FESTIVAL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
TRAVEL
SITE ADDRESS: Osho 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 Thorngrove Garden Centre so look out for signs)
TRAIN STATION: Gillingham, Dorset (not Kent!!!)
WEATHER: please note that rain is expected on Wed afternoon so be prepared with waterproofs, boots and warm layers. Bring an extra blanket/ sleeping bag if you are camping. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. Full list of what to bring further below.
ARRIVAL: Wed, 26 July from 16:00, dinner at 18:30, welcome 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.
DEPARTURE: Sun, 30 July after 14:00, lunch will be from 13:00-14:00
-Please leave the site by 6pm unless you are planning to stay extra night or are part of the crew.
EXTRA NIGHT’S STAY FOR A REDUCED RATE:
-Option to stay until Mon, 31 July 11am including dinner & breakfast.
-Please go to Osho Leela office on Sun, 30 July 14:00-16:00 to pay if you’ll stay an extra night.
-Camping/Campervans £22 p/n
-Dorms/ Other accommodation, room cost per night + £22
-Site is usually not able to accommodate people for longer than 24 hours before or after an event due to other events.
CHECK IN: Festival team identified by purple wristbands will welcome you, ask to sign a guideline form and will put on a festival wristband.
LIFTSHARES: WhatsApp group link is in your order confirmation email.
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
Any questions, please email Diana: ecstaticdancefestivaluk@gmail.com
FACILITIES
(SEE SITE MAP FURTHER BELOW)
💜 PRACTICAL PROBLEMS/ QUESTIONS: Please see our festival Crew: purple wristbands.
💛SAFEGUARDING ISSUES: Please see our festival Spaceholding team: yellow wristbands to speak to if you have any issues, safety or nudity concerns. (Please read below festival guidelines, safeguarding and nudity policy)
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 are an additional cost. 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 here.
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, Dome, Zorba (indoor space), Shankara (indoor space) plus indoor hangout spaces in the main house.
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, 7x in total) and we’re also preparing some relaxing and invigorating sauna rituals.
LAND: 18 acres of land to explore, plenty of outdoor space for nature walks, outdoor activities and camping.
DOGS/ PETS: Osho 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.
ACCOMMODATION
DORMS/ ROOMS/ GLAMPING: If you’ve booked any indoor accommodation via Osho Leela website, all bedding is provided. Please bring your own towels. All accommodation has electricity and power outlets.
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 Osho Leela Booking Office if you wish to.
ACCOMMODATION BOOKINGS: There are few accommodation options available, please book here.
EXTRA NIGHT’S STAY FOR A REDUCED RATE:
-Option to stay until Mon, 31 July 11am including dinner & breakfast.
-Please go to Osho Leela office on Sun, 30 July 14:00-16:00 to pay if you’ll stay an extra night.
-Camping/Campervans £22 p/n
-Dorms/ Other accommodation, room cost per night + £22
-Site is usually not able to accommodate people for longer than 24 hours before or after an event due to other events.
FOOD/ DRINKS
FOOD/ MEALS: All meals are included (3 meals per day, total 12 meals) and everyone will eat together at set meal times. 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. There is a dietary requirement section in the Eventbrite booking form when booking festival ticket. Please note there is no fridge or cooking facilities available to participants (unless you’ve booked a private accommodation that has these facilities).
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 Osho Leela, serving cakes/ barista coffee/ healthy drinks etc (cash & card payments accepted). There is also a cafe at the next door Garden Centre if you want any extra goodies.
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
- 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 coffee & cake shop will be open at certain times so you will be able to buy a proper coffee/lattes etc if you wish to.
- 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)
- Toiletries/ Toothbrush: natural & biodegradable products if possible please.
- Acoustic music instruments if you wish to such as guitar, ukulele, drums 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 retreat more comfortable for you!
ECSTATIC DANCE FESTIVAL GUIDELINES
💜 PRACTICAL PROBLEMS/ QUESTIONS: Please see our festival Crew: purple wristbands.
💛SAFEGUARDING ISSUES: Please see our festival Spaceholding team: yellow wristbands if you have any issues with guidelines, safety or nudity concerns.
ALCOHOL AND DRUG-FREE ENVIRONMENT
We live in the age of social media and so to capture our alcohol and drug free festival, we want to share to the world that we can have a great time without intoxicants. We will be photographing and videoing this festival. We thank you in advance for accepting this fact, and we ask please not to attend if you’re not happy being captured.
Our media team, will of course be sensitive, and will only use the best shots of you. 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.
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
***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).
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 as well as welcoming freedom. With awareness, sensitivity and kindness, we hope to create a supportive community for everyone so please bear the following in mind:
Our Spaceholding team, who can be identified by their yellow wristbands, will be present to speak to if you have any issues, safety or nudity concerns. We actively encourage people to report problems to the Spaceholder representative. If you feel that someone’s behaviour is inappropriate, for example a display of inappropriate or unwanted sexual behaviour, please let a Spaceholder know as soon as possible so they can address it.
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 the 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!