INFORMATION ON OUR FESTIVAL
Registration for July 10-14, 2024 will open in January.
Please read the information below before registering.
2023 registration will be in stages:
All mailed registrations must be postmarked by the last day for the requested rate.
From opening through April 10th: Early Registration ($350) – early registration may end prior to the deadline if we reach the allotted available spaces for this rate.
April 11th – June 5th: Regular Registration ($375)
June 6th – July 1st: Late Registration ($400)
After July 1st, we will not accept new registrations unless with express permission of the registrar.
Please remember: Registrations are solely for the individuals who purchase the registration, and are not transferable without prior approval and facilitation by the registrar. This is both to protect our attendees and SFF, so please do not “Sell” your registration outside of the process the registrar will facilitate for you. If you take money from someone for your registration without prior approval by the registrar, we reserve the right to cancel the registration without refund.
All registrations include 2 vegetarian meals per day (Sunday is breakfast only), camping, and events.
Arrival
- All attendees must arrive on Wednesday, July 10th between 10am and 5:30pm. We do not accommodate partial day registrations, as our gathering is meant as a continuous ceremonial retreat.
- Those arriving late will find the entrance gate closed and will need to make special arrangements to be checked into the camp so that disturbance of ongoing rituals or activities is kept to a minimum. This may result in a wait at the registration tent for you, so don’t come late!
Departure
- Closing circle is early Saturday morning, July 14th (near dawn)
- We must be off site by 2pm. We are always grateful for help with packing up the main site!
Partial Registrations and Day Visitors
- SpiritFire is an intensive retreat, and as such we do not accept partial registrations or day visitors.
- All registrants must plan to arrive during registration hours on Wednesday, July 10th, and stay on site for the duration of the event through the closing circle on Saturday, July 14th.
- SpiritFire Festival does not make accommodations for early departures except in case of emergencies.
Community Contribution/Shifts
- All festival attendees will be responsible for one community shift that helps to support the festival. Signups for various groups will be available upon check-in on site. There are no required meal prep or cooking shifts.
- Please plan on bringing your own eatware and utensils: a plate, bowl, fork/spoon/knife, and a mug for coffee, tea or other drinks.
- PACK IN, PACK OUT policy: you must be responsible for packing out everything you brought in with you. This includes recycling from bottles and cans you brought. Broken camping items, dead batteries, towels, clothing – all of that needs to go back home with you and disposed of properly there.
Children at SpiritFire
SpiritFire is intended as a ceremonial weekend retreat based on 4 fire circle rituals that are active between late night and dawn; the nights are therefore very active, and mornings very quiet and meant to offer time for sleep and rest. We realize this is a very challenging schedule for young children and their parents; the event is meant for adults, and SpiritFire does not provide daycare or other services for children. Adults attending for the first time are asked not to bring children so you can get as sense of the event and make the decision on future attendance of your child based on that experience. Children of returning parents are welcome to SpiritFire, but please see the Parent Info page for more details. Our health policies apply to all children coming to the event regardless of age.
Payment Options
- Once registration is open, you can download the mail-in PDF registration form via the “Mail In” link on the Register by Mail page. With that, you can send a check or money order. This is our preferred method!
- We accept online payments via our online system. Because of the fees charged for each transaction, we greatly prefer mail-in registrations with a check or money order or Venmo.
- Payment is required at time of online registration.
- Providing online payment has made registration very convenient, but has cost us thousands of dollars in fees since we began the service. In order to continue, paying online will add 2.9% to your total amount due. To avoid these fees, we welcome and encourage checks or money orders by mail.
Cancellations / Refunds
- Covid 19 and a new era of health practices have drastically changed how gatherings like ours plan and operate. Our refund and cancellation policy has changed to reflect that, so please read carefully before registering.
- You may not transfer your registration to another person without checking in with the registrar first!
- If a registration is transferred to someone improperly, SpiritFire reserves the option to deny them entry without refund.
- If you cancel and choose to put your registration on hold for the following year, it is not transferable for that year.
- The following schedule applies to refunds for situations in which you must cancel your plan to attend. (See below for info on situations in which SpiritFire must change event plans.) Requests must be received in writing by the dates listed. Please note any donations (scholarship or mountain) will not be refunded.
Through 8pm on May 1st: Full refund for any reason, minus $45 cancellation fee and any donations (donations will not be refunded). You can also opt to hold your registration for 2025 – you will be guaranteed a spot if you register during the early or regular registration period. If you choose not to attend in 2025 and have funds on hold, we will not be able to extend your hold or offer a refund. You can also request to arrange for a transfer of your registration to another person with assistance from the registrar (see above note about transferring your registration!)
From May 2nd – 8pm June 1st: 1/2 registration refund (minus donations) or we are happy to assist you to transfer your registration. If registration has filled, we will first go to our wait list and prioritize them. If registration is still open or there is no wait list, you can request your registration go to a specific person of your choosing. It is very important that you contact us BEFORE you transfer your registration to another person. You can also opt to hold your registration for 2025 – you will be guaranteed a spot if you register during the early or regular registration period. If you choose not to attend in 2025 and have a 2024 registration on hold, we will not be able to extend your hold or offer a refund.
From June 2nd – 8pm June 15th: No refunds, but we will do our best to help you transfer your registration to another person if possible. You can also opt to hold your registration for 2025 – you will be guaranteed a spot if you register during the early or regular registration period. If you choose not to attend in 2025 and have funds on hold, we will not be able to extend your hold or offer a refund.
After 8pm June 15th: By this time, we have committed fully to our numbers and contracts, and no refunds, holds or transfers are possible.
In case of a change of law or camp policy due to non-SFF issues: if we are unable to host SpiritFire due to health crises, natural disasters or other unavoidable reasons, the default policy will be to hold your registration fee in full for 2025. You may request a refund in writing with special circumstances, but if event funds have already been spent and we cannot recover them, a full refund may not be possible. We don’t anticipate this happening, of course!
- All refunds will be issued via check or online (in the same way that you registered.) If you request a refund after an online payment system no longer offers a reversal, the fees taken by the payment system will not be refunded.
Additional Information about Food
- If you have dietary needs beyond vegetarian, you are responsible for bringing what you need to supplement what is offered. Our amazing kitchen team does provide gluten free and vegan options – please make us aware of your preference when you register in order to make sure there is enough for everyone that needs it.
- Please be sure to indicate any medical allergies when you register – we’ll do our best to have options. Please do not indicate allergies to influence the menu due to taste or preference – help us keep each other fed safely and with as much ease as possible!
- Our amazing Grill Master will be selling various grilled meats on site – CASH ONLY and please bring smaller bills! Available items and costs will be posted before the event both on Facebook and in the registration packet.
- We strongly recommend bringing food to supplement your meals. Food may be kept in a sealed, latchable cooler at your site. No campfires or cooking allowed per the camp owner’s policies. You can read more in your registration info packet after you’ve registered.
Additional Information about Lodging
- SpiritFire offers beautiful woods tenting, bathrooms with flush toilets, clean latrines closer to camping areas, and a shower house. For photos and location info, check out our location page!
- We are returning to our original location of 20+ years, and a very limited number of rustic cabin rooms (2 bunks each) or single huts *may* be available. We do not yet have an idea of how many until after the spring, so all registrations will be for camping with a *request* for a cabin bunk if possible. We’ll let you know in the late spring if we are able to accommodate your request.
- Preference is given to those with medical or travel restrictions.
- Upon arrival and prior to parking your vehicle, you will need to transport all your equipment to your chosen site by hand, your own cart, or a provided cart from the Welcoming Tent. The exact distance will vary based on where you choose to camp, but nothing is too far! You should only pack what you are willing to carry, and we do recommend you bring your own cart if you have one. There is a special drum tent for instruments in the main area of the site and close to the fire circle so you don’t have to lug your drums/etc. to your camp and then back.
- Cars must be parked in the assigned group parking area. The roads at the site are not open to personal vehicles, per the site owner’s policy.
- Please note that we are not able to provide accommodation for RVs or popup campers.
Pets
Pets are not allowed on the site, per the site owner’s policy, with no exceptions.
Substances and Gathering Policies
Our full policy on health and safety can be found here.
- SpiritFire is committed to creating safe space within our site to experience the pathways and community. The gathering does not tolerate abuse, harassment, non-consensual interactions of any kind, for any reason. Please – if you feel there is an issue with an attendee displaying behavior that makes you or others feel unsafe, approach a staff member and we will step in to help. If you are asked to cease any behaviors towards others who say you are disturbing their sense of safety or comfortable enjoyment of the event, do so. If we find that a registrant has broken this policy, it will result in being sent home immediately from the mountain with no refund and possibly being disinvited from future events.
- Drinking alcohol in public spaces is not allowed at SpiritFire.
- We highly discourage casual or excessive drinking during the gathering. Alcohol should be consumed responsibly and away from public areas.
- Minors caught using alcohol will be asked to leave the festival without refund, as will any adults supplying it, encouraging its use, or enabling minors to use it by direct or indirect means.
- Anyone who appears to be intoxicated/under the influence or who disturbs festival events or attendees will be asked to leave site without refund. Being intoxicated or under the influence of substances at the fire circle is not ok.
- We reserve the right to deny registration/attendance to anyone if we determine such action is necessary.
- Smoking of cigars or cigarettes is only allowed in one area of the site per the site owner’s policy, and we take their preference very seriously. Please only use the designated area for smoking, and do not smoke in other areas or in your cabin/tent.
- Please leave all other substances at home – no illegal substances of any kind will be tolerated at the event.