7-night fitness retreat featuring F45 workouts, yoga, scuba diving, breath work, ice baths, and entertainment.
F45 Festival Kandooma Maldives is confirmed for September 22–29, 2025, delivering a seven‑night, all‑in, fitness‑meets‑island‑escape on Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives’ private island in South Malé Atoll, with daily F45 workouts, ocean adventures, live music, and wellness recovery built into a seamless package that has already sold out for 2025 and is operating a waitlist. Hosted in partnership with Active Escapes, the festival is a headline week on the F45 x Active Escapes calendar, created for travelers who want high‑energy training, community, and tropical downtime in one effortless itinerary, with speedboat transfers, daily brunch and dinner, and signature activities like shark snorkeling and free scuba diving included.
Dates, place, and format
- Dates: Monday–Monday, September 22–29, 2025.
- Location: Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, a private‑island resort in South Malé Atoll with direct speedboat access from Malé (MLE).
- Format: A curated festival week that blends 45‑minute F45 sessions, ocean sessions, yoga, breathwork, ice baths, music, and social programming, with plenty of free time to explore lagoons, sandbars, and spa rituals between workouts.
What’s included in 2025 packages
Festival packages start from US$2,800 per person twin‑share and US$3,700 for a private room, excluding flights, with upgrades available to Beach House and Overwater Villa categories; a US$400 deposit secures a spot, and flexible payment plans are offered up to event week. Inclusions published by the resort and organizer cover:
- Seven nights accommodation on Kandooma.
- Speedboat transfers from Malé International Airport on arrival day.
- Daily brunch and dinner, except on arrival day.
- All F45 workouts and yoga sessions.
- Choice of focus activity: surfing, stand‑up paddleboarding (SUP), or shark snorkeling.
- Maldives reef boat snorkel trip.
- Free scuba diving during the week.
- Breathwork and ice‑bath recovery.
- Live music, DJ nights, open‑mic night, and a themed party day.
- Reverse raffle with prizes, pro photo package, and an Active Escapes welcome pack.
- Note: A mandatory Green Tax of US$6 per person per night is charged by the resort; package prices are subject to local taxes and may increase closer to the event.
The F45 approach in paradise
F45 training merges HIIT, circuit, and functional protocols in coach‑led 45‑minute blocks that can burn roughly 400–600 calories per session, with scalable intensity for beginners through advanced athletes. The festival sets these sessions against a Maldivian backdrop — sunrise warm‑ups over the lagoon, beach‑side burners, and shaded strength circuits — while the rest of the day balances movement with reef adventures, spa time at Kandooma Spa by COMO Shambhala, and golden‑hour mixers on the sand.
2025 hosts and lineup
Active Escapes confirms an all‑star F45 athlete team leading the 2025 festival week, including Alice Evans and Cristina Chan, with trainer John Karpathakis named among the confirmed hosts for Kandooma. The organizer’s festival page lists additional athlete hosts who rotate through sessions and social events, ensuring small‑group coaching, meet‑and‑greets, and high visibility at daily workouts and evening gatherings. Expect live music and guest DJ sets woven into the week’s social rhythm, with a dedicated open‑mic night for the community vibe that Active Escapes is known for internationally.
Why Kandooma works for a fitness festival
Kandooma’s footprint makes it a natural campus for F45. The island’s wide sandy beaches, sheltered lagoon, and reef access allow seamless transitions from training blocks to water sessions and recovery, while speedboat transfers remove the layover and seaplane complexity of more remote atolls. The resort’s room mix, from beach villas to overwater suites, lets solo travelers, couples, and friend groups pick their preferred setup and upgrade later if inventory allows. On‑island dive infrastructure supports the free diving perk and shaped snorkel trips, while the COMO Shambhala‑branded spa brings credibility to the recovery pillar with targeted treatments and quiet garden spaces.
A week at a glance
- Day 1 (Arrival): Meet‑and‑greet, island orientation, shakeout mobility session, sunset social.
- Days 2–6: Morning F45 block, ocean activity tracks (surf/SUP/shark snorkel), yoga and breathwork, optional free scuba diving, evening socials with DJs or live acoustic sets; one themed party day and a reverse raffle with prizes mid‑week.
- Day 7: Tapered F45 plus closing social and open‑mic highlights, early night for next‑day departures.
- This scaffold helps guests push during peak sessions, then recover smartly with snorkeling, spa, or silent beach time before music‑forward evenings.
Traveler profile and community
Active Escapes points to a strong solo traveler presence, especially in the 20–40 age range, though couples and small friend groups make up a healthy share of the cohort; coaching teams proactively facilitate connections so first‑timers feel woven in from the first workout. The week’s design invites opt‑in intensity: double‑session days for gym rats and low‑gear days for those who prefer yoga, a reef float, and sunset music before dinner.
Booking status and waitlist
As of late August, the 2025 F45 Festival Kandooma Maldives is sold out and running a waitlist through Active Escapes; guests can register interest for cancellations or roll their enthusiasm into 2026 pre‑registrations now live on the organizer’s site. The event is also highlighted on official Maldives tourism channels and trade outlets, which reiterate the dates and host team while advising prospective guests to secure spots early or join the list for late‑breaking availability.
Practical tips
- Flights and transfers: Book flights into Malé (MLE) to land on Sept 22; the package includes speedboat transfers to Kandooma at any time on arrival day. For departures, morning boats are coordinated to match outbound flights.
- Packing list: Training shoes, beach runners, quick‑dry activewear, reef‑safe sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, electrolytes, a compact first‑aid/aid kit, and a light layer for breezy evenings. Add fins or mask only if personal fit is critical; quality gear is provided on‑island.
- Nutrition: Brunch and dinner are included daily; plan snacks between workouts and consider bringing favored gels or hydration tabs to suit personal routines. Most dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.
- Budgeting: Add US$6 per person per night Green Tax to your room account, factor spa and premium beverage preferences, and consider an upgrade path to an overwater villa for a celebratory finish to the week.
- Insurance: Comprehensive travel insurance that covers trip interruption and adventure activities is recommended for water sports and training days in a remote setting.
Verified details at a glance
- Name: F45 Festival Maldives at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives.
- Dates: Sept 22–29, 2025.
- Status: Sold out; waitlist available via Active Escapes.
- Hosts: F45 athletes and trainers including Alice Evans, Cristina Chan, and John Karpathakis.
- Price: From US$2,800 twin‑share; US$3,700 private room; US$400 deposit; payment plans available; flights not included; Green Tax US$6 pp/night.
- Inclusions: 7 nights, airport speedboat transfers, brunch and dinner daily (except arrival), all workouts and yoga, surf/SUP/shark snorkel choices, reef snorkel trip, free scuba diving, breathwork and ice baths, live music and DJs, open‑mic night, themed party day, reverse raffle, photo package, welcome pack.
If the idea of sunrise training, midday reef swims, and star‑lit socials speaks to the soul, join the waitlist for Sept 22–29 at Kandooma or pre‑register for 2026 while early‑bird windows are open. Lock in flights to Malé, plan an upgrade if a water villa is on the vision board, and get ready for a week that proves fitness travel can be as restorative as it is exhilarating — with a global crew that feels like teammates by day two.