Quick answers to the questions we get asked most, scroll the page for more practical information.
Welcome to the Festival
Your Questions Answered & Practical Information
We are so excited to welcome you into this magical, vibrant experience. If you’ve never been before, or just need a refresher on details, this page is for you! See you on the dancefloor!
Any Questions? Email info@ecstaticdancefestival.co.uk
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
What is the Ecstatic Dance Festival?
The Ecstatic Dance Festival is a conscious movement & wellbeing gathering (150-300 people) focused on ecstatic dance, embodiment practices, music, nature connection & holistic wellness. Includes ecstatic dance journeys, yoga, meditation, breathwork, sound baths, singing, saunas, cacao & much more!
Where is the Festival located?
The festival takes place near Gillingham, North Dorset (UK) at the Leela Centre, surrounded by beautiful countryside. The site is easily accessible, with a direct train from London taking approximately 2 hours, followed by a short local transfer – less than 10 min taxi or a 30 min walk.
Can I come on my own?
Absolutely. Many people attend solo. The festival is known for its friendly, conscious, and welcoming community, making it easy to connect and feel at home.
Do I need experience with Ecstatic Dance?
No experience is required. The festival is open to beginners and everyone is welcome to attend.
Is alcohol or drug use allowed?
This is a conscious, alcohol-free and drug-free event. We aim to create a safe, grounded space for deep connection, presence, and embodied awareness. Please respect this and don’t consume any substances at the festival. We reserve the right to ask anyone breaking these rules to leave the festival.
Are dogs or pets allowed?
Leela has a strict “no dogs and no pets” policy with the exception of guide dogs. This applies to campers and people bringing campervans.
How many people will be at the festival?
Between 130-200 people so not an overwhelming festival experience with thousands of people, intimate and a great way to get to know the fellow festival attendees.
What is the Cancellation Policy?
We offer this festival in order to support the growth of physical and mental wellness of attendees and it requires many hours of organisation and planning. We ensure we have sufficient funds to do this with the following policy:
– Participants join the festival at their own risk. Ecstatic Dance London accepts no responsibility for spontaneous joy, open-heartedness or sore cheeks from too much smiling.
CANCELLATION BY ATTENDEES:
-All festival tickets are non-refundable. If you cannot attend the festivaldue to any reason or personal matter including covid, we will not be able to issue a festival ticket refund, sorry.
-You are welcome to pass on your festival ticket to a friend, colleague or family member, resell your ticket or consider gifting your place to someone, there are many people in our network who do not have the funds to attend such a festival. Please let us know name and email address of the person attending in your place by sending us an email with replacement person’s details to so we can transfer the ticket in their name.
CANCELLATION BY THE ORGANIZER/VENUE:
Due to situations beyond our control, Ecstatic Dance London reserves the right to change booking or cancel the festival and shall inform the customer as soon as possible. You may transfer your full payment to another festival or you may request a refund of your payment to us, constituting a full settlement. Alternative arrangements will be offered but we do not accept responsibility for any costs incurred, including travel. Ecstatic Dance London is not responsible for your expenses incurred in preparation for any cancelled festival such as travel costs, loss of work, and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip. As organizers of this festival, we do not take any responsibility for any matters beyond our control or for any covid related matters that occur during the festival.
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Practical Information
Travel
Everything you need to find us, get here, and get settled in, from directions and parking to trains, taxis and liftshares.
Site Address
The Leela Personal Development Centre, Thorngrove House, Common Mead Ln, Gillingham SP8 4RE (Dorset)
Google Maps
https://goo.gl/maps/4h35B1mBQSjACieZ6
(same road turn as the Employ My Ability education centre so look out for signs)
Train Station
Gillingham, Dorset (not Kent!!!)
Taxi Numbers
Best to book taxi in advance, it’s about 5min drive and costs around £7-£10. Some local taxi numbers:
01747850385
01747822228
01747835317
07734253039
Weather
Currently forecasted to be sunny all week! Keep an eye on the weather forecast. (Gillingham, Dorset)
Full list of what to bring further below.
Departure
The festival will end after lunch (13:00-13:30) on the last day Sun 26 July, with plenty of time to pack up and depart PLUS there will be a post lunch outdoor dance from 15:00-16:00! Please do not leave before the end of the festival. Aim to depart around 4pm/5pm to give yourself enough time.
-ACCOMMODATION: please vacate rooms/bell tents and strip all bed linen by 14:30 to support the House Care Team.
-ROOM KEYS: please retun to the Leela office and collect key deposit by 15:00
-PERSONAL ITEMS/ BAGS: welcome to store in Zorba until 17:00 whilst you enjoy afternoon sessions.
-PACK DOWN CAMPING GEAR (IF CAMPING)
-REMEMBER TO TAKE ALL YOUR BELONGINGS
-CHECK LOST PROPERTY BOX IN THE MAIN HOUSE
-STAY FOR DINNER AT 6PM for extra £10. Please book dinner with the Booking Office by 15:00
-PLEASE LEAVE THE SITE BY 17:00
Arrival
We ask participants to arrive from around 15:00 or 16:00 the first day to allow time to check-in, explore the grounds, set up camping or settle in to accommodation if booked, join for Outdoor Dance or Sound Journey from 17:30-18:30. The festival will start with dinner at 18:30 followed by a Welcome Ecstatic Dance Session from 20:00.
ARRIVAL: Wed, 22 July from 16:00 (or from 15:00 is also ok), Dinner at 18:30, Welcome Dance Session at 20:00
-Please try not to arrive earlier than this as we need to get the site ready, unless you are part of the crew.
WEEKEND TICKET HOLDERS:
Arrival on Fri, 24 July from 16:00, see festival programme & attend weekend arrival welcome session.
Check-in
Festival team identified by purple vests will welcome you, ask to sign a guideline form and will put on a festival wristband.
Liftshares
WhatsApp group link is in your Festival Welcome email and will be sent in the beginning of July. Or please email Diana:
info@ecstaticdancelondon.com OR
ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com OR
contact via mobile 07789111524
Any Questions?
please email Diana:
info@ecstaticdancelondon.com OR
ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com OR
contact via mobile 07789111524
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Practical Information
Facilities
Everything you need to know about the site itself, from toilets and showers to camping, food and upgraded accommodation.
ANY PRACTICAL QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR NEED EXTRA SUPPORT?
-PLEASE REACH OUT TO ONE OF OUR FESTIVAL CREW MEMBERS (with Blue Wristbands)
(Please read below festival guidelines, safeguarding and nudity policy)
Facilities
Cars
There is free carpark on site for all attendees travelling by car. Festival team will inform you where to park.
CAMPERVANS / LIVE IN VEHICLES
There will be designated parking areas/ electric hook up points if required and pre-booked. If you haven’t reserved a campervan/live in vehicle space, please book this when purchasing food/camping/campervan/ sauna site pass.
CAMPING
You will be able to drive and drop your camping gear close to the camping field or use wheelbarrows. Remember to bring all your camping stuff. Our friendly festival crew will be able to assist you with your tent set up if required. See section ‘WHAT TO BRING’.
SHOWERS & TOILETS
There is a purpose built shower/toilet block with hot running water. Toilets and showers are also available in the main house plus additional toilets in Shankara building. Some accommodation have private showers/ toilets.
POWER OUTLETS
There will be a few phone charging stations and all accommodation, including glamping have power outlets.
WORKSHOP SPACES
Marque, Zorba, Shankara (indoor spaces), plus Outdoor Dance Space, Dome with hammocks, indoor hangout spaces in the main house & cafe in the garden, nature paths around the site. Plus bodyworker spaces for 1:1 sessions.
DINING AREAS
Covered indoor/outdoor dining areas, tea/coffee available at any time.
MASSAGES (extra cost)
There will be plenty of qualified bodyworkers available to soothe your aching muscles and feet! All sign ups will be available at the festival (card/ cash payments accepted)
SAUNAS
Will be available in the afternoons and evenings (included in the festival ticket cost) and we’re also preparing some relaxing and invigorating sauna rituals in Barrel Sauna plus Women only sauna sessions.
DINING AREAS
Covered indoor/outdoor dining areas, tea/coffee available at any time.
LAND
18 acres of land to explore, plenty of outdoor space for nature walks, outdoor activities and camping.
DOGS / PETS
Leela has a strict “no dogs and no pets” policy with the exception of guide dogs. This applies to campers and people bringing campervans.
SMOKING
There is a designated ‘smoking temple’ by the main house and this is the only place allowed to smoke on festival site. Please respect this and do not smoke anywhere else on site. Thank you.
FIRE SAFETY
No candles/ incense/ smoking in tents or any of the accommodation please.
Upgraded Accommodation
Very limited spaces (please check as accommodation options when booking festival tickets) or contact the Leela Centre directly if you have already bought your ticket and would like to see if any indoor accommodation upgrades are available. info@theleelacentre.co.uk
+44 01747 821221
DORMS/ ROOMS/ GLAMPING: If you’ve booked any indoor accommodation, all bedding is provided.
Please bring your own towels.
All accommodation has electricity and power outlets. (apart from Standard Bell Tents which have no electricity).
ROOM KEYS/ DEPOSIT: Private rooms, Mobile Homes, Pine Lodges have optional room keys. A refundable cash deposit of £10 will be required upon receiving the room key from The Leela Booking Office if you wish to.
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Yummy Information
Food & Drinks
Three meals a day, dietary options catered for, plus on-site Garden Café for cold drinks & yummy treats. Unlimited free instant coffee, tea, alternative milks and drinking water available in the main house.
Food & Meals
All meals are included (3 meals per day, total 12 meals). Venue runs a vegetarian/vegan kitchen and does its best to meet the most common food requirements for guests such as gluten free/ lactose free/ vegan and all dishes will be clearly labelled. Venue might not be able to cater for other special diets. Please complete dietary requirement section when you book festival ticket via venue’s website. Teas/coffees available at anytime with a selection of alternative milks. Filtered drinking water also available to refill your water bottles. There is also a Coffee/cake shop which is run by Leela community and will be open at certain times during the day.
PLEASE NOTE: Festival takes place at Leela and there is a community of people who already live there or have joined one of their live-in programmes. To support the community and help with the practicalities, participants will be required to help once during the festival with the dishes– either one day after lunch or dinner. Many thanks in advance for your support with this.
Drinking Water
There are few water filters located on site where you can top up your reusable water bottles.
Coffee & Tea
There will be hot water and selection of teas/ instant coffee/ alternative milks available at anytime free of charge or you can buy coffee from the coffee shop. (Ground Coffee & Cafetieres: please bring your own if you wish)
Cafe
Run by The Leela Centre, serving cakes/ filtered coffee/ soft drinks etc (cash & card payments accepted).
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Your Checklist
What to Bring
We encourage all participants to have a Digital Detox during the festival and to switch off phones.
Maybe bring a simple alarm clock so you can wake up for morning meditations/yoga.
- If you have booked accommodation, please note that all bedding is provided, just need to bring your towel.
- Camping gear for those who choose to camp (tent, pegs, mattress, insulating mat, sleeping bag or duvet, pillow, extra blanket, hot water bottle, lights to put inside the tent etc)
- Reusable water bottle
- Yoga Mat & blanket (we will provide plenty of these at the festival)
- Ground coffee & cafetiere for coffee lovers (venue provides instant coffee and has limited cafetiere’s so please bring your own if you have one). Community run cafe will be open at certain times so you will be able to buy a filtered coffee if you wish to. You can help yourself to free tea, instant coffee and alternative milks at any time during the day in the main house.
- Torch (head torches are really useful)
- Clothing in layers suitable for movement/ dancing
- Clothing & boots/shoes suitable for hiking/ outdoors
- Waterproofs or umbrella in case of rain
- Warm jacket or jumper for evenings as temperature will drop during the night
- Swimsuit/ swim shorts for sauna
- Towel
- Ear-plugs (if you’re a light sleeper) Hopefully you’ve not booked a shared accommodation if you snore!
- Toiletries/ Toothbrush: natural & biodegradable products if possible please.
- Acoustic music instruments if you wish to such as guitar, ukulele etc.
- Snacks such as nuts/ dried fruit/ flapjacks/ chocolate, avocados etc for when you get peckish or if you want extra yummy things
- Personal items such as phone/ charger/ card/ keys etc.
- Anything else you think will make the festival more comfortable for you!
YOUR FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
Compulsary Read
Ecstatic Dance Festival Guidelines
Please read below festival guidelines, safeguarding and nudity policy
Alcohol & Drug Free Environment
***Please note: this festival is a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol space! This is one of the very few festivals where we can dance and connect in a safe and clean sober way. Please respect this, thank you. Please don’t come to the festival drunk or high or consume any substances during the festival as you will be refused entry or asked to leave. No refunds!*** Smoking – only in the smoking temple (see site map).
Photos & Videos
We’ll be capturing a few special moments throughout the festival to help share the spirit of Ecstatic Dance Festival with future attendees. In fact, many of you may have discovered us through photos or videos from previous years.
This year we’re also excited to be partnering with a brand-new creative platform, developed by members of our own Ecstatic Dance community, which will give attendees the opportunity to discover and enjoy photos of themselves after the festival. We’ll share more details.
Our photographers are regular Ecstatic Dancers themselves, so they understand the spaces we create and work as unobtrusively as possible. Many workshops and dance sessions will remain camera-free, allowing everyone to fully relax and be present.
If you’d prefer not to appear in any photos or videos, simply let Diana or a member of the team know when you arrive, and we’ll happily do our very best to respect your wishes.
No personal phones/cameras in workshop/dance spaces, please. Feel free to take photos of yourself before/ after the workshop; however, be mindful of people around you.
Safeguarding
At Ecstatic Dance Festival we aim to create a safe and inclusive space for all and want to ensure everyone feels comfortable. That means holding boundaries while welcoming freedom. With awareness, sensitivity and kindness, we hope to create a supportive community for everyone, so please bear the following in mind:
Our FESTIVAL CREW who can be identified by their BLUE WRISTBANDS, will be present to speak with you if you have any issues or safety or nudity concerns. We actively encourage people to report problems to the Festival Crew representative. If you feel that someone’s behaviour is inappropriate, for example a display of inappropriate or unwanted sexual behaviour, please let a the Festival Crew know as soon as possible so they can address it. Thank you.
Nudity
You may be comfortable being fully naked, but please offer consideration and awareness of the context and people around you that, given our culture, find nudity distracting, challenging or even threatening. What constitutes nudity? It’s often socially acceptable for a male body to be topless in public in places where the standard wouldn’t be the same for a female body.
WE HAVE BOUNDARIES IN PLACE AROUND NUDITY: PLEASE READ BELOW:
– No below-the-waist nudity at any time (apart from in the sauna)
– We reserve the right to request anyone, at any time, to put on clothes or exit a space or area should we consider the nudity in that case inappropriate or offensive.
– If you are unsure or it’s not clear, then please check with Spaceholder before getting undressed.
– No nudity during meal times or around the main house.
– Offensive or overtly sexual behaviour is not tolerated in any circumstances.
– Anyone not adhering to the guidelines will be asked to leave the festival site immediately.
– The intent isn’t to shame or cause embarrassment but to navigate the winding path between different people’s needs.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION
Respect, Consent & Boundaries
Always treat others with respect. That means respecting their space, their wishes, their choices and speaking to them in a respectful way. Kindness isn’t consent. If you like someone and want to hug them, please ask first. Please ask for consent before touching someone PERIOD. Please respect your own and other people’s boundaries.
1) Only enthusiastic, verbal Yes means Yes.
2) No means No.
3) Silence means
No. 4) Mumbling means
No. 5) Uncomfortable body language means No.
6) Any response that is not enthusiastic YES means No.
Let’s work together to keep each other safe.
Attunement
Power of attunement is the ability to understand and connect with how others feel. It’s like having a special antenna that helps you sense how other people are doing emotionally. Just like how we use our eyes to see things and our ears to hear sounds, we use our attunement to feel the emotions of the people around us. So do take time to attune to others around you, not just waiting for them to set their boundaries.
Co-Created Festival Experience
PARTICIPATION: YOU are the heart of this festival. Your willingness to be open to new experiences, fully commit to participating and become part of the event is what will make this day come alive. All workshops are optional. Listen to your body and pace yourself during the festival. Have fun and dance your socks off! 🙂
INCLUSION: If you see someone hanging out alone, don’t be afraid to talk to them. Some people are shy but will open up when there is an invitation to interact. We want everyone to feel included and welcome.
CREATIVITY: Just as with Participation, your creativity is of enormous value at this event and will help to make it possible. If you want to join our crew at the next festival, please reach out. We are always open to more creatives joining the team who are bursting with colourful ideas! Further to this, we strongly believe that your experience at this event will be what you make it. You CAN create magic, you CAN create a container for healing within and you CAN create a more authentic expression of you!
COMMUNITY: Connecting like-minded members of the Ecstatic Dance Festival community is an important part of this event. We hope that you feel at home here, and that we can start to create a sense of belonging for those who are new here, those who haven’t quite found their tribe, or who have experienced personal growth and want to find a new one.
EXPRESSION: Your self expression is so immensely valued here. However you feel fully expressed, know that that is welcome. You can dress how you want, act as silly as you want (within the guidelines), sing your heart out, dance your buns off. We want you to be the real YOU. Also, express your feelings to our Safeguarding team if there is something bothering you, you will be seen and heard.
PRESENCE : Now more than ever, we are facing an epidemic of technology addiction and disconnection of our species. Please do your best to remain present at the event, immerse yourself in the experience and turn your phone off unless you really need it!