The Leela
New Year Gathering
Celebration – Ceremony – Community
with Sanjula, Louise & Team
You’re Invited!
Monday 29th December 2025 – Friday 2nd January 2026
Welcome the New Year in Celebration, Ceremony & Community
Join us for a heart-opening New Year Gathering at Leela – a 5-day journey of celebration, ceremony, music, and connection as we welcome 2026 together.
Whether you long for stillness or celebration, soulful ritual or joyful dance, this gathering offers space for it all. You can choose to step fully into the path of celebration, join the gentle flow of slowing down and reflection, or move naturally between the two.
Reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and give yourself time to relax, reset, and align with what truly matters.
What you will experience:
A rich programme of experiences across five days designed to nourish body, heart, and spirit:
Rituals, Meditations & Workshops
Fire Ritual with Zohar, Sanjula, Louise & Sacred Fire Keeper Vic
Shamanic Divination with Zohar
Gratitude Ceremony with Tarisha & Kathi
Yoga Nidra with Nartan
Daily Morning Gatherings – dance & connection with the Leela Team
Creativity – Making Temple Tins with Shanna Mandira
Movement & Expression
Ecstatic Dance with DJ Jan Micheal
Yoga with Nartan
Emotional Expression with Sanjula
Friendship Speed Dating with Louise & Sanjula
Improv Comedy with John Cremer
Open Mic Night with Buds & Sarah
New Year, New Frequency with Kimaya
Music, Sound & Stillness
Singing Medicine with Tarisha
Sound Journey with Tarisha & Bart
Yin Space in the Yurt – soft music, rest, and reflection
Connection & Touch
Womens & Mens Sharing Circles
Sacred Touch & Nourishment with Bayari
Friendship & Connection with Kimaya
Nature & Renewal
Visit the sacred spaces on the Leela land
Time in nature, fireside reflection, and delicious shared meals co-created by our team of Leela cooks
Sauna & Healing
Evening Sauna
In-house Healing Team available for optional 1:1 sessions including massage, energy work and coaching.
And of course… A New Year’s Eve Celebration!
This year’s theme invites you to explore the living archetypes that move through us all – the King, Queen, Jester, High Priestess, Magician, Lover, Warrior, and Mystic or an archetype you connect with or want to explore!
Through dance, play, and connection we’ll embody these timeless energies – discovering the power, wisdom, humour, and heart they bring to our lives. Whether you’re drawn to the regal stillness of the Queen, the wild laughter of the Jester, or the deep vision of the Mystic, this gathering offers space to meet and express them all on the dancefloor!
Come dressed as the energy you wish to embody for 2026 – your inner King or Queen, your Jester or Mystic, or any expression that feels alive in you.
Expect a rich night of:
✨ Dancing Leela style
✨ A New Years Feast prepared by the awesome Leela kitchen team
✨ Midnight Blessing & Countdown to 2026
✨ Chill-out Yin Yurt around the fire, open for a softer landing
Whether you dance until the stars fade or rest quietly by the fire, this is your invitation to begin 2026 in the spirit of joy, reverence, and transformation, a mythic celebration of the human spirit.
Who’s this for?
This gathering is for Leela friends old and new, and anyone drawn to connection, creativity, and conscious celebration.
New Year’s Day
A slow, nourishing start to 2026.
New Year visioning, connection, and an evening of togetherness.
Meet the Facilitation Team
A transformational coach and mindful living guide, she brings warmth, embodiment, and creativity to her offerings.
Rooted in a deep love of the natural world, she weaves ritual, circle, and manifestation into her work, creating spaces that honour both depth and lightness.
She loves to work in tune with the cycles of nature, crafting rituals and experiences that nurture both presence and joy.
He is the founder of the Maydays – one of Europe’s top improvisation companies and he has trained and performed in Chicago, the Mecca of improv.
John is an award winning professional speaker who has worked with a range of top notch organisations around the world
His teaching style is an unusual blend of positive and supportive vibes with the occasional challenging leap into the unknown
When he is offstage you will find him rewilding the woodland at Leela or fly fishing in exotic locations
During this time, she underwent an advanced and intense initiation with a Shipibo maestro curandero, a master healer.
After returning to the UK with newfound inspiration, she completed a 3-year course in Classical Shamanism and has been working as a shamanic practitioner ever since.
When it comes to teaching Zohar believes in an experiential approach and her workshops reflect this methodology.
Songs and prayers come naturally through her, connecting us to the Divine, to the light inside..to the light worldwide..
She is an inspiring musician and poet with a visible creative fire that inspires and uplifts those around her.
She loves to hold space for creativity, healing and connecting the sacred and the mystical. One of her alchemical gifts is offering a gateway to sacred oils and layers of vibration. She brings a warm, fun-loving approach to all that she does.
Kathi is a passionate event manager and creator with a deep love for beauty, detail, and meaningful connection. She has a natural gift for weaving people, spaces, and experiences into coherent and nourishing containers.
I’m passionate about self-love, healthy living, simple food, nature, foraging, and laughter.
At the festival I’ll be sharing Laughter Yoga and making Danish twisted bread over the campfire. Laughing is a powerful medicine, it helps reduce stress, boost wellbeing, and connect us with ourselves and each other. Come as you are.
Late night DJ sets from DJ Jan Michael, DJ Maiki, DJ Dhavindha & Shanna Madira
Will be facilitating making your own personal Temple Tins to carry on travels for your portable shrines !
And will be face painting and glittering your Archetypes for New Year’s !
He moved to Leela and soon began to offer dance sets – since the beginning there has been a tribal atmosphere that inspires deeper embodiment
Dhavindha also has a flair for bringing musical expression from cultures such as Arabic and African.
Join Us!
Come as you are. Bring your heart, your curiosity, and your longing for connection.
Together, we’ll enter 2026 in celebration, ceremony, and community!
Details:
Start: December 29th @ 7:00 pm (arrive from 5pm, dinner is at 7pm, first session at 8pm.
End: January 2nd @ 2:00 pm (Spend the afternoon relaxing/integrating or heading home early)
Registration price including all meals: £420 plus accommodation
Payment plans available
Includes food, workshops, ceremonies & sauna access
Accommodation:
Dorm £80
Own campervan £0
Dorm Bed Deluxe £120
Regular Private Room £200
Large Private Room £240
Premium Private Room £260
Premium Ensuite Private Room £280
Mobile Back Private Room £200
Pine Cabin Large Room £260
Pine Cabin Regular Room £220
Single pod £180
Double pod £220
Shepherd’s Hut £220
Click here to have a closer look at our accommodations.
An off-site ticket is also available for those who prefer to stay locally in nearby B&Bs, hotels, or Airbnbs (Gillingham and Shaftesbury are both close by): £350 (ticket including meals) – please contact the booking office to arrange.
Links to hotels and B&B’s Gillingham, Dorset:
Bed & Breakfast click here
Hotels click here
AirBnB click here