INNER INQUIRY AND DELIGHT-
A NEW CULTURE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION!
December 30, 2025 to January 4, 2026
At this relaxed event, you can come when your schedule allows– making it easy to join us!
Dear New Culture Family and New Friends,
We invite you to join us for our New Year’s Celebration– a Gathering of the New Culture Community. It is a time of connection, authenticity, joy, and the ever-deepening journey we call New Culture.
We’ll gather for up to five days of:
* Play that invites presence
* Community that welcomes your wholeness
* Transformation born from truth and tenderness
* Deepening connections with old friends and delighting in discovering beautiful new humans
Whether you are a long-time camper or considering your first New Culture gathering, you are warmly invited to co-create this living, loving community.
We can’t wait to meet you — in your play, your truth, your laughter, your longing —and weave another beautiful tapestry of connection together as we bring in the New Year.
WHO? You! We welcome humans of all races, genders, and sexual orientations.
WHERE? A private retreat center 2.5 hours west of DC and 2.5 hours south of Pittsburgh.
WHAT WILL WE DO? The gathering will center around activities that help us grow, reflecting on and influencing what our community is and what it can be.
Not ready to register? You can let us know your interest in attending, and share your ideas about how we can cultivate our time together here.
Connect with other campers on our Facebook event page!
PROGRAMMING
The New Year Gathering is a wonderful time to slow down and reconnect with yourself and your New Culture Community. Join us for a lightly-programmed, co-created retreat with an awesome New Year’s Eve celebration, facilitated workshops, open participant-led sessions, fresh, nourishing food, and plenty of time for connections.
And of course, everything is optional– you are fully “at choice” about your attendance and/or participation in any activity or workshop.
Learning Opportunities
Becoming Playful
A laughter workshop, facilitated by Laughter Coach Dr. Erica Buchholz.
Reconnecting with your playful essence and learning to integrate it into your everyday life.
Sounds of Hope
A workshop with Mary Shapiro, professional healer musician.
Building community & creating peace through education, service, & music.
More information coming soon on the following:
~ An advanced relationship skills workshop ~
~ An Emotional Intelligence skills practice ~
Celebration and Play Possibilities
Music Jam Drum Circle Open Mic
Daily Dancing Sound Bath
Cabaret Spoken Word Bonfire
Schedule of Events
HEALTH POLICY
Out of great care for our community, we have developed a protocol to reduce the risk of spreading contagious diseases at this retreat. This protocol includes a combination of reducing exposure to illnesses before the event, testing for COVID-19 before and at the event, and procedures to contain illnesses at the event. Please read carefully and contact us at info@cfnc.us if you have any questions.
Please note:
- This protocol is subject to change based on the prevalence of COVID and other transmissible diseases at the time of the event.
- If you are not able to comply with this protocol, contact us at info@cfnc.us to see if it is possible to work out an alternative protocol that fits your situation.
- If you will need to leave the site and return during camp, please contact us to work out a special protocol for your situation.
Reduce potential exposures:
All attendees are requested to reduce potential exposure to respiratory diseases for five days before the event.
- Do not attend crowded indoor parties and gatherings.
- Wear a well-fitting high-quality mask (N95 / KN95 or better) when indoors with anyone not in your household. This includes places like stores, workplaces, and public transportation.
- In particular, wear a well-fitting high-quality mask on planes, trains, and buses; in airports; and in your carpool on the way to the event if it includes people not in your household.
Take a COVID test 24 hours before arrival:
- Take a rapid antigen test 24 hours prior to your ETA to the event and send us a photo of it.
If you are sick, stay home:
- Please be responsible and cancel if you think you are sick.
- Your full admission price will be refunded if you need to cancel due to infectious illness.
- If you believe you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please contact us for guidance.
If you test positive for COVID before the event:
People testing positive in the week or two before the event will need to test negative for at least two days before arriving at the event. Please contact us ASAP at info@cfnc.us if you have a positive test to discuss your personal situation.
ON ARRIVAL
Take a COVID rapid antigen test:
- People must mask in enclosed spaces with others until their arrival test comes back negative.
- If your arrival test is positive, you’ll be asked to take a second test for confirmation.
- If the second test is positive, you and everyone exposed to you in your carpool will be asked to leave.
- Thus, we strongly recommend you also test before starting your journey to the event!
Tests at the event are included in your registration fee.
DURING THE EVENT:
After the negative pre-camp tests and the negative on-arrival tests are recorded, there will be no masking or distancing requirements for anyone attending the event, unless they develop respiratory symptoms. People are welcome to mask or distance if they choose.
Take another COVID rapid antigen test the day after your arrival:
This will be your second test since arriving. We may ask people to take additional antigen tests at any time during the event. Tests at the event are included in your registration fee.
At the event, please report any symptoms of illness ASAP to the Health Team.
If you have respiratory symptoms, we will ask you to take a COVID test. Also, please mask in indoor spaces unless you are certain that your symptoms are not due to a contagious disease.
If you have gastrointestinal symptoms, we will ask you to avoid the food line – someone will be delegated to bring you food. Also, please be diligent in washing your hands before touching any public surfaces.
If you need to leave the site and return again during the event, you will need a special protocol. Please contact us ASAP info@cfnc.us before the event, Health Team during the event) to see what is possible for your situation.
If a person tests positive for COVID at the event, that person will be asked to isolate and everyone at the event will be asked to test. The Health Team will determine and announce other measures for the community, which might include testing, masking, rearranging housing assignments, modifying activities, etc.
If another contagious illness appears at the event, the Health Team may announce measures to contain that illness.
AFTER THE EVENT
After the event, for the two weeks following your departure, please report any symptoms of contagious illness or positive COVID test results to the organizers so we can inform the group and prevent spread in our home communities.
PRICING
The all-inclusive price covers workshops, program sessions, basic accommodations, and all meals on the schedule.
Cost is on a sliding scale of $495-795
Abrams Creek Campground has a fully equipped lodge house, rustic cabins (no plumbing, but all are heated), and tent sites. A twin bunk bed is included in your registration fee.
Tent or sleep in your car for a $50 discount – recommended for experienced cold-weather campers only!
You can also reserve a larger bed, private room, or even an entire cabin (subject to availability). If you are upgrading your accommodations, you will receive an invoice with your bed assignment about a week before camp begins.
Upgraded accommodations are available starting at an additional $95 for the whole event. See accommodations section for details.
Every all-natural meal will have vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and non-dairy options, and we can accommodate most other special dietary needs as well.
Q: I see that there is a sliding scale for this retreat. What should I pay?
A: We encourage you to pay as much for the retreat as you feel comfortable paying. Even the high end of the sliding scale is an excellent price for 5 days of meals and high-quality workshops. Every bit of the money received goes toward making camp and other New Culture events happen, including providing scholarships for campers with financial need. Bottom line, we want you to feel good about the amount you contribute. We do have worksheets available to help think about this issue, if you would like!
Q: I would like to contribute additional money to this retreat. Is it tax-deductible?
A: Yes. This retreat is run by the Center for a New Culture, a non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. If you would like to contribute to CFNC, please get in touch with us at info@cfnc.us.
Q: I can’t afford the low end of the sliding scale – is there scholarship or work exchange available?
A: Yes. We have some scholarship and work-trade opportunities available for people in financial need. Please see the Financial assistance section for more information.
Refund policy
We offer a full refund if:
- We cancel the event
- You cancel your attendance before December 10
We offer a full refund less a $50 processing fee if:
- You cancel your attendance because of sickness between December 23 and the start of the event
We offer a 50% refund if:
- You cancel your attendance between December 10 and the registration deadline of December 23.
We offer no refund if:
- You cancel your attendance after the registration deadline, December 23 (except in the case of sickness – see above)
- You need to leave the event because of sickness or emergency
Financial Assistance
Want to come, but on a tight budget? We are committed to making camp financially accessible, within our constraints, and we have scholarship funds available.
Most work trade for this event is available before camp – the work is usually done at our site in West Virginia, and can occasionally be done in your home area as well.
Please register first, then fill out the application to request financial assistance.
Please submit your application by Wednesday, December 10 at 11pm EST!
Have questions? Email us!
Accommodations
Abrams Creek Campground has a fully equipped lodge house, rustic cabins (no plumbing, but all are heated), and tent sites. A twin bunk bed is included in your registration fee.
You can also reserve a larger bed, private room, or even an entire cabin (subject to availability). If you are upgrading your accommodations, you will receive an invoice with your bed assignment about a week before camp begins.
The indoor spaces at our site, Abrams Creek Center, include a 6-bedroom house and a number of rustic cabins, furnished with twin-size upper and lower bunk beds and queen-size beds. Some of the cabins also have small lofts that contain a queen mattress or two twin mattresses side-by-side. Some cabins have electricity, while others do not; none of the cabins have indoor toilets.
You can reserve a bed for yourself or “take over” an entire room, cabin, or cottage.
For photos of the accommodations, click here.
In addition, Abrams Creek’s sister business, the Mountaineer Motel, is located 3 miles up the road — rooms in the motel have two queen-sized beds and private bathrooms. If you wish to rent a motel room for this event please call the Mountaineer Motel at 304-693-7777, send email to info@mountaineer-motel.com, or visit www.mountaineer-motel.com.
Feel free to contact us at info@cfnc.us if you have any questions about the lodging options.
How to request accommodations:
Please fill out the registration form to let us know your indoor space preferences. Our housing coordinator will get in touch with you and collaborate with you to select an appropriate space – we fill requests in the order they are received!
Upgrade pricing for individual beds for the whole event (one price for all 5 nights)
- Twin mattress in a shared loft: $95
- Queen bed: $195
- Queen mattress in loft: $175
- Private loft (2 twin mattresses): $175
Upgrade pricing for Entire Room or Cabin for the whole event
- Lodge Room (sleeps 2-4) – $395-$495 (very limited availability)
- Lodge Large Bunk Room (sleeps 7-8) – $850 (only one!)
- Cabins (Electric) – $450 to $750, depending on size
- Cabins (Non-Electric) – $700 to $750, depending on size
Our facility is not wheelchair-accessible. Please contact us at info@cfnc.us if you have an accessibility need that you would like to discuss with us.