More Info & Course Stucture
Festival Build
Retreat
Get ready for a full-immersion into the physical, emotional and spiritual work of constructing festival, community spaces and gaining the skills you need to turn your ideas into reality.
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Who is the
retreat for?
Want to get a job on a festival build but
don’t have enough experience to get in?
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Dreaming of converting a van but don’t have practical skills?
Have DIY projects you wish you could do yourself but don’t know where to start?
Wonder if building work could be your career path but don’t know how to test the waters?
Want to build something for your community but worry you’re lacking in skills?
Then the Festival Build
Retreat is for you!
All you need to come is the desire to learn, capacity to work in a team and the willingness to try new things.
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We want everyone to feel included.
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This retreat is for male and female participants from build curious (willing but with zero experience) to semi proficient (experienced but looking to hone your craft)
Whether you’re completely new to holding a drill and never used a chop saw or you’ve used most power tools but still feel unsure of yourself, this is where you’ll gain the confidence, proficiency and trade level know-how to confidently apply for that festival build job, build that van and/or complete that personal DIY project.
What will I learn?
The most important skills and knowledge needed to work on builds both big and small.
You will learn how to:
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How to use carpentry Power Tools
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How to Cut, Shape and Fix wood
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Construct 3D Festival Signs
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How to plan a build, in which order to do things
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How to Plumb in a Wash Basin and Shower
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Practical Self Reliance
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Working Within a Team
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Skills covered:
Carpentry
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Drills, Drivers and Fixings (which ones to use and settings)
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Skill Saws (cutting wood fast, accurately and efficiently)
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Chop Saws (cutting complex angles to make 3D structures)
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Jigsaws (cutting intricate, curved shapes)
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Routers (bevelling, engraving and carving clean channels)
Plumbing Skills
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Pipes (which ones to use and where)
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Building a wash basin, connecting taps and drainage
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Plumbing in a shower
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Using pumps and understanding water pressure
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Waste water, what to do with it and why it is important
Festival Specifics
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Festoon lighting (how and where to erect)
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Signage big and small (manual whacker, sledge hammer and petrol whacker)
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Erecting scaffold poles (safely, solidly, siting and correct dimensions)
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Dismantling (correct transport and storage)
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Siting Utilities (showers, toilets, water)
You will get the opportunity to utilise all the skills you learn across the week in a Final Challenge.
In a team, you will collectively have the opportunity to make things that will incorporate each one of the skills you were taught, and showcase them at the end of the retreat.
Spiritual Development Workshops​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Alongside the practical workshops, there is a strong emphasis on spiritual wellbeing. ​​​​
We want to highlight the necessity to stay both physically, as well as spiritually, fit when working.
This work can be demanding, especially in an environment such as a festival build,
and we want to prepare you for that. ​​
Human
Design
Archetype Exploration
Embodiment
Workshops
Ecstatic
Dance
Breathwork
Yoga Nidra
When is the retreat?
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Example Timetable / Subject to Change
Sunday 26th April - Sunday 3rd May 2026 / 3rd May - 9th May Sunday
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Where is the retreat held?
We have a beautiful field with ancient woodland on the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire border. 25 minutes
or less from Oxford, Bicester, Aylesbury and Thame.
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Nearest train stations: Haddenham and Thame Parkway, Aylesbury, Aylesbury Parkway, Bicester, Oxford​
Buses: From Oxford, you can take a bus to Haddenham, which is just a short taxi ride away from the retreat.
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We highly encourage lift sharing and will add all participants to a lift sharing group as there is very limited parking.
Exact location to be released before event.