More than 5,000 exercisers turned out for Les Mills Live London recently, making it one of the largest group exercise events ever staged.

Held on 22-23 October, the "festival of fitness" saw 250 Les Mills instructors lead exercisers through 10 of the brand's most iconic workouts – from Bodypump and Bodycombat to Bodybalance.

Held at London’s Excel Arena, the festival was also the first fitness event to be filmed fully in virtual reality (VR), meaning a highlights package will soon be available on META’s Quest platform as an immersive Omnifitness experience available from anywhere in the world on the Les Mills platforms.

Using Quest, exercisers will be able to discover what it’s like to be in the middle of a Bodypump workout with thousands of others or take to the stage next to presenters for the latest Bodycombat workout.

Les Mills Live London also featured an Athlete’s Village, with VR workout areas, refueling stations, product activations and meet and greets with the stars of the show. Throughout the event, the area was soundtracked by electronic artists from record label Monstercat, including Bishu, Ellis, Godlands, Punctual, Shingo Nakamura, Snavs, and Tony Romera.

Les Mills CEO Clive Ormerod said: “It was incredible to bring people together for the first time in nearly three years to celebrate the return of live workouts with a thrilling festival of fitness.

“People are the beating heart of our movement, so to have instructors, gym operators and consumers together in the room and getting back to what they love was really special.

“As the fitness industry continues to recover, appetite for authentic social connection is driving people back into live workout experiences, which provide a sense of community and motivation that can’t be replicated online. Live fitness is back and it’s bigger than ever.”