Breathe easy at the ultimate outdoor health and wellness fitness festival in Shreveport.
Yoga Farm Fest will return for its third year from Sept. 25-27.
The festival is a balanced blend of therapeutic exercising, entertainment, fulfillment, and an escape from the outside world. There are different experiences offered each day from activities to food and merchandise vendors to opportunities to learn from field experts.
Yoga Farm Fest is open to all ages and fitness levels—no experience is necessary.
“The word ‘yoga’ can be intimidating because you picture arm balances and headstands, but none of our classes are super advanced. And there’s always going to be that modification for the brand-new person,” said Sarah Sledge, co-founder and fitness instructor.
Yoga Farm Fest will be hosted outdoors in an expansive and secluded private property, located across from Ellerbe Baptist Church in South Shreveport. The grounds provide plenty of acres for guests to spread out and take in the fresh air.
Also, the on-site pond is the ideal setting for aquatic fitness activities, such as paddleboard yoga.
“The Yoga Farm Fest is a festival that celebrates all things wellness,” Sledge said. “It’s a way to bring the community together and to create awareness of what our community has to offer in terms of alternative wellness.”
A mission is to promote health and wellness through movement and nutrition and human interaction, she said.
Safety precautions
This year, the festival will be presented differently considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Limited tickets will be sold, and the layout was altered to maintain physical distancing for guests. Sanitation services will be provided for communal areas in 30-minute rotations.
Wellness and temperature checks will be taken at the guest registration check-in —those who feel unwell are asked to stay home. Also, guests will receive a swag bag that includes a protective mask and hand sanitizer. Review the COVID-19 protocol on the event website, yogafarmfest.com.
The festival’s schedule was designed to incorporate elements that may be particularly helpful for the mind, body, and soul during the pandemic.
“We added a lot of mindfulness, stress-relief into the festival more so this year to deal with COVID,” Sledge said. “People who routinely exercise tend to have much stronger immune systems so when they do encounter a virus or bacterial pathogens their body can fight it off on their own easier.”
The path to peace begins with the perfect setting in nature and continues with the relaxing meditations and discussions on how to manage and off-set stressors.
The schedule
Yoga Farm Fest organizers laced the schedule with familiar as well as rare practices not offered in the Shreveport area. National and regional guests were invited to share their expertise and talents.
“It’s something that you don’t get everywhere. That definitely adds to the experience,” Sledge said.
Also, local and regional family-owned businesses, retailers, practitioners, performers, and others were invited to share their crafts with the public.
The event begins on Friday with packet pick-up for ticket holders and a 30-minute yoga class led by James Osborne on the lawn of the R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport. The registration pack will include a reusable bag, event t-shirt, a mask, hand sanitizer.
On Saturday, land activities include Rock’n Hip Hop Yoga, Primal Flow and Tribal Drumming, and a soothing Bhakti Jam to end the day.
“After we do out closing meditation we’re doing sort of a closing concert at sunset,” Sledge said.
On the pond, guests may sign up for various levels of Stand-up Paddle Boarding (SUP) sessions, including a Sunset Paddle.
The event is family-friendly—children can get into the fitness spirit at the Kids SUP session led by Sledge’s daughter, Sadie. Also, the Kids Village includes yoga and hooping.
“It’s a super family friendly event, as well. I think that makes it a little more accessible,” Sledge said. “People don’t have to get a sitter to come to this. There’s a whole Children’s Village with activities for kids and (the event) is on a sprawling property so the kids can run around and get messy.”
Sunday begins with a spiritual service leading into a brunch catered by Ki’ Mexico.
Both days, guests may visit the Clean Kitchen and Farm to Food Villages that will feature regional vendors, such as Well-Fed, Ki Mexico, Sample Farms, Tokyo Neon, Glow, Parish Taceaux, and more.
Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable workout attire, bring a mat, water bottles, sunscreen, and a change of clothes and a towel, especially if signing up for water activities.
“Get a good night’s sleep before because there’s going to be a lot of stuff and you’re going to want to do it all,” Sledge said.
Festival passes
Yoga Farm Fest introduced a new ticket level ideal for someone interested in seeing what the event has to offer without participating in the physical sessions.
The Observer pass is $25, which includes entry to the fest, festival shopping, healing village, wellness talks, and live music.
For those ready and willing to get into the physical sessions, day passes are available for Saturday and Sunday for $75 each.
The Saturday pass permits all-day access to main stage classes, small group workshops, specialty classes including SUP yoga, the healing village, wellness talks, festival shopping, and live music performances.
The Sunday pass grant access to the yoga and meditation sessions and access to the farm to table brunch, catered by Ki’ Mexico.
Day-pass guests will receive a limited-edition festival T-shirt.
All yoga sessions are enhanced with live music.
The Weekender pass is $125, which allows access to all of Saturday and Sunday activities, areas, and the brunch.
For session descriptions, instructor bios, and to purchase tickets, visit yogafarmfest.com.
2020 Yoga Farm Fest schedule
Friday, Sept. 25
- Noon to 3 p.m. Vendor load-in at Festival Property
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Packet pick-up and Yoga class with James Osborne at Norton Art Gallery (staggered pick-up times for social distancing)
Saturday, Sept. 26
9:30 a.m. Doors open at Festival Property (Ellerbe Road)
Yoga Music Stage
- 10 a.m. Morning Meditation with Brooke Conley
- 10:30 a.m. Rock’n Hip Hop Yoga with Nicole Peltier
- 11:45 a.m. Letting Go and Letting in: Trusting the Universe Speak Easy with Nicole Peltier
- 1 p.m. Primal Flow + Tribal Drumming with Anton Mackey and Tribal Drumming with Druminyasa
- 3 p.m. Self Therapeutics with Ada Loridans and Dominick Cole
- 4:30 p.m. Meditation and Closing Ceremony with Brooke Conley
- 5 p.m. Bhakti Jam with the Rileybirds
- 6:30 p.m. Festival ends
- 8 p.m. Doors close
- 10 a.m. SUP 101 with H2GO Team
- 11:15 a.m. SUP Flow with Sarah Sledge
- 12:30 p.m. Power SUP with Chessi May
- 2 p.m. Kids SUP with Sadie Sledge
- 3 p.m Restorative SUP with Erin Fraser and Druminyasa
- 4:30 p.m. Sunset Paddle with H2GO Team
Kids Village
- 11 a.m. Kids Yoga with Little You Yoga
- 1 p.m. Hooping for Adults and Kids with Laurel Richie
- 3 p.m. Yoga with Dakota Martinez
Sunday, Sept. 27
- 9:30 a.m. Sunday Service with Anton Mackey and Sacred Sound with The Rileybirds
- 11 a.m Brunch with Ki Mexico
- 1 p.m. Festival ends