A gentle, facilitated space for meeting others through presence, honesty, and human connection.

This workshop uses partnered circle and line exercises, alongside mix-and-mingle style interactions, where participants are invited to share authentically with whoever is in front of them. Guided prompts support meaningful conversation, while practices such as eye-gazing and simple observations encourage slowing down and really being seen.

Designed as a warm entry point into the festival, this is an ideal ice-breaker for anyone feeling a little out of their depth — or simply craving deeper, more intentional connection.

Everything is optional, participation is self-paced, and curiosity is encouraged over performance.

With Andy Quinlan.

Anxiety often shows up as a whisper, a grip in the chest, a racing mind—or a mask we wear to stay safe. In this workshop, we invite you to gently peel back the layers of tension and explore the truth beneath. What is your anxiety trying to protect? What wisdom does it hold?

Through guided reflection, somatic practices, and shared tools for emotional regulation, you’ll learn to meet anxiety with curiosity rather than resistance. This is not about fixing yourself—it’s about befriending your nervous system and remembering your capacity for ease.

Come as you are. Leave with more breath, more awareness, and more compassion for your beautifully human self.

Run by Luke van Helden.

Film screening of Love. 

Film synopsis: 

When his wife asks for a divorce, a man runs to his friends for support, only to learn that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage. Splitsville has just been released, starring Dakota Johnson.

Running time: 

1hr 44mins

A dedicated daily hour to centre queer joy, connection, and expression.

Whether you're here to flirt, share stories, cuddle up, find your people, or simply exist in a space that feels like home—Queer Hour is your time. Expect gentle vibes, bold love, and a lounge full of laughter, tenderness, and unapologetic selfhood.

Day One’s Queer Hour is about gentle introductions and joyful recognition—finding your people, your pace, and your place. This will be a soft landing for bold souls.

with Monica

Shake it out | All levels welcome | Bring water + sass

Drop it low, loosen your hips, and unleash your inner sass queen in this fun, high-energy Twerkshop led by Raglan-based dancer, aerialist, and pole performer Monica.

Whether you're a total newbie or seasoned shaker, this workshop breaks down the basics of twerking and hip isolations — helping you find rhythm, confidence, and control in your lower body. Expect laughs, sweat, and moves you’ll want to whip out on the dance floor all weekend long.

No experience needed, just bring your booty and a willingness to let go.

Step into Foreplay for a flirt-forward twist on classic speed dating—where cheeky banter meets conscious connection. Whether you're seeking spark, mischief, or meaningful conversation, this is your invitation to meet other open-minded explorers in a setting designed for ease, laughter, and magnetic moments.

Expect guided prompts, respectful pace, and just enough spice to keep hearts racing. No pressure. No expectations. Just the thrill of what might unfold when curiosity meets consent.

Run by Grace Eliza, Robin Kerr, and Jaimee Beck

from AUCKLAND

with Katie Greengrass from Yoga Aotearoa

Drop into deep stillness with a nourishing blend of a Sound Bath, Yoga Nidra and guided Meditation designed to ground the body, cleanse the energy field and reconnect you to the heart chakra. This restorative journey invites you to rest fully, release tension and return to your inner centre. Perfect for anyone seeking calm, clarity and spaciousness amidst the festival flow.

Yoga with Hen Kalish × Shovaav to Folklore electronica...

Join Hen Kalish for a beautifully immersive yoga session set to a pre-recorded Folklore electronica mix by Shovaav himself. This practice weaves slow, intentional movement with hypnotic, earthy soundscapes — inviting you into a state of deep presence, fluidity, and embodied rhythm.

Guided by Hen’s grounding instruction and Shovaav’s textured, atmospheric beats, you’ll move through a sequence designed to open the body, calm the mind, and awaken a subtle sense of inner spaciousness.

A soulful fusion of yoga and sound — perfect for those wanting to drop in, unfurl, and feel the music move through them.

with Valeriane

This beautiful and conscious lady will guide us in a beginners to intermediate Pilates class. 

Awaken your body with a guided Pilates session designed to align, strengthen, and energise. This workshop combines breath-led movement with core-focused exercises to improve posture, flexibility, and balance. Whether you’re a seasoned mover or a curious beginner, you’ll leave feeling grounded, centred, and ready to flow into the rest of your festival journey.

Hosted by Jaimeee & Theo

InThe Village, around the Grandfather Tree

A social sanctuary for curious souls and colourful minds. Spill the Tea Party invites festival-goers to gather around painted coffee tables, sip tea, and explore meaningful conversations guided by themed question cards: from love and life to sexuality and spirituality.

Hosted by Jaimeee & Theo, each session blends laughter, reflection, and a touch of mischief, with 15-minute bells encouraging new faces and fresh chats. Perfect for a midday pause or afternoon connection... especially with a cool iced tea in hand.

Expect frolicking fauns, spontaneous smiles, and the simple joy of being seen, heard, and wonderfully human beneath the wise branches of The Grandfather Tree.

with Kate Marie

You’ve arrived. Your body made it. 

The adventure begins — but how do you stay open to it all? And how do you take that expansive feeling home?

Led by somatic and intimacy coach, Kate Marie (Rebel with a Pause), this trauma-informed workshop offers a grounding entry into the festival. Through breath, movement, and body-based awareness, you’ll explore what helps you stay present — from the wild moments to the quiet ones — and leave with your own ‘Aliveness Map’ to carry through the weekend and beyond.

Designed for connection and integration, this session is a powerful way to start the festival with intention — and keep that feeling of aliveness long after you leave.

🎁 Includes a free online integration circle post-festival.

with Katie & Ricardo

Lean into this session on connection through breath, movement, and trust. Led by Katie and her partner Ricardo, this stretching workshop is designed to awaken the body and open the heart.

Come with a partner or pair up on the day—this is a welcoming space for all bodies and all levels of experience.

With a strong focus on consent and clear communication, you’ll explore simple yet powerful stretches that support relaxation, mobility, and deeper physical awareness. 

Expect gentle guidance, mutual respect, and moments of laughter as you learn to support and be supported.

In this workshop, we explore the empowering belief that pleasure is your birthright—something inherently yours, not something to earn or prove.

Participants will be guided to reconnect with their bodies, deepen their relationship to pleasure both in and beyond the bedroom, and gently dissolve barriers to joy and fulfilment.

Through practical tools and embodied techniques, you'll begin—or continue—your journey toward sexual wellbeing with curiosity, self-compassion, and renewed confidence.

Run by Grace Eliza.

Hailing from Nelson, New Zealand, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Joe Cole channels his roots in acoustic folk, rock, and blues into a growing body of original music. He penned his first song at 15 and has since crafted lyrics with poetic intent — always aiming to strike a chord of raw emotion and nostalgia, delivered with his signature rustic flair.

Now based in Hawke’s Bay, Joe lives and breathes music — writing and recording during the week, and travelling across the country to perform on the weekends.

Following the early success of tracks like Tranquility, This Town, and Waving in the Open, Joe is preparing to release his next project, The Hillside — a five-song EP set to drop later this year, designed to draw listeners in close and stir the soul.

Charlie Nimmo — Singer-Songwriter

Hailing from Hunterville and now rooted in Hawke’s Bay, Charlie Nimmo is a rising singer-songwriter whose music blends 70s blues, 90s grunge, and early-2000s jazz into soulful acoustic ballads. After years of quietly writing and practising behind closed doors, she found her voice within Hawke’s Bay’s vibrant creative community — discovering both her confidence and her craft.

Charlie’s songs tell intimate stories of love, longing, and life’s winding adventures, delivered with warmth, honesty, and a timeless edge. Follow her journey at @charliebingnimmo.

Film Screening of Eyes Wide Shut.

Film synopsis: 

After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

Running time: 

2hrs 39mins

With Janet

With Shaun Lombardo. This is one of two workshops. 

Unlock your body’s natural ability to release tension in this gentle, transformative workshop.

Through a guided series of simple movements, you’ll invite your body into a spontaneous tremor response — an innate neurophysiological reflex designed to discharge deep muscular stress and soothe the nervous system.

This workshop offers a calm, supportive space to reconnect with your body, unwind stored patterns of tension, and return to a grounded state of balance. 

Intro and discussion. Reframing tremors as a positive recovery resource (15mins).

Guided movements. Bringing about a mixture of release and activation of the tremors (20mins). 

Tension release. We’ll get comfortable on the floor. You’ll be guided to befriend the tremors and learn the tools to self regulate (25mins). 

Through trusting the body’s wisdom in the form of tremors, TRE provides a beautifully accessible pathway back to ease and pleasure. 

“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.” - Richard Rohr 

Come as you are, and let your body lead the way. 

With Kim Saama from sacredbeing.co.nz

Learn to ask for what you want — and receive only what you’ve asked for.

In this trauma-informed, experiential workshop, you’ll explore the art of consensual communication through touch. Guided with care and clarity, participants will be invited to experience safe, non-sexual touch while practising how to express needs, set boundaries, and listen deeply — both to themselves and to others.

Empowered Touch is about cultivating confidence, presence, and respect in every connection — reminding us that true intimacy begins with honest communication.

All genders welcome. This workshop can be carried out as a single or in a couple. 

More details TBA.

Day Two, and we’re turning it up. Today is about celebrating queer desire, creative expression, and unapologetic selfhood. Come adorned, come curious, come alive. With sensory games, body-positive energy, and playful provocations—it’s your hour to flirt, frolic, and fully take up space.

This is a dedicated daily hour to centre queer joy, connection, and expression.

Hosted by Luke van Helden.

Sensual, cheeky, and full of confidence — lap dancing is an art form that celebrates the body in motion and the power of playful connection.

In this workshop, you’ll learn the foundations of lap dancing with guided movement, simple tricks, and confidence-building techniques that anyone can master. Whether you’re dancing for a partner, a stranger, or just for yourself, this is a space to embrace your inner tease, connect with your body, and have a whole lot of fun doing it.

No experience necessary — just bring an open mind, a curious heart, and clothes you can move in (or take off).

Hosted by Kirsty Mullahy.

Step into the Foreplay for a flirt-forward twist on classic speed dating—where cheeky banter meets conscious connection. Whether you're seeking spark, mischief, or meaningful conversation, this is your invitation to meet other open-minded explorers in a setting designed for ease, laughter, and magnetic moments.

Expect guided prompts, respectful pace, and just enough spice to keep hearts racing. No pressure. No expectations. Just the thrill of what might unfold when curiosity meets consent.

Hosted by Grace Eliza, Robin Kerr, and Jaimee Beck.

With Ivy.

Singer & burlesque performer. @dakhariofficial

Jam night for all the live musicians on site. 

This session offers a gentle introduction to Tantra. We clear up some myths and return to what truly matters: presence, the ground for every experience and connection.

We will explore simple practices that support us to feel our bodies and energy.

Through breath, movement, sounding and meditation we awaken awareness and connect to our energy centres. 

Through mindful partner practices we will connect with each other on different levels.

Tantra can increase your sense of being fully present, fully alive and connected at the same time.

with Jenny Gallen 

With Jay and Christopher

Reconnect with your heart through the wisdom of heart-supportive herbs. Guided by naturopath and medical herbalist Katie MacDiarmid, you’ll engage with plants like rose, linden, and hawthorn through scent, touch, and exploration of their qualities for emotional balance and resilience.

Through gentle movement and heart-focused meditation, you’ll open space to feel, release, and soften into your own heart. This session is designed to help you listen deeply, nurture yourself, and connect more fully with what your heart needs.

with Katie MacDiarmid

With Kim Saama from sacredbeing.co.nz

A heart-centred puja exploring the sacred within and between us.

In this guided journey, we’ll connect with whatever the sacred means to each of us — meeting others through presence, honesty, and reverence. Through gentle prompts and moments of shared vulnerability, participants are invited to express their longings, dreams, and soul truths — the prayers and tender things we hold deep in our hearts.

Our Sacred Selves is an invitation to slow down, listen, and honour the beauty of authentic human connection.

A guided movement journey through the energy of the seven chakras, blending classical Tantrik principles with embodied, intuitive dance.

Participants are invited to awaken their energy, release emotional blockages, and move with freedom, expression, and joy.

This workshop weaves breath, music, and somatic awareness to create a safe and vibrant space where people can reconnect with their bodies, expand their vitality, and access deeper states of presence.

A playful, powerful, and transformative experience suitable for all bodies and all levels.

With Swami Amandeep & Valeska

The final night is calling—and Queer Hour is your chance to turn up the volume on connection. Whether you’re locking eyes with someone new or circling back to that cutie you’ve been clocking all weekend, this hour is made for electric encounters and deeper moments.

Swap stories, share a flirt, or simply bask in the radiant beauty of queer community in full bloom. Come with curiosity.

Ecstatic Dance is a freeform movement journey where rhythm becomes language and your body leads the way. There are no steps to follow, no performances to give—just an open space to release, recharge, and reconnect through dance.

Set to a soul-stirring soundscape that rises and falls like a tide, this session invites you to move through whatever needs expression—joy, grief, wildness, stillness. You may sweat. You may cry. You may smile so wide it hurts.

This is a substance-free, shoe-free, judgment-free zone. All bodies, all expressions, all levels welcome. Come as you are. Dance it all out.

Hosted by Kirsty Mullahy, Hen Kalish, and Charles Blank

This is a facilitated, consent-centred exploration of touch, communication, and choice.

We’ll begin with a guided consent practice, creating a shared language around yeses, noes, maybes, pausing, stopping, and checking in — alongside support for recognising personal boundaries, staying within your window of tolerance, or gently meeting an edge without tipping into overwhelm.

From there, participants will be invited to self-select into one of two spaces:

– those open to exploring spicier forms of touch

– and those seeking safer, slower, or non-spicy touch

Both spaces are held with equal care, respect, and intention.

The core invitation is for receivers to clearly request the type of touch they desire, while givers are free to offer only what feels fully aligned for them. Touch may take the form of massage or other consensual expressions, guided by communication, curiosity, and full permission.

This is a trauma-informed, choice-led space where nothing is expected, everything is optional, and consent remains the anchor throughout.

With Andy Quinlan

With Jay and Christopher