Summer Solstice Celebration at The Salisbury Centre

Celebrate the longest day of the year in community: fire, soul-nourishing workshops, and garden time!

Our Garden awaits you – and so do a bunch of great seasonal workshops to help you connect with the season's energy. 🌞✨

Summer Solstice is a day of transformation. In this magical moment of the year, the light triumphs over the darkness – in Scotland, it barely gets dark on that day. At the same time, this also signals the beginning of the end. From here onwards, days start getting shorter, and we are reminded that what once grew to its full power has to die.

This will be a beautiful day in the garden, full of fun, reflection, workshops, and celebration. We will finish the day with a Solstice ritual and songs around the fire. 🌺🌿

Please see the agenda below for the detailed plan of the day & links to Eventbrite.

Important note: This year, we're not booking spaces for the specific workshops. Participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. All the donations are general donations to take part in the Solstice Celebration, and they will go to support The Salisbury Centre.

Booking on Eventbrite (link at the bottom of the page) isn't essential, but strongly encouraged. It helps us assess the number of participants ahead of time.

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13:00 - 14:30 Library with Adam Noach

Event description tbc

13:30 - 15:00 Art Room, with Cori Wilkie ()

Join Cori for a nourishing Summer Solstice workshop and explore how to embody the energy of this powerful seasonal turning point through somatic movement, gentle breath practices and meditation.

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year and has been celebrated for centuries as a time of light, abundance, vitality and growth. As nature reaches its fullest expression under the summer sun, it offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on what is flourishing in our own lives, while also noticing where we are being invited to grow.

This year's theme, Bloom Where You Are Planted, is inspired by the wisdom of the season. Just as each flower blooms in its own way and in its own time, we are invited to embrace ourselves exactly as we are and honour the unique circumstances that have shaped our journey. Rather than waiting for life to be different, this workshop encourages you to root into the present moment, cultivate self-acceptance and recognise the potential that already exists within you.

Through mindful movement, breathwork, meditation and reflection, you will explore what it means to bloom from where you are right now, celebrating your strengths, embracing your uniqueness and opening to the possibilities that arise when you meet yourself with greater compassion and acceptance.

Cori is a trauma-informed integrative somatic therapist and will guide the workshop with choice, curiosity and respect for individual experience. You will be encouraged to listen to your body throughout and participate in ways that feel right for you. There is no pressure to do anything that does not feel comfortable, and you are invited to move, rest and engage at your own pace.

Come as you are and leave feeling more grounded, connected and empowered to bloom where you are planted.

Please be advised that this workshop is open to all bodies, but movement is involved. Mats, blankets, etc., will be provided, and headphones may be used for some practices.

14:30 - 16:30 Garden, with Brian McGowan

This is an event where all bodies and minds will be welcomed irrelevant of development and ability.

Games will be mostly physical, involving the body moving, dancing, balancing, and playing. Props for balance, catching, movement, and exploration will be introduced and provided, such as Swiss balls, slack lines, balance beams, catching and throwing objects, and more. The feelings of equality and respect will be fostered in order to have a playful and enjoyable experience for all.

Neurospicy people are encouraged. Grounding in the 5 senses and use of the body for play are the founding principles of creating a safe space in relating to our own bodies, balance, and resilience.

Solstice Fire Gathering

17:00 - 19:00 Firepit, community-led

To close the day, we will gather around the firepit to take a moment to stop and feel into what Summer Solstice is offering to each one of us individually - and, as a community.

This is a Salisbury Centre-style gathering, with a ritual around the fire, then sharing songs, poems, and stories. Please bring something you'd like to share around the fire and, if you feel called to, a symbolic offering.

Participation in community-led events at the Salisbury Centre is often on a voluntary donation basis. This means that nobody is expected to make a payment if they cannot afford to do so.

However, any donations for this event will go towards The Salisbury Centre, supporting us to organise future gatherings. This event is by suggested donation. It's an act of trust that you can assess your ability to contribute more accurately than we ever could. We hope that this also improves equitable access for everyone and empower you to align the donation amount with your financial means.

The suggested donation is just an indication of what the event might cost if it were ticketed. It is fine to donate less (or nothing at all and just show up on the day. Please remember that donating, regardless of the amount, is one way to show your appreciation for the value of the Salisbury Centre. Booking via Eventbrite also helps us assess the number of participants ahead of time.

Please consider ‘paying it forward’ by donating a bit extra if you can afford it, helping to keep it possible for everyone to take part, regardless of their circumstances.

The Library and Art Room is wheelchair accessible. The Garden Lawn is wheelchair accessible via a ramp in the Art Room. The Fire Pit isn't wheelchair accessible due to uneven ground in the garden.

The Salisbury Centre’s kitchen door and toilet are now wheelchair accessible. The Garden can also be accessed by wheelchairs via a movable ramp in the Art Room Annexe. Please let the organisers know in advance of any access requirements. Additionally, if relevant, please fill in this PEEP template and share it with us.

For more access information, including parking and transport, please check this page.

If you have any questions about any of the above, please email [email protected]

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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