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Maybe you’ve skied at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, or taken the tram up to Squaw’s High Camp pool and hot tub complex in summer. But unless you’ve been to Wanderlust, you’ve probably never experienced anything quite like this four-day yoga and wellness festival. This festival, which will be July 19-22 this year, is arguably the largest gathering of its kind in the world.
Picture thousands of (mostly) fit and trim people of all ages floating from class to class, from concert to lecture to hike, with yoga mats tucked under tattooed arms. In the shade of an open-air pavilion, 100 yogis of various abilities are attempting to learn the crow position, a handstand that entails balancing one’s knees on one’s elbows. On a grassy patch of lawn, 20 more are “hooping,” learning to manipulate hula hoops in athletic and artistic ways.
Others are watching a vegan cooking demo, listening to music, finding their bliss on stand-up paddleboards or going deep within themselves during guided meditation sessions. In the vendor village, guests tuck into an exhibitor booth to enjoy a “sound bath,” sample the latest in organic snacks, grab a meal from a food truck and get educated about cannabis. Sign up early, and you can nab a seat at a lavish farm-to-fork dinner.
If the Wanderlust vibe is both energetic and mellow, the overall scene is a feast for the eyes and the mind. It’s all intended to inspire — or, as the festival mission statement puts it, “find your true north.”
At the end of the class day, everyone heads for the tram to a High Camp pool party that rivals just about anything in Vegas, right down to the bikinied babes assuming yoga postures in a floating plexi-glass sphere.
“I always describe it as a circus, in the very best sense of the word,” says Jackie Worthingham, manager and instructor at Wanderlust Studio Squaw Valley. “There are people everywhere. Our sleepy little mountain town is completely transformed during the festival. It’s incredible how many renowned teachers they bring to this beautiful environment.”
Wanderlust, now a global brand that produces five annual multi-day festivals in North America and dozens of single-day “mindful triathlons” — dubbed Wanderlust 108 — around the world, got its start at Squaw in 2009, with about 700 in attendance. Last year, publicist Kimberly Small says, the festival drew more than 11,000 attendees.
Registering for Wanderlust (wanderlust.com) is similar to registering for college: About 100 classes and activities are offered each day, and the early bird gets the worm. Pricing is tiered and goes up as the festival dates near. On the low end: $17 for a Friday night concert ticket. At the top: $1,050 for four days of unlimited activities and events. One-day tickets, in the $160 price range, include three scheduled events, a lecture and musical performances. Single-event tickets for activities like aerial yoga or kayaking also are available. And wandering the vendor village is, of course, free.
The festival is held during the height of Tahoe’s high season, and lodging all over North Lake Tahoe fills up fast. Prefer to camp? There’s a three-night camping option ($260), which provides limited facilities at Wandercamp, a temporary, top-of-the-tram campground at a chilly 8,200 feet. Bring your own camping gear, as well as that yoga mat.