ISTA Temple Arts Festival
Dear friends, we're sorry to say that our festival won't be taking place this summer. We've made the tough decision to postpone until next year, but we promise it'll be worth the wait! We are looking forward to seeing you in 2024 for an unforgettable celebration.
Watch our video from 2019 ISTA Fest
Come to be yourself fully
The ISTA Festival is a journey inside. A journey home. Towards self-love, the expansion of the heart, expression of your unique voice, and a real connection between emotion, body, and consciousness.
Our days together may be more than an exciting and empowering festival. It is an opportunity to discover and experience how a culture living in total freedom, love, respect, and celebration of life force feels like.
Bring your curiosity, fears, desires, authentic and vulnerable heart, courage, doubts and questions, hopes, and dreams. All your parts are welcome here.
You are the creators of your journey at the festival (as in life itself, actually). May it take you to an even more wonderful place than you are currently able to imagine.
Entry to Israel in Covid times: Currently Israel is open for all tourists both vaccinated and unvaccinated - there is a requirement for health insurance that covers covid treatment.
Find the full and most updated info Here.
About the Festival
We are thrilled to invite you to the 8th international ISTA Festival in Israel.
Come to celebrate and explore, learn and grow, laugh and cry, and...
Of course - come to love. Come to remember who you are.
❃ 4 days in Kfar Hanokdim, a magical desert oasis, 2 hours south of Tel-Aviv.
❃ Workshops, ceremonies & Rituals, temple nights, lectures, concerts, and unique experiences in the fields of Intimacy, shamanism, and the temple arts.
❃ Dozens of top-class, experienced, and international presenters & artists from all over the world.
❃ Relevant to anyone and everyone that is craving depth and transformation in these chaotic times.
❃ Open to anyone (over the age of 18), experienced and beginners alike - you do not need to be an ISTA Graduate to participate in the ISTA Festival.
About The Venue
With this exciting come-back of the festival, we decided to step up and move to the largest, most beautiful, and well-kept "Khan" in Israel - the "Kfar Hanokdim".
In the middle of the Judean Desert, a stunning oasis with many beautiful complexes, a large variety of comfortable accommodation options, many magical spots and lounge areas, and just as important - a huge number of toilets and showers.
What is ISTA?
"ISTA" stands for the International School of Temple Arts.
A mystery school that brings back the ancient temple arts..
ISTA Holds week-long intensive trainings, conferences, and festivals around the world, and generates a global network of communities.
The festival is open to anyone (over the age of 18), beginners and experienced alike. You do not need to be an ISTA graduate to participate in the Festival.
Workshop Spaces
❃ At the festival, we will have 5 workshop spaces that will operate simultaneously with high-quality content, full of depth, juice, and all of the good stuff.
❃ "The Lounge" is the festival's central gathering space, where the whole tribe will meet once a day for the festival's main assembly. This is also the place to enjoy performances, yummy food & smoothies and connect with other inspiring human beings.
❃ A water area will be open during the day, a great place to cool down and refresh yourself in the middle of the desert.
❃ "The Point of You" is our emotional support space, which will have experienced and available staff 24/7 for your support in processing your experiences at the festival and grounding when needed. The "Point of You" will also be open during its active hours for you to simply be in silence, meditate, journal, or pray by yourself.
The Festival Spaces:
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The Festival's Program
We are excited to present the program to you!
What Guides us in creating the program is international quality and a connection between the presenters and the unique frequency that ISTA holds in the world.
Wednesday
Thuersday
Friday
Saturday
The festival production reserves the right to change the program, its content, and times before and during the festival for any reason.
Presenters & Artists
The ISTA Festival offers a variety of highly experienced international presenters and artists, from the best this field has to offer. This is an initial list, which will continue to grow and be updated as we continue to build the content for the festival.
* The arrival of teachers and artists from abroad depends on the guidelines for the entry of foreign artists into Israel that will be valid at the festival dates and the flight procedures of the different countries. The production does not commit to this list of teachers and artists, neither from abroad nor from Israel. We reserve the right to change it at any time.
General Info
As an International Festival, with presenters and participants coming from all over the world - the festival and most of its content and workshops would be in English.
The festival ticket grants you the option to pitch your own tent in the camping area of Kfar Hanokdim and use the shared showers and toilets.
Upgraded accommodation is available. Rent a mattress in an air-conditioned Bedouin tent and don't worry about camping, it costs only NIS 150 and will allow you a comfortable place to be in. There are also last air-conditioned "Sukkah" (Huts) left for those who prefer a more private option.
The site has an abundance of parking spaces. Please follow the instructions of the parking attendants.
Write "Kfar Hanokdim" in Waze or Google maps to get to the venue. We encourage you to come together and love our planet. We will open a rideshare thread in the FB event a few weeks before the festival.
We are happy to help with your arrival and return from the festival. You are welcome to book a shuttle that will take you directly to the venue.
This is a large, comfortable, and air-conditioned tourist bus.
Do not bring and/or consume alcohol during the event. There will not be a sale of alcohol at the site. Also, subject to the laws of Israel, no mind-altering substances may be brought and/or used at the festival. You are invited to meet yourself, fly high and dive deep - from a place of real presence, and discover where journeying with your own life force can lead you.
Seeking interactions based on consent and a mutual "Hell Yes." At the ISTA Festival, we create a culture of mutual respect that celebrates our passions, boundaries, and rhythms. During the festival, in any meeting of an intimate nature, you are asked to communicate your desires and boundaries verbally and clearly. Move together only in the directions to which all who participate in the interaction have found their enthusiastic consent.
Respect with love and gratitude when another person tells you "no.", they are taking care of themselves and you. No further explanation is needed, "no." or "no, thank you." can be a complete sentence.
Silence, the word "maybe," or any other answer that is not a 'hell yes' should be treated as a "no."
It is only allowed to be without clothes in the workshops and designated areas. Participants must dress outside of these areas to show respect for the local neighbors.
There is no obligation to be without clothes in areas where it is allowed. Feel what is right for you. There is room for everything.
The use of cell phones and cameras throughout the compound - is prohibited! It is allowed only in your own personal space and outside the festival (Almost only "partner" customers can find reception at the site). Please let everyone express themselves freely.
There will be professional photographers on behalf of the festival. If you do not want to appear in photos or videos of the festival, go to our information center. Ask there to be added to the list of "non-photographed" - it will be taken care of.
Pets and animals are not allowed at the Festival. Find the animal within yourself.
The kitchen will serve 3 varied meals a day. There will also be yummy food stalls (pizza, smoothies, Chai shop, and more ...)
The food at the festival is vegetarian, with vegan options.
Lighting fire and Gas Grills are not allowed at the festival and the surrounding grounds.
Entry to Israel in Covid times: Currently Israel is open for all tourists both vaccinated and unvaccinated - there is a requirement for health insurance that covers covid treatment.
Have any other questions?
istafest.israel@gmail.com
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