Looking for something to do this October? We are thrilled for this year’s festival season and can’t wait to check out all the amazing events taking place around the world. This week we had a chance to connect with the Dirty South Yoga Festival team to learn more about this great festival!

This year’s theme is “Community in Practice.” We didn’t want community to just be a word on a flyer, so we built the whole day around it. You can move through the day taking a variety of paths or following one of the Community Paths: seven chakra-inspired values that give every class a deeper intention. Connection, Curiosity, Voice, Compassion, Courage, Creativity, and Grounding. Throughout the day you can follow one path that speaks to you or mix and match, so your festival becomes a practice in itself. Maybe you start grounded, stretch into courage, and end the day in creativity.

The day is designed so practice doesn’t stay on the mat. We open together, move through the Community Paths, gather in the Community Marketplace to connect with local vendors and makers, and then come back together for a whole-festival Community Practice and Closing Circle before the Dirty South Social. It’s a one-day festival on October 17 at Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta, and it’s also a new chapter for us, with our founder Jessica Murphy continuing on as Founder & Advisor. We’re honoring what she built and putting community into practice.

Who are some new presenters or offerings you are excited about?

We have dozens of teachers joining us this year, and what excites me most is the range. You’ll find flow, restorative and Yin, sound healing, and offerings that meet people where they are, from first-timers to longtime practitioners. We’ve also been intentional about bringing in teachers who represent the full diversity of our city, because a festival about community should look like the community it serves. 

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start their own local yoga festival?

Start with relationships, not logistics. Before you book a venue or design a flyer, talk to local studio owners, teachers, and practitioners about what they actually want and need. Then start smaller than you think you should. A well-run single day will build more trust than an overextended weekend. Be clear about your values from the beginning, because they’ll guide every decision, from who teaches to who sponsors to how you price tickets. And build a team. No festival is a one-person show, and the people who help you build it become the heart of it.

What does the word “community” mean to you?

For me, community is who shows up when it’s not convenient.  I’ve seen community at its best: people looking out for each other, sharing what they have, making space. In yoga, community means we don’t just practice for ourselves. We practice so we can show up better for the people around us. It’s not a hashtag or a vibe. It’s a commitment.

Why are yoga festival communities important?

So much of our practice happens in a studio with the same people at the same time every week, or alone on a mat at home. Festivals break that open. You get to try a teacher you’d never have found, sit next to someone from across the city, and remember that yoga is bigger than any single room. For teachers, it’s a chance to be seen and to connect with each other. For practitioners, it’s a reminder that you belong to something larger. That shared experience is what keeps a local yoga scene alive and growing.

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