- Bathrooms available (porta potties)

-Potable water provided

-Uneven ground, ~.5 mile walk from one part of the village to the other, accommodations can be made upon request

-Masking optional, this is an outdoor event. We ask that people stay home if feeling sick

- The parking area is adjacent and walking distance from campsites. Drive-up camping is available

- Some tables for seating (participants encouraged to bring their own chairs, packing list provided with registration)

- Childcare available ~3 hrs/day Friday-Sunday

-Amplified sound for larger group gathering moments (Shabbat, Havdalah, Dance Party)

- No ASL or translators available at this time, we are working on it. Got any leads? Let us know!

-We expect around 300 people in attendance, spread out over about 10 acres

-Please reach out with any accessibility needs before March 15th and we will do our best to accommodate your requests

MANNA is the Torah’s name for the daily gift of sustenance that fell from the sky in the wilderness, teaching the people to trust what is given for this day alone.

MANNA invokes the mythic idea that in our life’s wanderings, we receive sustenance from a mysterious source, most often just enough to take the next step on our path.

We call the festival MANNA as both a prayer of gratitude for the sustenance we receive and a prayer that we may become sustenance for each other, the land and spirit. Knowing that these are hard times and good nourishment is vital.

We are guided by Exodus 16:32 “Take an Omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I [G-D] gave you to eat in the wilderness…” building on the Torah that G-D brings resource and sustenance to us when we make ourselves ownerless as the Israelites did in their desert wanderings.

Anyone who feels resonance with our intentions and vision is invited to co-create with us.

From seasoned wilderness adventurers to those more comfortable in the urban landscape, practicing Jews to those who are Jew-curious, established friend circles and solo pilgrims - we welcome you.

Our understanding is that one of the purposes of the Pilgrimage Festival in Jewish tradition is to bring together a range of people in communal honoring of the Sacred. While our gathering is primarily intended to serve those who identify with Jewish/Hebrew/Ivrim lineages, we are extremely grateful for those who identify as allies to come be a part of this festival as well. It takes all of us.

This year we are excited to offer interfaith spaces for non-Jews to come and share their traditions!

Coming to M A N N A does ask participants to practice a certain amount of independence in planning how to meet their food and camping needs, taking risks in social engagement and finding their way into their unique prayer, taking risks in social engagement and finding a place of belonging.

We also encourage asking for help and creating a culture of generosity where we look after each other, especially those in need of support, elders and families. Everyone creates this culture - both long-time Jewish Pilgrimage festival goers and first timers.

We are currently inviting sponsorships, partners, individual donors and other kinds of physical and financial support, reach out if this is you or you want to connect us! MANNA is fiscally sponsored by Canticle Farm, your donations are tax-deductible.

We are offering two avenues for discount tickets to MANNA

Work-trade Application

BIPOC & Historically Marginalized Ticket Application

Click the title to review the application. Applicants will be selected on a rolling basis. Applications close on March 26th.

Halacha, meaning “The Way” or “The Path,” encompasses the customs and laws that shape Jewish life. For some, engaging with Halacha is central to their Jewish identity, while for others, it holds little significance. At MANNA, we lean into curiosity rather than rigid definitions, embracing both classical traditions and evolving interpretations.

We ask: How much diversity in practice can we tolerate—even celebrate? What do we gain from shared customs that foster unity? Which Jewish traditions align with your values, and which don’t? What wisdom exists in ancient practices, even those we may not understand?

We welcome a spectrum of approaches to Shabbat, Kashrut, Davening (prayer), and beyond, urging participants to meet each other’s different practices with curiosity and mutual respect.

During Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread (matzah), many Jews refrain from eating leavened foods (chametz) to remember the Exodus—when the Israelites fled Egypt in haste, with no time for their bread to rise. Customs around this practice vary; some avoid leaven entirely, while others honor the holiday in different ways.

This year in diaspora, Passover ends at sunset on Thursday, April 9th! Beginning our festival as the Passover holiday ends will likely downplay our connection with matzah and chametz at the festival.

In some Kabbalistic traditions, chametz represents ego and excess, while matzah symbolizes humility. As we reintegrate on our first night together, consider bringing some bread to celebrate—with awareness and balance!

With much room for difference in our practices, we hope to collectively embrace Shabbat consciousness as a village from Friday sunset through Saturday sunset.

Shabbat consciousness refers to embracing the sacredness of time, honoring the rhythms of creation, and embodying a sense of holiness and sanctity in everyday life. It is a practice that encourages us to live with mindfulness and gratitude, both during Shabbat itself and as a frequency we can connect with anytime we need it.

We invite participants to take Shabbat at MANNA as a time to unplug, rest, wander, go slow and attune more deeply to the present moment.

Depends on your vibe, darling!

Wake up slowly under the canopy of oak trees to the sound of davening (Jewish prayer). Join the prayer circle, have a quiet breakfast of pb&j matzah at camp or go to the Living Room to see what’s cooking.

At the info board in the Living Room, you’ll find what’s on schedule:

Council and Learning Circles where you can meet other participants as you dive into subjects like Ceremonializing Liberation, Doykeit and Earth-based Jewish basics
Emergent offerings where folks lead each other in yoga, meditation, Jewish study, social justice workshops, conversation circles and more

Or, ditch the “schedule” and wander down to the creek for a dip in the soothing waters. Hang out at camp, start strumming your guitar and see what happens. Take a tending shift at the Sacred Fire and sit in quiet contemplation.

The energy of Shabbat, sacred rest, permeates through the day. The medicine of time out of time is yours if you choose it. Ask for help if you need it. Offer a hand to someone in need. Help a family set up their tent. Listen to the acorn woodpeckers chatter away.

As the sunsets you’re invited to join collective ritual moments, like Havdalah around the Sacred Fire on Saturday night. You can hike up the ridge for an amazing view of the valley and mountain ranges, taking time to let the landscape and star filled sky work its magic on you.

Nighttime at M A N N A creates more opportunities for connection. Sitting around the fire at the Living Room singing niggunim (wordless melodies), dancing to electronic music under the moon, cozying up with new and old friends as you create your own personal Passover pilgrimage through the wilderness.

We draw much inspiration and motivation from the work of Wilderness Torah’s Passover in the Desert pilgrimage festival.

Programmatically and logistically, MANNA diverges significantly from Passover in the Desert, and yet without it we would probably not be here. We bow in respect and humility to Wilderness Torah, Rabbi Zelig Golden and other lineages that inform our work, including: Reb Zalman and the Jewish Renewal Movement, Art of Mentoring International , Burning Man , Buckeye G atheri ng and Consejo de V isiones.

As we acknowledge some of the pillars on which we stand, we remember and invoke the teaching from Pirkei Avot 2:16 “It is not up to you to finish the task, but you are not free to avoid it”. We are here to simply take the next step on a path that many have been forging long before we got here and many more will walk long after we are gone.

Our community is influenced by the Indigenous traditions of Turtle Island/North America, as well as animist traditional spirituality and ecological knowledge from across the world.

At MANNA, we intentionally create a welcoming and nurturing space for families and children, recognizing them as integral to the fabric of our gathering. And still, multi-day camping festivals where kids are largely outnumbered by adults can be challenging. We hope that everyone, not just those coming with youngers, can attune to the beauty and value of having families and children in our community.

We offer about 4-hrs/day of supervised programming for youth ages 4-10 with opportunities for play, storytelling, exploration, music, and hands-on creative activities that engage children in the spirit of Pesach. Exact timing to be shared with the festival schedule.
The Living Room serves as a central gathering space where families are invited to relax, share meals, and participate in workshops together.
We provide a simple, early kids dinner on Friday before Kabbalat shabbat, as well as community meals for everyone Saturday lunch and dinner.
Families who register for MANNA will be connected via email to self-initiate coordinated camping, meals, mutually provided child support, etc.
Families with littles ages 0-3 are encouraged to reach out to organizers before the festival with any specific needs for support (i.e. setting up camp).
Adolescents and teens ages 11-17 are encouraged to enjoy the festival under the clear guidance of parents/care-givers.
As organizers, we hold a vision that MANNA is a gathering where children can explore safely while deepening their connection to nature, Jewish diasporic culture, and the larger community.

As parents and caregivers you are responsible for your child's experience at Manna! There will be adults offering programs that are not appropriate for children - you are responsible for making sure your child does not end up somewhere you don't want them to be.

Elders are an essential pillar of the intergenerational village at MANNA. A core part of village life is the opportunity to connect across lines that so often separate us in our day-to-day, normative lives—especially across age. At MANNA, we are deeply excited to cultivate spaces where participants can form meaningful relationships across generations.

Elders bring wisdom, presence, and lived experience into the village. They offer story time and grounding to children, rites-of-passage support and perspective to those in the middle chapters of life, and guidance and listening to anyone in need. At the same time, elders are not only givers—they are also learners. Through relationship with younger generations, they receive fresh insight, creativity, and new ways of seeing the world.

This reciprocal exchange is at the heart of our village ethos: a living ecosystem where knowledge, care, and belonging flow in all directions, strengthening the whole community.

We welcome anyone 58+ to join us in the Elder tent for a gathering and circle on Thursday evening and Sunday lunch. This is an opportunity to meet other elders and explore what “eldering” means to us.

Other programming for/by elders include:

An inter-generational lunch and speed “friending” event on Friday at lunch.

Elders will be holding a ceremony/ritual to witness Manna villagers who have crossed some threshold in the past year (having a baby, graduating from school, embarking on a new career/endeavor, becoming a grandparent, recovering from an illness or injury, retiring from a long career, losing someone important, embracing a new identity, separating/divorcing, completing an artistic project, getting married, and more.

BEFORE MANNA:

Ellie will send an email to everyone who has registered and is 58+ in early march, and set up a zoom call for late march so we can get acquainted before Manna and she can answer your questions.

LIVING AT MANNA:

For those of you who can still enjoy camping, or have your own camper van/RV, great!

For many of us, camping does not quite work anymore, so you may want to consider a way to be more comfortable.

These are some ideas:

1. Rent a camper van or RV

RV Rentals - Direct from Local Owners | #1 RV Rental Site

rvshare.com

2. Have a trailer delivered to Manna for you to stay in (someone did that last year and had a wonderful experience).

RV Rentals with Delivery and Setup to Campsite

rvshare.com

3. Stay in the hotel nearby and come to the Manna site during the day

Cuyama Buckhorn Roadside Resort | High Desert Hideaway, New Cuyama