This summer solstice, as the sun reaches its zenith, a carefully curated ceremonial gathering will unfold within the ancient Woodland At Wasing. Solstice at Wasing is a 12-hour ceremony; an immersive, intentional space for renewal, reconnection and celebration.
Held within our Sacred Glade, a living woodland sanctuary shaped by trees rather than architecture, the ceremony invites participants to step out of the noise of modern life and into a space of both reflection and joy. From fire-lit music at dusk to a Sunrise Ceremony at dawn, Solstice at Wasing honours the sun’s life-giving power and our innate need for connection to self, to others, to land, and to something greater.
At a time when many feel overwhelmed, disconnected or burnt out, Solstice at Wasing offers an alternative: a pause, a return and a chance to be held by nature and community alike.
During our 12-hour ceremony, we come together. Before it begins, there’s a day to prepare with breathwork, gentle movement or to simply be, and afterwards, time to realign. From music around the fire in our Sacred Glade, to the fiery dawn at the Sunrise Ceremony, we will all navigate a path and a journey together. The space is held by Chris Park, initiate of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, artist, musician and storyteller, with the artists performing together in true ceremony. You’re invited to release what no longer serves you, set new intentions, and step into personal growth with clarity and purpose. This is a gathering to reconnect and re-energise, held by nature and our community around you.
Sunrise Ceremony
We will welcome the longest day of the year in a shared moment of joy and renewal at our Sunrise Ceremony. As our Fireside Sessions draw to a close, we will gather in the Sacred Glade for our torch-lit procession to Solstice Hill. On arrival, in the hushed stillness before the first light, we’ll gather in a horseshoe facing the North-East and turn together toward the rising sun.
As the horizon glows, our Sunrise Ceremony will honour the solstice as the triumph of light over darkness; a living embodiment of hope, clarity, and renewal, both for the world and within ourselves. Together, we will offer gratitude for the life-giving energy that sustains all of us, recognising the sun as the source of growth, warmth, and connection.
Music lies at the heart of the celebration, serving as both a form of prayer and tool for connection. Leading this year’s programme is Ayla Schafer at the Fireside Sessions. Ayla is a multilingual ‘world folk’ singer-songwriter and visionary artist, celebrated for her captivating repertoire of original, poetic songs rooted in ancestral wisdom, earth consciousness, and the healing power of sound. Recognised internationally as a ‘Voice of the Earth,’ she is one of the most respected voices in Spiritual Music, with performances that offer deeply intimate, heart-opening experiences reconnecting listeners with their truest selves.
Joining her is multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter & ceremony leader Omer Gonen-Haela who will bring his captivating, deeply atmospheric music to the Sacred Glade. Shaped by decades of global travel, musical study, and spiritual practice across India, the Middle East, and Brazil, his songs are prayers of depth and love, inviting people into connection and holding the vision of a world based on respect and trust.
Hungarian artist Дeva blends ancient folk influences with atmospheric electronic soundscapes and polyphonic mantras, creating a modern yet timeless sonic ritual. Her work bridges ancestral tradition and contemporary expression.
Israeli Noam Enbar and Palestinian Marwan Halabi bring a duet of Arabic and Hebrew voices from the Ripples Collective. With just two voices and two guitars, their performances offer a powerful musical expression of unity, coexistence and shared humanity, and carry a message that feels both deeply personal and urgently collective.
Wider Horizons produce transformational gatherings in nature alongside a vibrant programme of singing circles, weaving together sacred singing, meditation, prayer, intention setting and expressive movement to create spaces for connection and renewal.
Visy Bloodaxe is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and craftsman whose work draws on dark age, Viking and shamanic folk traditions, bringing ancestral sound into living, contemporary ceremony. Visy specialises in throat singing and ancient stringed instruments such as the tagelharpa, creating music that feels raw, grounded and deeply elemental.