Summer Yoga Festivals for 2019

Attending a summer yoga festival can be both a great adventure and a valuable learning experience. With a yoga festival happening almost every weekend in North America this year, yogis of all experience levels have the opportunity to attend one that offers the kinds of yoga classes, workshops, music, and outdoor activities they’re interested in. Whether near or far, with famous or not-so-famous yoga teachers, and with hotel accommodations or something more rustic, there’s a summer yoga festival out there that will suit you perfectly.

To help you figure out your summer yoga festival plans, we’ve compiled a complete list of every 2019 yoga festival along with helpful tips on selecting the best festival for you.

Things to try at a yoga festival

Attending a yoga festival is a great opportunity to experiment, explore and push your edges. Most festivals offer a smorgasbord of classes and events, allowing you to create a unique experience for yourself. These options can be overwhelming so be clear on what your intention is before you register. What are you hoping to get from the festival?

Immersing yourself in a long festival weekend is a great way to get out of your regular routine. Use this temporary break to unplug and replace unhealthy habits with conscious new behaviors that align with your best self.

Be brave and take the opportunity to try something new or unusual—you certainly won’t be the only one checking it out for the first time! Attend a few yoga classes that aren’t offered in your area or check out a teacher that you’ve never heard of. With over six hours of yoga classes offered per day, a festival is the perfect place to push your physical boundaries and discover new depths of strength and flexibility.

Find your perfect yoga festival

While yoga festivals can seem similar to one another on the surface, each one will also be uniquely flavored by its location and presenters. As you peruse the long list of yoga festivals below, you will notice each schedule has a unique set of classes and options. The big four areas to focus on as you choose your festival are:

• The types of teachers and presenters
• The genres of music and bands
• Choices in outdoor activities
• Pre- and post-festival workshops

Teachers, Classes, and Workshops

Most festivals offer a broad spectrum of classes and workshops, which is excellent if you like to dabble and explore different styles and teachers. Some festivals host local or regional teachers, while larger and more established festivals such as Boulder’s Hanuman Festival brings in more national and international teachers, including Amy Ippoliti, Saul David Raye, and Sianna Sherman. You’ll find the types of classes and workshops can vary from a potpourri to a more thematic and curated selection depending on the festival.

Music

The two main music options at a yoga festival are kirtan/chanting bands and chill or yoga music bands. Many festivals feature one or the other, while some offer a diverse mix of all of the above. Shakti Fest and Bhakti Fest, for example, both have kirtan and chanting music from 8 am until midnight and also have a sound healing temple featuring musicians and healers playing gongs and singing bowls. Since music will be the main or only evening entertainment, you might want to preview the music of any unfamiliar bands on the lineup (especially the headliners).

Other Activities and Food

Even though yoga and music will consume most of your time, yoga festivals offer other unique activities such as massage and healing modalities, hiking, rock climbing, stand up paddle boarding, acro yoga, aerial arts, hula hooping, and mountain biking. Also consider the festival’s food options, the size and diversity of their vendor village, and whether they have a children’s program.

Year-Round Connection

Attending a yoga festival can invoke a deep sense of connection and community, and if you attend the same festival year after year, you’ll meet plenty of other yogis who do the same. Many festivals are also expanding into offering different platforms to continue to connect, educate, and inspire their festival-goers throughout the year. If you want a more in-depth experience of connection and community, look for festivals that offer day-long intensives, retreats, or online courses before or after the festival.

Pick your perfect festival location

Most festivals offer early bird discounts, and popular classes can fill up quickly—so now is the time to start researching which festivals will work best for your goals and intentions. After you have found the perfect festival for you, don’t forget to check out our guides on what to pack for a yoga festival and what to expect from a yoga festival!

Distance and Budget

Just as students can tend to favor a specific yoga studio in town, yoga festival-goers often gravitate towards specific venues based on location, cost, accommodations, and amenities. If travel time and cost are big deciding factors, focus on festivals that are easy to access (e.g. near major airports or a few hours away from home). If distance and cost aren’t as much of a concern, consider a more remote or adventurous location.

Lodging

Another big factor to consider is where you’ll be laying your head down after a long day of yoga: local hotels or camping. City-based yoga festivals usually take advantage of nearby hotels for accommodations (and may offer some or all classes in their ballrooms). In more remote locations, lodging is most likely to be camping or cabins. The Floyd Yoga Jam, on the other hand, has camping options for just about everyone: two tent campsites (wooded or meadow), car/RV camping, and even a glamping (deluxe furnished tents) village.

2019 Yoga Festival Dates