Refuge Outdoor Festival is a 3-day outdoor recreation and camping experience geared toward people of color.

Schedule Of Events:

August 22, 2025

3:00 pm – 9:30 pm - Registration
Registration Desk
Stop by the registration desk to check in, buy tickets, find your campsite, for first aid supplies, and to learn more about the festival. We got you!

3:00 pm – 9:30 pm - Outpost Open Hours
Outpost
Stop by the Outpost to pick up exclusive swag or pick up the gear you reserved from the Gear Library.

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm - Community Hot Pot Prep

Serving Tent
Join our friends from Outdoor Asian in preparing a hot meal for our first night at RefugeFest. This is a volunteer opportunity for anyone interested in meeting folx and lending a helping hand.

5:30 pm – 9:00 pm - Camp Kitchen Open Hours
Camp Kitchen
The Camp Kitchen is a communal space where guests can prepare their meals at any one of our seven cooking stations. After cooking up your feast, grab a seat at a nearby picnic table to break bread and rice with friends, old and new. Please make sure to clean up after yourself

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm - Community Hot Pot
Serving Tent
Come through and grab a complimentary bowl of hot pot courtesy of our friends at Outdoor Asian. What better way to get to know one another than over a delicious shared meal? (while supplies last)

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm - Is the Mountain Out and Why Can't I See It?
Meeting Circle
Zuhair Latif
We live near many beautiful mountain ranges, but how can we know when the best time to view them is? My goal is to provide guidance and support people in getting started in adventuring in the outdoors by understanding favorable weather conditions in order to get out more often

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm - Intuitive Healing Circle With Life Force Energy
WELLNESS/HEALING PRACTICES
Movement Zone
Dany Srey-Snow
Devyn Pedrano-Snow
Join us for Intuitive Healing Circle with Life Force Energy, a Reiki-infused gathering for energetic renewal and collective healing. Through guided meditation, breathwork, and intuitive energy healing, we will activate life force energy to restore balance, clear blockages, and deepen self-awarene...

7:30 pm – 8:00 pm - welcome to RefugeFest!
Main Stage
Sarah Ballew, Governmental Affairs & Special Projects Outreach Program Manager, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe
Alison Mariella Désir, RIDC

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: Ice Cream Social
Serving Tent
Indulge your sweet tooth and connect with other festivalgoers over yummy frozen treats. Don't forget to bring your bowl or mug!
Courtesy of our friends at Ben & Jerry's.

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: S'mores!
Festival Lawn
Cozy up and enjoy s'mores courtesy of our friends at REI. A casual spot to chat with your friends and meet someone new!

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: Family-Friendly Silent Disco
Main Stage
Grab some headphones and dance with your kids and inner child to these family-friendly bops!

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: Refuge Outdoor Film Festival
Barn
Grab some headphones, pull up your camp chair, and enjoy these amazing short films by and about BIPOC trailblazers in the outdoors!

8:10pm - 8:55 pm: HAAGUA, The Buzz of St. Roch, & Indai A...
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8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Choose Your Own Adventure: Campground Karaoke
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
Green Room
What's your go-to song? Favorite group sing-a-long? The one you know all the choreo to? We want to hear it! Join us once again for Campground Karaoke and sing your heart out!

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: Campground Karaoke
Green Room
What's your go-to song? Favorite group sing-a-long? The one you know all the choreo to? We want to hear it! Join us once again for Campground Karaoke and sing your heart out!

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Choose Your Own Adventure: Henna by Natasha
Festival Lawn
Natasha Singh

8:30 pm – 10:00 pm - The Self Love Workshop
Meeting Circle
 Salenna Green
Do you love yourself first and most? Cultivating a life where you are your own best friend and biggest fan can be the most delicious decision you've ever made. Knowing and loving yourself is the start to a thriving life. Come find out how.

8:45 pm – 9:45 pm - Crepuscular Creep
Flag Pole
Hanae Bettencourt
Ellie Yamanaka
Embark on an evening walk to observe birds and other creatures as they settle into the night. All ages and experiences welcome, though participants must be able to remain quiet for 10-15 minutes at a time.

9:30 pm – 11:30 pm - Deep Sky Hunters - Traveling Light Years through Telescopes with Sirius Astronomy
Flag Pole
This is a drop-in style activity. Feel free to join anytime from 9:30pm - 11:30pm.

Please note that this activity is dependent on clear skies.
Sirius Astronomy is a BIPOC and multiracial-led astronomy loving community

August 23, 2025

6:30 am – 7:00 pm - Artist Talk w/ UnEarthed Artist Yam Pate
Yam Pate
Hear from Yam Pate as she shares her process and vision as our UnEarthed Artist.

7:00 am – 3:00 pm - Camp Kitchen Open Hours
Camp Kitchen
The Camp Kitchen is a communal space where guests can prepare their meals at any one of our seven cooking stations. After cooking up your feast, grab a seat at a nearby picnic table to break bread and rice with friends, old and new. Please make sure to clean up after yourself so...

7:30 am – 9:30 pm - Registration
Registration Desk
Stop by the registration desk to check in, buy tickets, find your campsite, for first aid supplies, and to learn more about the festival. We got you!

8:00 am – 9:00 am - Nourishing Breathwork Meditation Ceremony
Beach
Heather Adams
We breathe all day, the life force of our mind, body and soul, and we don't even notice it. In this workshop ceremony we’ll use our time to reconnect with our breath, create space between our thoughts and ground our energy to the rhythm of the surrounding nature. We’ll open the sessio...

8:00 am – 10:00 am - Morning Bird Stroll
Flag Pole
Hanae Bettencourt
Ellie Yamanaka
A morning stroll to different habitats where we will learn how to identify birds from field marks, sounds, and behaviors. Binoculars will be provided.
Binoculars will be provided for attendees.

8:30 am – 9:30 am - Devotional Yoga + Kirtan
Movement Zone
Dany Srey-Snow
Devyn Pedrano-Snow
Join us for Devotional Yoga Asana & Kirtan, a heart-centered practice blending movement, breath, and sacred sound. Through intentional yoga asana, we will prepare the body and spirit to receive the healing vibrations of kirtan—call-and-response chanting that opens the heart and deepens ...

9:30 am – 10:30 am - Peace & Poetry (with ?ish da poet)
Meeting Circle
Aisha Williams
Poetry is a pathway to expression in how we interact with our many senses; movement, taste, smell, balance, etc. Tapping into our inner emotions while focusing on these senses are just one step. Creating an image with words brings it to another level. Write with...

10:00 am – 12:00 pm - Meander Still - Nature Connection with a Forest Therapy Guide
Shelter
Dannette Lombert
Folks are welcomed to (re)connect with nature, ourselves, and each other. From sitting still to moving around, a certified Forest Therapy Guide will provide invitations that may encourage embodiment, mindfulness, playfulness, and exploration, as we take a moment...

10:15 am – 11:45 am - Moving through Memory: connecting to our personal histories of being outside through dance
Movement Zone
Akoiyah Harris
Dance and rhythm can be considered universal languages. In this workshop, participants will get the chance to use dance to communicate their memories and histories of being outside. No formal dance experience is necessary, anyone who has an interest in movement is welcome. We will learn ways that...

10:30 am – 5:30 pm - Outpost Open Hours
Outpost
Stop by the Outpost to purchase exclusive swag or pick up the gear you reserved from the Gear Library.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm - Catch Fish and Feelings: An Introduction to Fly-Fishing and Connecting with Aquatic Ecosystems
Festival Lawn
Anna Le
Mark Steudel

11:00 am – 12:00 pm - Kite Flying! Make a kite and learn to fly it
Meeting Circle
Stacey Gevero Swanby, Community Advisory Board (CAB) member
Kite flying is a joyful way to spend time outside! At this all-ages session you will make your kite and learn to fly it. You'll be able to choose from two designs to build and then decorate. There will als...

11:30 am – 1:30 pm - (HOLD) Flowing Reflections: Nurturing Connections with Water and Community
YOUTH SUMMIT
Beach

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Liberation & Rest - A Restorative Sound Medicine Meditation
Amphitheater
Tory Trujillo, Still Point Healing Arts & Voices Rising LGBTQ of Color Arts & Culture
Rest is resistance, rest is revolution, rest is self and mutual care. During this sound bath, Tory Trujillo will play Quarts Crystal Singing Bowls, A Mayan Ocean Drum, and will incorporate Vocal Toning to support healing, grounding, and restoration. Participants will be lead into the experience w...

12:45 pm – 2:45 pm - Foundations of Anchor building: An introduction to bolted top rope anchors
Meeting Circle
Genevive Walker
Acquiring the knowledge to safely build anchors is a fundamental skill to climbing outside. In this course you will learn how to build a few different bolted anchors in a sport climbing setting. We will also cover a few knots that are heavily utilized in outdoor climbin...

12:45 pm – 2:15 pm - Big Joyful Boundaries
Shelter
Nacala Ayele, Founder, Joy Actualization Coach, Joyful Practices

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm - Grief Tending Walk with Wild Grief
Flag Pole
Atlas Tan
Jacqueline Burgara
Marisol Morales
Join Wild Grief guides for a gentle walk in nature to tend to your grief. We will collectively create a safe space to breathe, remember, and share the weight of loss with others who understand what we are going through. This walk is for those mourning a death in their lives, be it recent or in th...

1:15 pm – 2:15 pm - Healing With The Elements: A Mediative Workshop
Movement Zone
Nicole Allen, Executive Director, Through The Trees Collective
Through the practice of ritual, mindfulness, and intentional movement - participants will be encouraged to ground their spirit, honor their ancestors, and cultivate a sense 

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm - Drumming Together: Creating Bonds and Beats
ARTS & CULTUREWELLNESS/HEALING PRACTICES
Amphitheater
Udie Chima
In this hands-on workshop, participants will experience firsthand how taking part in a drum circle builds communal bonds and personal upliftment. Designed for all ages and skill levels, this session invites you to explore the natural rhythms of hand drumming and experience the unique euphoria kno...

2:00 pm – 2:45 pm - Songs by the Shore w/ Gael Gallegos
Gael Gallegos
Enjoy music on the beach where the Tolt and Snoqualmie Rivers meet. 

Gael Gallegos El G, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and graphic artist with 20 years of creative musical fusion his music reflects a rich blend of influences—from the Latin clas...

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm - The Story Beneath Our Feet: Unearthing Our Voices by Planting Our Stories
Shelter
Patheresa Wells
Our stories are rooted deep within us, just like the earth beneath our feet. The Story Beneath Our Feet is a generative writing workshop that invites participants to ground themselves in the land and tap into their personal narratives. We will explore how stories serve as a source of healing, lib...

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm - River Connection with Oshun Swim School
Beach
Chandrika Francis, Founder & Lead Facilitator , Oshun Swim School

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm - Survival Firemaking
Amphitheater
James Thompson
In this class, you'll learn about the art of firemaking in emergency survival situations. We'll discuss safety, finding materials, and the importance of developing this skill. You'll get hands-on with the tools and materials. If you like to work with your hands, make smoke, and spark flames, come...

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm - Introduction to Watercolor: Observing Nature through Painting
Meeting Circle
Sophia Trinh
Suzannah Yu, Training and Leadership Development Coordinator, Washington Trails Association
In this hands on watercolor workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore the art of observing nature through the medium of watercolor painting. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience with watercolors, this class offers a fun and interactive way to enhance your artistic s...

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm - Spice Up Your Camp Cuisine: The Art of Camp Food Cooking without the Convenience of Home
Camp Kitchen
Lestarya Molloy, CEO/Founder, Fridie Outdoors
This workshop unlocks the secrets of creating delicious and easy camp food, even without the convenience of your kitchen. Learn how to adapt your favorite recipes, harness the power of spices, and be comfortable using your camp cooking gear. Get ready to transfo...

5:30 pm – 9:00 pm - Camp Kitchen Open Hours
Camp Kitchen
The Camp Kitchen is a communal space where guests can prepare their meals at any one of our seven cooking stations. After cooking up your feast, grab a seat at a nearby picnic table to break bread and rice with friends, old and new. Please make sure to clean up after yourself so...

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm - Community Market
Barn
This event is more than just a fun weekend - it's about connecting community for ongoing engagement. Come meet our Partners & BIPOC-owned small businesses for this year's festival!
Partners
Birds Connect Seattle

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm - Crosscut Saw Demonstration - Learn from a WTA Trail-Building Expert
Barn

7:50 pm – 8:10 pm - Festival Family Photo
Summit Lawn
Join us for our annual tradition of taking a Festival Family Photo! Sunset is at 8:06 pm so you know we'll be glowing in the sun's golden light.

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm - More S'mores!
Festival Lawn
Cozy up and enjoy more s'mores courtesy of our friends at REI. A casual spot to chat with your friends, enjoy the show, and build community.

8:15 pm – 10:00 pm - Saturday Night Concert feat. The Beatbox Panda and Sage Lacapa
Main Stage
Sage Lacapa
The Beatbox Panda
Alison Mariella Désir, RIDC
Vincent Bantasan Aka The Beatbox Panda has 20 years of beatbox experience and is Seattle’s Beatbox Champion. He has opened up for celebrity acts such as Snoop Dogg, Childish Gambino, Pentatonix and more

9:30 pm – 11:30 pm - Deep Sky Hunters - Traveling Light Years through Telescopes with Sirius Astronomy
Flag Pole
This is a drop-in style activity. Feel free to join anytime from 9:30pm- 11:30pm.
Clear skies are needed for this activity.
Sirius Astronomy is a BIPOC and multiracial led astronomy loving community. We'll aim to bring the night sky to life by utilizing various telescopes to travel ...

10:00 pm – 11:59 pm - Silent Disco Under the Stars feat. deejays Exesive, Kimere, & Yung Barong
Main Stage
Yung Barong
Dj Exesive
Dj Kimere

August 24, 2025

7:00 am – 10:30 am - Camp Kitchen Open Hours
Camp Kitchen
The Camp Kitchen is a communal space where guests can prepare their meals at any one of our seven cooking stations. After cooking up your feast, grab a seat at a nearby picnic table to break bread and rice with friends, old and new. Please make sure to clean up after yourself so...

7:30 am – 2:00 pm - Registration
Registration Desk
Stop by the registration desk to check in, buy tickets, find your campsite, for first aid supplies, and to learn more about the festival. We got you!

7:30 am – 10:30 am - Beats & Batter w/ DJ Peg
Camp Kitchen
Stacey Gevero Swanby, Community Advisory Board (CAB) member
Hillarie Maddox
Dj Peg
Start off your last day at Refuge Fest right with Beats from DJ Peg & Batter from our Community Advisory Board, who will be serving up complimentary pancakes for breakfast.

8:00 am – 10:00 am - Breathwork & Birding
Movement Zone
Shelby Iwatani Cramer
Using meditation and mindfulness, this hatha vinyasa practice is inspired by nature to feel grounded to earth and supported by our bodies. We will practice connection to nature through our poses and show gratitude to our bodies for how they show up for us. Follo...

8:30 am – 12:30 pm - Outpost Open Hours
Outpost
Stop by the Outpost to pick up exclusive swag or pick up the gear you reserved from the Gear Library.

8:30 am – 10:00 am - Water & Vibrational Activation: Connecting to the Waters Within
Beach
Sage Lucas
Water is life, and it carries memory, wisdom, and vibrational energy. In this workshop, we’ll explore the deep connection between water, sound, and the human body through interactive water rituals, sound healing, and mindfulness practices. Come ready to experience water in a new way—t...

9:00 am – 11:00 am - Empowerment Through Re-visioning & Re-membering
Amphitheater
Charlie Lavides
Schona Christie
An invitation to connect with nature and our relationships with land through community harmonies, ancestral wisdoms, and practices that align our rhythms to mother earths. Through guided mindfulness, movement, song, and art participants will explore healing through community.

9:30 am – 11:30 am - Write Now: A creative writing workshop for parents who want to reconnect with their writing practice
Barn
Chris Vega
Join Blue Cactus Press for a writing workshop for parents who want to reconnect with their creativity. This is a generative writing workshop meant to rekindle your imagination, get you writing, & get you thinking about what you can build at the crossroads of parenting & creative writing.<...

9:30 am – 11:30 am - Meet Your Neighbors: Guided Nature Walk
Flag Pole
Tareq Fayyad
Wanna get more familiar with the wildness that is right in your city or neighborhood? Looking to build confidence identifying and foraging berries and medicinal plants? Maybe you want to feel more comfortable being in the woods. Join us for this politicized nature walks to learn native plant iden...

9:45 am – 11:45 am - Bike Fit Basics
Gathering Space
Arthur Cheng
Jenny Iyo
In this workshop, you will learn about the basics of bike fit! We will discuss and demonstrate (with hands-on activities) adjustments you can make to your bike (or future bikes) that can help you improve your bike-riding experience.

Limit: 20 attendees

10:00 am – 12:00 pm - Reciprocity In Restoration
Barn
Michael Bailey, ENR Outreach Manager, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe
Chris Liu
Get connected to the ecologies surrounding Tolt MacDonald Park, and practice relationship building and reciprocity with the Snoqualmie Tribe's Ecological Restoration Team. Contribute to this decade old restoration project, joining the Snoqualmie Tribe in removing harmful weeds, providing space fo...

10:00 am – 11:00 am - Rooted in Flow: Give Your Brain a Massage Through Nature and Art
Meeting Circle
Suzannah Yu, Training and Leadership Development Coordinator, Washington Trails Association
Sophia Trinh
"Rooted in Flow" invites you to unwind, reconnect with the meaning nature brings to your life, and explore your creativity through mindful, flowing lines and watercolors. In this guided workshop, you will create a unique piece of neurographic art inspired by nature, while soothing your mind and n...

10:45 am – 12:15 pm - Water Protection Ceremony with Mermaid Storie the Sea Librarian
Beach
Tea Tinsley
Water Protection Ceremony with Mermiad Storie The Sea Librarian - Youth and families are invited to an interactive ancestral story time, water exploration, and collaborative water protection ceremony to honor our land, no swim experience necessary.

11:30 am – 1:30 pm - Way of Water: Intro to Paddleboarding as Therapy
Beach
Kaliko Kahoonei
Discover the calming power of water through paddleboarding. This beginner-friendly workshop introduces the basics of stand-up paddling while exploring how time on the water can support emotional balance, mindfulness, and connection with nature. No experience needed—just a willingness to f...

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm - Love Letter to Future You
Barn
Bea Yeh Ogden
Love Letter to Future You is a reflective letter-writing practice that has been engaging with the community for the past decade, inviting participants to slow down and listen to the messages of the Land. Through this practice, you will compose a love letter to yourself, filled with care and inten...

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Game Bird calling and identification w/Hunters of Color
Shelter
Malcolm Legette, [email protected], Hunters of Color
Learn how to identity and call in game birds. Learn more about Turkeys, Waterfowl and upland bird species that live in the PNW.

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm - Closing Circle
Festival Lawn
Chevon Powell, Managing Director, Founder, Golden Bricks Events/ Refuge Outdoor Festival
As the festival comes to a close, let's gather to share our gratitude and connect with one another one last time.  Don't forget there's also a raffle!

Date: August 22 - 24, 2025

Location: King County's Tolt-MacDonald Park, 31023 NE 40th St Carnation, WA 98014

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