Location
SpiritFire Festival is located near New Lebanon, New York, towards the Massachusetts border and Eastern New York State line. We are 10 miles west of Pittsfield, MA; 140 miles west of Boston, MA; 30 miles east of Albany, NY; 145 miles north of New York City. The closest large airport is in Albany (ALB) and we recommend you fly in to this airport. Other nearby airports, if you have friends to pick you up, would be Hartford, CT, and BOS (Boston, MA) is about 3 hours drive away.
You can see a map of the area here. Exact location of the gathering is only sent to registered participants.
The mountaintop site is small and easy to get around. The fire circle is in an open space next to the dining area. A place near the circle has been set aside where children can sleep and be safe during the fires at night, provided parents are present at all times. A community drum tent near the main areas provides dry, convenient storage for instruments. The community lounge tent, set up in the merchant area, is also close to the dining area and is a good place to take a moment of downtime during both the day and the fires. We have a variety of workshop locations, including a wonderful large covered pavilion we call the dance tent, an indoor room good for discussions and meetings, and numerous smaller tents and outdoor areas.
SpiritFire offers incredibly beautiful and comfortable tenting. Camping areas are a bit into the woods, close enough to hear the drumming but far enough to allow sleep. A very few rustic cabin rooms are available on a first-come, first served basis. Clean, ample women's and men's shower rooms are available, as well as bathrooms and many privies throughout the site. We give cabin rooms first to those traveling from afar or who have medical need, and then to families, and then pending space available.
The surrounding forest on the four hundred acre property is populated with second growth beech, ash, evergreens, maples and oak. Late Spring and Summer offer walkers and hikers the company of abundant wildlife such as squirrels, chipmunk, deer, wild turkey and the occasional fox. Evening strolls are accompanied by fireflies and a chorus of frogs in our pond and the inquisitive owl. Bird watchers are delighted by the variety of species such as cardinal, blue bird, screech owl, barred owl, pileated woodpecker, and migrating geese, hawks, sparrows, warbleers, chickadees and many others well known and loved by birders in the Lebanon Valley.
The site is beautiful, and will surely be an inspiration to the experiences that we create together.