Festivals are radical opportunities for creating time out of time, enabling collective initiation and spiritual renewal
M A N N A 2026 ✺ 5786 is an emergent and immersive gathering where we recall and center the sacred
• Dates: April 9-13th, 2026, spanning five days of connection, renewal, and celebration
• Location: Held in New Cuyama, California, a serene and rustic setting on the ancestral and present day homelands of the Chumash people
• What's included in the ticket: Full access to the festival camping areas, Shabbat services, 3 beautiful Shabbat meals, group rituals, workshops and connection circles, emergent programming, after hours festivities, childcare programs and more!
*MANNA only provides Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner, participants must provide their own food outside of those group meals.
At MANNA we invoke the traditions of Passover, Judaism(s), the story of the Exodus, and other life-giving ways - with playful curiosity and a sincere prayer for what might come forth. Each year is unique and defined by those who come to co-create the experience.
Festival Highlights
• The Living Room: Our central hub for connection - shaded seating, a warm hearth, performance art, workshops, and late-night creativity.
• Soulful Rituals: Kabbalat Shabbat, Havdalah, Shacharit, and collective devotional gatherings that weave prayer, song and movement into embodied spiritual practice.
• Passover Classes: Dynamic offerings from celebrated and innovative teachers, Rabbis and facilitators. Past workshops at MANNA have approached Jewish creative practices, diasporic resilience, Palestine & Israel, ceremonial wisdom and more.
• Sacred Fire: The sacred fire is a ceremonial space for quiet contemplation, presence, and tending to the collective and individual spirit.
• Masa Circles (masa = journey): Optional small groups of 10–15 participants that meet throughout the festival, offering deeper conversation, reflection, and connection.
• Intergenerational Community: We offer childcare programs where young ones engage in play and discovery, while Elder circles honor the wisdom, memory and story of years - helping weave our intergenerational community that strengthens community bonds through play and shared experiences.
• Scenic Camping: Camp among meadows, oak savannas, and creekside spaces on unceded Chumash territory. Let the land shape your experience.
What happens at M A N N A?
This is a gathering of multiple centers.
Sacred Fire burns for 4 days and 4 nights, inviting prayer, a place to mourn, and to be in quiet intimacy with the elements.
The Living Room bustles with activity and mirth in the meadow. Singing voices ring out in the morning light, DJs and clowns emerge under the stars late at night.
Hot tea is served in the Sanctuary while friendly faces gather to listen to the inviting sounds of the oud.
Participants wander down to the creek for a mikveh (ritual water immersion) or hike up the ridge to watch the sunset with new friends.
Children can be heard laughing, playing games while council and learning circles convene nearby in the afternoon shade.
Festival Schedule
This rough, broadly outlined schedule meant to give a sense for what might happen at MANNA 2026. This schedule is subject to modifications, small and large, part of our emergence ethos
Thursday, April 9th - Arrival, Opening Circle & lighting the Sacred Fire, getting acquainted with each other, the festival spirit and the land.
Friday, April 10th - Workshops and Masa groups, Kababalat Shabbat, late night tea and Oneg (delight - niggunim and lullabies)
Saturday, April 11th - Torah Service, Shabbat down tempo time, Havdalah, DJ Dance Party, and schtick
Sunday, April 12th - Praise Brunch, Emergent Offerings, Sharing our light
Monday, April 13th - Wrapping the bundle, Closing Circle, caring for the land together, leaving in a good way
More information about the schedule and how to make your offerings are sent to participants upon registration.
