Thursday, December 21, 3pm until after sunset
at Point Mugu, Malibu, California

On the shortest day and longest night of the year, we’ll gather together by the roaring Pacific Ocean to light two communal campfires: one for singing, dancing, and warming ourselves around, and another for brewing ritual community dye pots.

Welcome winter on solstice eve with this community celebration including plant dyeing, ecological exploration, and seasonal food and drink. This first day of winter, while cold and dark, also marks the return of the light—days from here grow longer, brighter—and the fires we light will serve as a symbolic welcome for the days of increasing length and warmth ahead.

Together at a private campsite nestled between low chaparral-adorned hills of the Santa Monica Mountains (with views and sounds of the Pacific surrounding us), we’ll brew two pots of dye from local plants over the fire. We’ll all participate in the process: lighting and tending the fires, chopping and processing fresh dyestuff, building the dye pot from start to finish.

Our purpose is to build something together, both tangible and symbolic, beautiful yet useful—an experience specific to the season and place where we live, infused with memory and meaning. As we build connections to each other, so do we connect with the land and wild beings who inhabit it, and remember how they like to be cared for.

We’ll invite the color-potent gifts of some of these beings (oak, walnut) to aid in our creations, and experience a sense of timelessness which pervades the craft of natural dyeing. It is a practice as old as human relationship to land, ripe for rekindling as we recall how to tend and enliven these very interconnected relationships.

With solstice folk songs playing—singing and dancing encouraged—we’ll dye and dine in community. You’re invited to bring two garments* from home to color in the communal dyes, and while light fare with seasonal flavors will be offered, you’re encouraged to bring something to eat or drink to share with all!

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*Please limit the size of your garments to a t-shirt or equivalent. No oversize garments (e.g. pants, overalls, heavy sweaters)—they take up too much dye. For garments to accept dye, they must be 90% or more natural fibers, e.g. cotton, linen, hemp, silk, wool.

Note: This is not an overnight camping retreat, but an event extending from afternoon to after sunset (likely until around 7pm) in an entirely outdoor setting. The campsite has some modern accommodations such as bathrooms, open-air shelters, and accessible parking. Part of the event will take place after dark, so a headlamp or flashlight is highly recommended.

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Exact location and further details will be provided by email; please ensure your email address is accurate when checking out. Any questions? Reach out to me directly at erin@berbo.studio.

Space is limited by parking capacity, so all carpool seats are offered with an automatic 20% discount.