Arrive. Ground in. Let the mountain take you.

Transcend Fest Vermont begins with a Friday night experience that invites you to land fully in the moment – to shake off the outside world and step into something deeper, freer, and more alive.

Set against the backdrop of the Green Mountains, this opening night blends intention, movement, and music to guide you into the rhythm of the weekend ahead.

This isn’t about easing in… it’s about dropping all the way in.

The Opening Portal with Autumn, Tom, and Stephanie

A two-hour immersive journey to ground, connect, and awaken your inner landscape. Guided by three facilitators, this experience weaves together ritual, breathwork, shamanic meditation, and a rhythmic drumming circle to create a powerful container for intention and transformation.

We begin with a land acknowledgement and heart-opening loving-kindness prayer, then move into grounding breathwork to center the body and calm the mind. From there, you’ll be guided inward through meditation and into collective rhythm-activating energy, connection, and presence.

Arrive, drop in, and anchor into the weekend with clarity, intention, and community.

KIRTAN! With Danielle, Vedaji, and Keshavi Ma

Join us for a soulful, vibrant, devotional musical mantra experience! This call and response Kirtan will fill your heart with joy and love as we call to the divine in community.

Having a good singing voice is not required. When we call to the divine, how we sound is not important, rather how we show up, in love and community is what truly matters.

Pulse of the night with DJ Eric Otero

Step into the pulse of the night with DJ Eric Otero, bringing 20 years behind the decks and a signature sound rooted in Mininal Deep Tech and Tech House.  From underground NYC sets to New England dance floors, Eric knows how to build a journey-one that pulls you out of your head and straight into your body.

Expect hypnotic beats, rolling basslines, and a slow-burning energy that builds into a full-on release. 

This isn’t just a set-it’s a late-night transmission designed for movement, connection, and losing yourself in the rhythm under the Vermont sky.

Come as you are.  Stay as long as you want.  This is Transcend After Dark.

Why You Don’t Want to Miss Friday Night

Friday night sets the tone for the entire weekend. It’s where strangers become community, intentions get anchored, and the energy of Transcend Fest comes alive.

Come for the ritual. Stay for the music. Lose yourself in the dance.

This is how we begin.