The nearest train station is Schwanheide. It takes less than two hours by EC/ICE from Berlin (prices from 30 euros), and from Hamburg it just takes 40 minutes (prices from 17 euros or free with a Deutschlandticket). From Schwanheide, you can either use our shuttle bus for a small fee or take bike ride (see Elbe cycle path: www.elberadweg.com/reiseideen/hamburg-berlin ).
Our shuttle bus will take you directly from the station to the festival on Thursday and from there back to the station on Sunday. Please buy a ticket for the shuttle bus in our ticket shop.
Shuttle Bus Time Table
Thursday, June 11th - Shuttles from Schwanheide to WBZ:
12:25, 14:25, 16:25, 18:25, 20:25
Sunday, June 14th - Shuttles from WBZ to Schwanheide:
11:00, 13:00, 17:00, 19:00
If you arrive by train on Friday or Saturday, you can book an on-demand bus (Rufbus) via this website: https://www.vlp-lup.de/rufbus/rufbus-bestellen/
You must order it at least 2 days in advance. The on-demand bus costs around 4€ and also runs from Schwanheide to WBZ.
If you want to order a cab as a last option, you can contact this number via WhatsApp: 0151 51051009. The ride costs about 40-60€.
If you want to come by car, we all know it: Sharing is caring. Please try to coordinate and take other festival visitors with you!! (Rumor has it that one or the other has already found love on the way to Pura Vida...) If you are looking for a ride or have a ride to offer, you can use our Carpooling table (link in your guest email!). Remember to buy the appropriate parking ticket for your Car or Campervan.
By the way: If you come by car, you can leave your luggage directly at the festival site and then park a little further away. The subsequent walk back to the site takes about 15 minutes.
The easiest way to stay overnight on the premises is if you bring your own tent. There is a designated camping area where you can setup your tent. (It actually is a beautiful field close to the forest nearby :)) We recommend to pick your spot early if you have a preference.
And please note: The ground can be uneven. We recommend to bring a good ground tarp under your tent — it protects against moisture if it rains.
Also good to know: There are no individual power outlets at campsites. Communal charging stations with power strips are available - bring a power bank for convenience.
Yes! If you prefer a little more comfort, then you might find our glamping tents to be the perfect blend of luxury and nature.
Our glamping tents are meticulously designed to provide a harmonious retreat, where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of the outdoors without compromising on modern comforts. These thoughtfully crafted shelters not only offer a comfortable escape but also contribute to the regenerative culture we aim to foster.
Visit our Ticketing page to book your Glamping Tent.
Yes, no worries! There will be a mix of composting/dry toilets and regular flush toilets as well as beautiful outdoor showers (cold/solar-heated) available. Please don't expect hot water on demand and have a lovely refreshing shower experience watching the sky and the trees.
Please note that we are guests in a fragile protected ecosystem - and we wish to treat it with love and respect. Please make sure to only use organic toiletries and please refrain from peeing in the wild, as nature would not like that.
We recommend to plan wisely how you will feed yourself. There will be space to prepare your own meals.
There will also be a food truck on-site, serving all day. Menu includes porridge, various bowls, fries, and soup and prices range from €5–€13 per dish. The food truck accepts card or mobile payment. Still, one food truck for the whole festival means limited variety. We recommend bringing your own camping cooker and food to supplement - especially if you have dietary needs.
Please also bring your own cup to reduce waste from single-use cups. Drinking water taps are available on the grounds. Bring a reusable bottle.
Drinking water is available at various locations on the premises. You can also buy cacao, coffee, tea and many other non-alcoholic treats at our bar.
Please do not use your camping cooker beyond the self-cooking stations. Open fire is strictly forbidden everywhere else. Please also be mindful in case you see or smell smoke and help us to avoid fires in any case!! There will be fire extinguishers on multiple points.
Yes! We made a conscious decision to create an alternative to the classical music festivals to show that you don’t need substances to have fun.
The experiences we make consciously with each other are not only more sustainable for interpersonal relationships, but also for personal health and nature. Therefore, there will be no alcohol to buy at the festival and we would like to ask you to simply leave alcohol and other substances (including "plant medicine") at home.
We will open the doors on Thursday, June 11th, at 12. The first workshops will take place at 2.30 pm before the joint opening ceremony begins at 4.30 pm.
The Festival Retreat ends on Sunday, June 15th, at 5 pm.
It is a whole carefully curated journey! We really recommend taking the whole trip and, if possible, taking a day off on Monday. You can also stay one more night on the site until Monday.
We wish to be inclusive to Only-German-Speakers as well as to Internationals visiting us. That is why our festival is bilingual and will be held in German and English.
The languages are indicated in the timetable. We tried to have it 50/50, so there are a lot of options available for both speakers.
We will have the timetable available on our website soon. Still, there may be some minor changes before the festival - please check the schedule again on site!
For details on the sweat lodge in general, please have a look at the workshop program.
Please register at least 24 hours before the event! The space is limited to 15 participants.
To be prepared, please bring:
- two old towels
- a large filled water bottle
- optional fruit or nuts
- objects for the altar
You may enter naked or wear light cotton or linen clothing. Feel free to bring a rattle if you have one. We recommend entering the hut with an empty stomach, so please have no breakfast or only a very light one.
Due to the intensity of the ritual (heat and darkness), it is intended for people who feel physically, mentally, and emotionally stable.
Yes! We are guests in a very fragile natural ecosystem that we want to treat with respect and care. Please help us to build a loving relationship with our new home and be very mindful with the following:
Every product you bring must be 100% biodegradable. This includes organic soap, shampoo, sunscreen, mosquito spray, dish soap - everything. If you are not sure if your products qualify: Our on-site shop sells biodegradable sunscreen and mosquito spray. Please also do not bring any glass bottles or other glass objects that you do not want to take home with you.
We also want to avoid as much waste as possible. Please help us by bringing only the essentials and avoiding plastic and disposable packaging in particular. Especially plastic glitter and similar products that can introduce microplastics into the environment should be left at home!
On the grounds, we have set up three waste stations. Please separate your waste and dispose of it at the appropriate stations. If you want to smoke, please bring a pocket ashtray to properly dispose of cigarette butts.
And please always use the designated toilets and urinals and please refrain from peeing in the wild. Nature says thanks!
Indeed.. The fireflies dance with us! Please do not irritate the beetles in their lovemaking with bright artificial light at night, but move carefully and respectfully. The same applies to the forest and the creatures that live there.
Also, there will be mosquitoes and ticks! The grounds are near a forest and lakes in a natural area. Please do everything to protect yourself. Bring biodegradable mosquito spray, and check regularly for ticks, as they can infect you with Lyme disease. Please inform yourself of the risks, and bring a tweezer. Long sleeves and pants, especially for the evenings, help too.
If you forgot your protection, our on-site shop sells biodegradable mosquito spray and sunscreen. We also have doctors onsite who can help you remove ticks.
Let us kiss the ground with our feet and be aware with every step that we are affecting a sensitive ecosystem of plants and animals.
We have a natural swimming pool onsite - still, it's a very delicate ecosystem and sacred home to non-human beings.
If you wish to swim, please only do so after properly showering off any deodorants or sunscreen. Please be aware that we might need to close the pool in case of harmful or potential overuse.
Yes, absolutely, we’d love you to! You can join volunteering during the main festival days (11th - 14th of June) for a reduced price or join for our Creators Week (6th - 17th June).
Festival Volunteer (11th - 14th of June): The volunteering ticket is a good balance between being able to participate in most activities and supporting the festival with around 2 shifts of 6 hours. To participate as a volunteer simply buy a volunteer ticket and after the festival we reimburse you half the price. For each shift you work you also receive 1 food voucher. Camping is in your own tent like for all guests.
If you wanna know more about the experience, read our Blog article!
Creators Week Volunteer (6th - 11th and 15th - 17th of June) (registration closed): Co-create the festival's magic and spending 1 full week with us in nature on the beautiful lands of “Wir Bauen Zukunft”! You will be working mainly to build-up the festival from Monday until Thursday and take it all down again from Monday to Tuesday. In return you get a free festival ticket and free food on each day that you work. You will sleep in your own tent. You will receive all necessary information after you filled-in the google form.
Both volunteering during the main festival days as well as in Creators Week are great ways to be part of the festival. You'll have a look behind the scenes, connect with the whole team on a different level and be right in the middle of the action. Being a volunteer at Pura Vida Festival Retreat means you're a big part of making it all happen. Come join us and have an amazing time!
Well, first and foremost: an open heart and a curious mind!
Apart from that: If you are camping, think of the necessary equipment such as a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, flashlight, etc. Otherwise, please think of comfortable and warm clothing, as even in June, night outdoors can get chillier than you think. For some workshops you might like to have Yoga or sports clothes, and maybe even a Yoga mat, if you wish.
Don’t forget (organic!) mosquito / tick repellent and sun protection.
A reusable water bottle is also recommended, even though there will be drinks to buy on site.
If you’d like, please bring your own music instrument as well as your favorite celebration outfit for our Saturday Evening Celebration :)
And as we do not want you to forget anything: Here you can find our Check List to help you pack!
It is your first time festival? The following things might be worth to know:
Please do not bring any pets onto the site, weapons of any kind, drugs (also alcohol!), glitter, generators or loud devices, open fire equipment and fireworks. Igniting open flames is prohibited on the entire site as there is a risk of fire.
Please also bring only organic 100% biogradable toiletries: Natural soaps, sprays, deodorants, make-up, shampoos etc. (We do not ask this for fun but because the bacteria of the sewage system onsite is super delicate and we do not want it to die!)
Please also note that we ask you to leave any professional camera equipment, especially drones, at home. There will be photographers onsite.
Pura Vida is both a festival and a retreat. Balancing those two worlds is something we think about a lot. We want to create space for joy, music, dancing and aliveness, while also caring for rest, nervous system regulation and the wellbeing of everyone on site.
That means: yes, there will be music, vibrant communal spaces and celebration. And we also try to create quieter moments and areas where people can slow down, reconnect and recharge.
We use a professional sound system. If you plan to spend time close to the speakers, we strongly recommend bringing hearing protection (reusable concert earplugs work great).
Music will play until around 2:00 a.m. After that things become noticeably quieter, though people may still be softly socializing around the grounds. If you are a light sleeper, we recommend bringing earplugs for sleeping to help you rest well. 💛
Yes - thoughtfully.
One of the beautiful things about Pura Vida is that people often become deeply present here and spend less time on their phones. At the same time, we know how meaningful it can be to have memories of the experience afterward and to share glimpses of the atmosphere with future participants.
That’s why we have a small team of professional photographers on site documenting selected moments of the festival retreat.
Because Pura Vida also includes emotional and vulnerable spaces, we approach photography with a lot of care and sensitivity. Our photographers are briefed to move mindfully through the space, stay aware of consent and avoid capturing moments that feel too personal or inappropriate to document. We also check in with the facilitators to exactly know which workshop spaces might be inappropriate to capture.
By participating in the festival retreat, you agree that photos and videos may be used for Pura Vida communication channels such as our website and social media.
That said: your comfort matters deeply to us. If you do not want to be photographed in a certain moment, simply let the photographer know directly. We will share a festival photo album with all of you afterwards.
And if you later discover an image of yourself online that does not feel good or appropriate to you, just reach out to us and we will remove it. Before pictures are published anywhere, we will first share a festival photo album with all participants exclusively anyways - as a little gift to the community and to give you the opportunity to contact us before anything in there goes public.
To help preserve a more intentional atmosphere, we also ask all of you to leave professional camera equipment (including drones) at home and be mindful with your phones onsite!
We invite you to come with an open heart and an open mind, to take ownership and see yourself as an active co-creator to make Pura Vida a beautiful experience for all.
You can find our full awareness guidelines on site and our culture of care at the Infopoint or here:
Awareness Guidelines (English)
Please check it out!
Please also note: Pura Vida has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination, racism, illegal activities, violence or deliberate harm to others. Any behavior or action that violates our principles will be punished with appropriate consequences - including expulsion from the festival and possible legal action.
If you need emotional support during the festival, come to the Empathy & Awareness Space, where a trained team will be available at all times.
Yes, the accompanying person of someone with a disability card marked with a “B” (Schwerbehindertenausweis mit Merkzeichen "B" ) has free admission to the festival and does not need to purchase a ticket. Simply show the card at the entrance.
Also, if you need more specific information about the grounds to decide if you wanna come, please contact us via mail at info@puravida-festival.com !
If the festival cannot take place for any reason, e.g. Covid-19 restrictions or the like, then you have the choice whether you want to have your ticket rewritten for the next festival or whether you want to like to have the ticket refunded, or would like to donate the ticket amount to the Pura Vida Initiative. In the event of a refund, we will refund 80% of the ticket price and 100% of the accommodation upgrade options. The 20% help us to finance costs already incurred in the event before the cancelation. Otherwise the tickets are non-refundable, but you always have the opportunity to transfer your ticket to another person.
We have paramedics and an emergency doctor on site.
Please inform a team member and they will call them via Walkie-Talkie.
Otherwise you will always find help and medical materials in our back office next to the world stage.
There might be times at the festival when you experience intense or challenging emotions. We are here for you. Find somebody with a Walkie-Talkie or come to the Empathy tent.
Our tent is the safe space to ground and relax your nervous system by reconnecting with yourself as well as with others. Our team has different specialties in embodiment, breathing and meditation practices as well as guidance through emotions and trauma. They support you whenever you need it!
The space is free for anyone to come anytime, to take a breath, cuddle, rest or to be held and seen.
Also, always keep in mind: We are all co-creators of everyone's exerience. Please engage with consent, respect boundaries - and communicate your own clearly.
Let's care for a harmonious space where everyone feel safe, supported, valued and heard. Please have a look at our Awareness Guidelines:
Awareness Guidelines (English)
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