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If you are coming to the gathering this year, even if you've come before, please read through this guide to participating and what you need to bring .
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TICKETS
Tickets will be available on Quicket until 27th December at midday. We may sell tickets at the gate if we haven’t reached our limit, but you must join the Talent Exchange beforehand if you want to participate, and arrive with your Exchange number.
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WHY GET ON THE EXCHANGE?
Because communities should be able to trade without money or banks or vat! Not just at the Festival but all year. It’s easy and free to sign up. Earn Talents, spend Talents, and it all flows.
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WHAT TO BRING
Camping gear and clothing for ALL weather possibilities from chilly, to hot, to rainy.
Shade Cloth, mats, cushions, cooking equipment, plastic tarps for rain.
Sandals, Sunhat and natural sunscreen
All your own campsite lighting, using solar or batteries
Enough food to sustain you for a week.
Your own bowl/mug and spoon if buying meals from others (no food packaging here)
Headlamp or torch and batteries
Non-toxic, biodegradable washing liquids, soaps, shampoos and sunscreen
Water Container for your campsite (abundant drinking water available)
A first aid kit for minor cuts, sprains, headaches, burns, etc,
Small camping chair, cushion or mat to sit on at talks, performances etc.
Portable ashtray container if you are a smoker, no butts on the ground, ever!
A plastic bucket with a lid for your food waste
A reusable container for your clean recycling
An empty 2liter plastic bottle for your non-recyclables to make an ecobrick
Your Talent Exchange number and pens to record transactions on your Sales sheet.
A fire extinguisher if you have one
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ON ARRIVAL
Gates open at 9am on 28th December
The gate will be locked from 5pm – 9am so plan to arrive between 9am and 5pm.
Camp at the far end if you don’t want to be disturbed by the evening Music.
If you come a day earlier, and not on crew, you will have to pay an extra R100 pppn for camping fees.
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SETTING UP CAMP
There are many trees and you can camp with your car, so bring hammocks and cloths, to make a shady home in the forest. Please don’t put any nails in the trees or cut any trees or branches. Use the sun for your power needs. Separate all your waste and take it to the lively Recycling depot which is open between 9 and 11am each day. Be mindful of neighbours and respect space, stuff and noise levels. Leave no trace when you pack up.
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TENTS FOR HIRE
If you are in need of a tent, contact Tim Ellis before Monday 24th, who will bring one up for you.
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FOOD
There are no food vendors selling meals for Rands, so come prepared to feed yourself. We are practicing self-sufficiency. Some people may be offering meals for Talents so if you want to buy a meal, have your own bowl and spoon. Good hygiene is essential if you are offering food. There will be a kitchen space that can be hired for Talents if you and some friends want to create a big meal and sell it to hungry Clanners for Talents. And another kitchen space available for a small Talent fee for personal use. Both kitchens need to be booked on the schedule boards and left as clean and tidy as you'd like to find them.
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POWER AND LIGHTING
This is an off-grid village. We have a solar rig for streetlights and music only. Try to bring solar lighting for your campsite. Solar powered fairy lights, lanterns, battery or gaslight. Everyone should have their own torch or headlamp. Cooking can be done at designated fire pits only, or gas cookers/braais/wood stoves / solar cookers. No open fires at your campsite please.
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CAMPSITE CONDITIONS
The campsite has many trees, and the ground is soft soil. You can easily walk barefoot but watch out for the occasional hidden stump in the ground. Many trees fell during the last winter storms however, so there are more sunny patches. Showers are heated by wood fires, so please keep them short. Good drinking water is available from taps around the venue. There are sometimes bees or flies so bring flynets to cover food. There are flush loos, as well as a few compost toilets.
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RECHARGING PHONES
We try to take the opportunity to disengage from our phones for a week too, but if you must keep in touch, then bring a solar phone charger or solar lamp with a phone charging jack. We do provide a recharge station from our Solar rig, however, leaving your phone there is at your own risk entirely.
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FIRST AID
There is no medic tent. Please bring your own first aid kit with the basics for cuts and scrapes, sprains, headaches, etc. If you need help, come to basecamp and we will call one of the nurses in the clan. We are a village and we will collectively make a plan if anything serious happens, but please take care of your own health and wellbeing.
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SAFETY
There is a lovely river to swim in, but parents must take responsibility for their own children when they are swimming. Ensure gas bottles are safely placed, have been checked for leaks and faulty pipes and are always attended when operational.
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FIRE
There is a lot of dry wood around so please be extremely careful when smoking, do not leave candles unattended ! There are many fire places, so don't make fires at your own campsite. One tiny spark can catch, so please be very mindful of fire safety. There is plenty of firewood onsite. Have a good chat to your kids about fire danger. Bring a fire extinguisher it you have one and keep it handy at your campsite. Park in a way that you can leave quickly should a fire breakout and wait for the Fire Marshall to give instructions.
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MUSIC ZONES
There will be various live music and dancing options from the musicians and DJ's in the Clan in the evenings. Amplified sound will be turned down around midnight but will go on till dawn to dance in the New Year. If you don’t want to be disturbed by the music, make sure you camp on the farthest side from the entrance.
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VOLUNTEERING
The village has many daily tasks to keep everything running smoothly, so we all chip in a couple of hours during the week. Please come to the Info Tent and see the Volunteers schedule to sign up for a shift.
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DOGS
We are no longer allowing any more dogs. If you haven't yet bought a ticket for your dog, please leave them at home. All dog owners must bring a spade and lookout for ANY poop you see even if you know it was not your dog. Be sure to take full responsibility for their needs and make sure they are not a nuisance to anyone. If they are, we may have to ask you to take them home.
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MARKET
Anyone is welcome to sell things at the daily pop-up market from 4-6pm each day. Bring a blanket or table and chair to trade your wares or services. Only trade in Talents please, no money at all, not even half/ half. This is a MONEY-FREE gathering as we learn how to get by without it.
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COMMUNITY CHECK IN
Each day around 6ish, there is a drum roll to gather the village together, so head for the sound of the drums to dance and hear the village news and important info.
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PARTICIPATING
Everyone co-creates the content of the Festival in some way: Knowledge, skills, know-how, service, ideas, random acts of kindness, art, music, entertainment, healing – anything that is empowering. You don’t have to have a specific talent or skill or craft, you can offer a service, sell things for Talents at market time, or make a meal for people, or support other people’s offerings.
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WHAT'S ON?
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the content so far! See Contributions page. There are over 150 talks, presentations, workshops, healings, rejuvenations, self-exploration options, homesteading and self-sufficiency skills, music, performance and activities for kids and teens. If you have something to present, let us know so we can promote it on the webpage and you can also post about it on the facebook page.
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TRADING IN TALENTS
Sales sheets to record your transactions will be available at the Talent Exchange desk. Or you can keep track of your own transactions in a notebook. Please be generous with your pricing, so that everyone can afford to try many activities.
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ACTIVITY BOARDS
There are Activity Boards at the central Info Tent, where you can find what’s on for the day. Please read the notices on the back of these boards too. It’s our Village comms area, volunteer schedule and activities for kids and teens. If you have something to offer, fill in a card and place it in an available venue and time slot. Only take one slot at a time to give others a chance.
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AVAILABLE VENUES
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If you are using a venue and charging a fee for your offering, please give some Talents to the venue manager for the space.
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Live Stage - live music, performances at night, talks in the day
Dance Zone - night time dance sets, day time movement classes
Talks Tent - talks, workshops, discussions, movies
Demo Zone - if you need space to build something
Heart Space - for the healing arts and healthy relationships
Yoga Zone - yoga, tai chi, stretching, martial arts, etc
Red Tent - feminine rites and rituals, circle sharing
Man Cave – a place for men to share
Craft Zone - for creative activities
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Kitchen Space - to hire for making food to sell
Little Kids tent – play space for kids under 8
Teen Zone - for teen activities and their hangout spot
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THEME CAMPS
Tween Survivor Club – activities and challenges for kids 8-13
Red Path Camp - circle sharing, massage, ceremonials, medicine songs and music
Liminal Space - sound journeys, massage, movement and more
Moon Camp – music, talks, workshops
Sweat Lodge
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THE MAN CAVE
This year we are honouring the rise of sacred masculine consciousness in the world, with a Tipi specifically intended as a ceremonial space for ritual, rites of passage, sharing & processing for our Clan men. The Tipi allows for a fire pit inside, as well as an altar, and we invite all interested men to bring objects of symbolic and spiritual meaning to add it. You may also want to bring cushions, mats, cloths etc to make this space your own, just as the women do for The Red Tent.
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TEENS
Teenagers will be creating their own hangout zone this year, so anything to make it cool and cosy would be great to bring along. It will be near a firepit so singing and music jams can happen too.
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SMOKING
Be discreet and mindful of children when lighting up. No under 18’s should be smoking or drinking alcohol. The police may pop in to see what’s going on. So be aware in this regard.
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PHOTOGRAPHS
Please use your discretion when taking pictures. If it is a sensitive moment, ask permission first and never post those on social media.
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LIFT SHARING
Please offer lifts on the Ride Share page if you have space in your car.
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DIRECTIONS
From Cape Town: 8kms after Riviersonderend, turn left onto the DR1306,
From Garden Route: about 50kms after Swellendam, turn right onto the DR1306.
Travel about 1km and the gate is on the right.
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Ok that's all for now. Blessings for the Solstice, Travel safely, and see you there!
Angie, Rod and the Clan Crew.
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