on healthy aging and whole-person health. - Thursday includes an invitation-only welcome reception for partners and talent. - Friday sessions cover financial wellness with First Horizon, Raising the Next Generation with YEAH! YOGA, The 18th Ward, Liberty Bank and Phenomune, Jared Shapiro on wellness, media and trust, Force of Nature with GoodCannaNow, NOLA Cannabis Co., SippiShrooms and REMiXEcology on natural approaches to sleep, stress and pain, Laugh, Breathe, Heal with author Jon Hébert, Men’s Health + Performance with Dr. Andrew Gottschalk, Dr. Jeremy Dumas and TENGA, and Strength for Real Life with Coach Brittani Lewis. - Saturday programming includes Self-Care Saturday with Heels & Pearls and SoulSpace, If You Love It, Live It: The New Orleans Guide to Longevity with Dr. Felicia Stoler, Commander's Palace owner Ti Adelaide Martin and Executive Chef Meg Bickford, an Ann + Anthony's mocktail tasting, Mackie and Spencer Shilstone on performance across generations, a women’s health conversation with Alisha Reed, PharmD, and a Pilates flow with AJ BienAime. - The Healthy Hospitality Hub is aimed at restaurant, bar and hotel workers in New Orleans and is produced with Turning Tables and Ashé Cultural Arts Center. - Friday at the hub includes a resistance band class, Care When It Counts, a panel on accessing care, the bEHR Health Steps Challenge kickoff and yoga with Bloom Yoga Nola. - Saturday at the hub features free bEHR Health massages and physical therapy checks, a line dance with Sip More, a work-life balance talk with Toussaint Trahan, You Deserve IT: Benefits and Resources with Turning Tables and closing yoga with bEHR Health.

Between the lines: - The three-stage format signals a push to serve multiple audiences at once instead of a single fitness crowd. - The Healthy Hospitality Hub gives the festival a local workforce focus that connects wellness to New Orleans’ service economy. - The mix of marathon programming, health education and lifestyle sessions suggests the event is being positioned as both a sports weekend add-on and a broader community gathering. - Mike Millay, co-founder of WellNXT Global, said the three stages are meant to help every New Orleanian find a way in, whether they are crossing a marathon finish line, planning for longer-term health or coming off a double shift.

What's next: - The latest lineup will remain available at the event schedule. - Organizers say schedules are subject to change. - The festival runs Nov. 12-14 alongside the New Orleans Marathon weekend events.