Summer Solstice Gathering 2026
An intergenerational gathering to mark the longest day of the year. For people who value depth, presence, and real connection over performance.
Four days of long table dinners, fire circles, creative workshops, and the kind of belonging you can't get in a weekend with name tags.
A Gathering at the Turning of the Year
The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year—a threshold moment when light reaches its peak before the slow return to darkness. It's a time to pause, to celebrate, and to remember what matters most.
Connection
Gather with intention. Share meals, stories, and silence. Create space for authentic relationship across generations.
Ceremony
Mark the solstice with fire circles, dawn ceremonies, and evening gatherings that honor the turning of the seasons.
Community
Build relationships that extend beyond the weekend. This is a homecoming for those who value depth, presence, and shared purpose.
Celebration
Music, storytelling, and play by the lake. Joy is not a distraction from the work—it is the work.
This gathering is for founders, creatives, parents, elders, and young people who are building lives of meaning. It's for those who refuse to settle for autopilot and are committed to showing up fully—for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Arrival: Thursday 6pm | Departure: Sunday around noon
Weekend Schedule
A rhythm of gathering, reflection, and play
Thursday, June 18
Open the Circle
- •Arrivals beginning at 5.30pm
- •6pm Welcome Dinner at the pavilion
- •7.30pm Opening Ceremony – Reflections and intentions at the Medicine Wheel
Friday, June 19
Depth & Connection
- •9am Yoga & Breathwork on the Deck (optional)
- •11am Brunch at the pavilion
- •Afternoons are unhurried. Guided walks on the land. Somatic practices. Yoga. Creative and connection-sparking workshops designed for all ages (last year these were a highlight). Open time for rest, lake play, and conversation.
- •6pm Generations Over Dinner – Curated intergenerational experience led by Hope & Julian
Saturday, June 20
The Solstice
- •9am Yoga & Breathwork on the Deck (optional)
- •11am Brunch at the pavilion
- •Afternoons are unhurried. Guided walks on the land. Somatic practices. Yoga. Creative and connection-sparking workshops designed for all ages. Open time for rest, lake play, and conversation.
- •6pm Dinner at the pavilion
- •Fire circle & celebration under the stars with musical performance and tiki torches
Sunday, June 21
Closing the Circle
- •9am Yoga & Breathwork on the Deck (optional)
- •11am Brunch at the pavilion
- •Integration circle: Carrying the weekend forward into life
- •Departures around noon
Meals: Dinner at 6pm (Thu/Fri/Sat) • Brunch at 11am (Fri/Sat/Sun)
Morning Practice: Yoga & Breathwork at 9am on the deck (Fri/Sat/Sun) - optional
Who is this for?
People craving real connection across generations.
Last year, a seven-year-old offered a piece of wisdom in our closing circle that brought a room of adults to tears. A 77-year-old woman learned to dive into Highland Lake. Teenagers looked bold as elders witnessed their dreams out loud.
That's what happens here. Not because we program it. Because we create the conditions for it.
This is for you if you want spacious days in nature where unhurried time together makes a long weekend feel like a week. If you want to sit at a long table with humans of different ages and have the kind of conversation that actually stays with you.
People come back year after year, not for a program, but for the people. For the feeling of being around humans who are awake, present, and interested in what's real.
You don't need to know anyone. This community has deep bonds and is always ready to welcome new ones.
Your Hosts
Hope Paterson
Transformation guide, speaker, and facilitator — her clients call her a Guide for Big Lives.
Hope brings together change management, deep somatic work, business strategy, and spiritual practice into something people describe as unlike anything they've experienced. She doesn't tell people what to do. She brings them back to themselves. And once that happens, everything shifts.
Hope co-created the Summer Solstice Gathering and Generations Over Dinner. She's been drawing humans of all ages into the same room since she was eight years old. This isn't a project for her. It's her calling.
hopepaterson.ca →Julian Guderley
Keynote speaker, leadership guide, and podcast host — bridging ancient wisdom with emerging leadership.
Julian's path weaves together fashion runways, global brand experiences for Nike and BMW, strategic partnerships supporting $100M+ in revenue, and seven years hosting 360 podcast conversations across 60+ countries. He discovered that true mastery emerges when we integrate all parts of ourselves — not by doing more, but by accessing more of who we are.
Julian co-created the Summer Solstice Gathering and Generations Over Dinner alongside Hope. He brings presence, depth, and the kind of facilitation that makes space for what wants to emerge. This gathering is where his work comes home — to the land, to the fire, to the long table.
Learn more →Full Weekend Registration
Join us for the complete four-day experience. Choose the option that feels right for you.
Thursday evening through Sunday noon • All meals included
Full Weekend Pass
Why $750?
The extra $300 supports scholarships for those who need assistance, land stewardship, and ensures we can continue offering these gatherings for years to come.
$750
Your full contribution covers the gathering and helps make community pricing possible for others
- ✓Four days of ceremony, community, and long table dinners
- ✓All meals (Thursday dinner through Sunday brunch)
- ✓Fire circles and creative workshops on the land
- ✓Generations Over Dinner (Friday evening)
- ✓Morning yoga & breathwork on the deck
- ✓Land-based activities and exploration
- ✓Accommodation not included (separate for all guests)
Community Rate
$450
The same experience at our cost basis. Choose this if it makes the gathering accessible for you.
- ✓No difference in programming, no difference in welcome
- ✓Four days of ceremony, community, and long table dinners
- ✓All meals and activities included
- ✓We built this option because connection shouldn't have a price barrier
- ✓Accommodation not included (separate for all guests)
Youth/Child Ticket
$350
Ages 0-17
- ✓Full weekend programming and all meals
- ✓Dedicated kids program with experienced educators
- ✓We're excited to welcome families and their children this year
- ✓Program details and educators to be announced
- ✓Multi-generational experience
- ✓Accommodation not included (separate for all guests)
Note: Accommodation not included. Guests arrange their own lodging (see options below).
Family Registration: To register multiple family members together, please contact us at [email protected]
Where to Stay
Accommodation is not included. Here are recommended options near Highland Lake Cove:
The Lodge at Flat Rock
Visit Website →Highland Lake Inn
Visit Website →Airbnb in Flat Rock/Hendersonville
Visit Website →Private Accommodations at Highland Lake
Contact: [email protected]
Voices from Previous Gatherings
Over two previous gatherings, people have travelled from Canada, Vermont, Asheville, and the Highland Lake community itself. Guests from age six to ninety-three have shared long table dinners, fire circles, breathwork, medicine wheels, and conversations that crossed every kind of boundary. Many are returning for their third year.
"What I am most grateful for was that you put together a wonderful program that was incredibly intentional and flowing, but without the rigidity of many programs that can feel the opposite of what's needed to let go and continue on the journey of becoming. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the cancellation policy?
Full refund 30+ days out. 50% refund 14 to 30 days. Non-refundable within 14 days, with option to transfer your ticket.
Is this appropriate for kids and teenagers?
Yes. This is an intergenerational gathering and children have been part of it from the beginning. Some of the most powerful moments happen when a young person and an elder end up in conversation around a fire.
Can I come for just part of the weekend?
We encourage the full experience. The depth builds over the four days and something shifts around day two that you don't want to miss. If you can only join for part of it, reach out directly and we'll work it out.
Dietary restrictions?
We accommodate everything. Let us know when you register. The food is part of the experience. Meals are lovingly prepared with as much care as everything else.
I don't know anyone. Will I feel welcome?
This is the most common thing we hear. And the most consistent feedback is that people who came alone felt like they belonged by the first evening. You won't be on the outside. You'll be at the table.
What's the weather like?
Warm days, cool mountain evenings. Expect highs around 80°F and evenings in the low 60s. The altitude keeps things comfortable. Bring a light layer for the fire circle.
Generations Over Dinner
A curated intergenerational dinner experience co-created by Hope & Julian. Open to the full Highland Lake community.
Early Bird Pricing
$35
Only 20 early bird spots remaining!
What's Included:
- ✓Curated intergenerational dinner experience
- ✓Led by Hope Paterson & Julian Guderley
- ✓Thoughtfully prepared meal at the pavilion
- ✓Facilitated conversations across generations
- ✓Evening fireside gathering (optional)
Location: Highland Lake Cove Pavilion
Capacity: Limited to 80 guests total
Open to: Highland Lake community members and friends
Price increases to $45 after first 30 tickets sold
Photos from previous Generations Over Dinner gatherings at Highland Lake Cove
Hear from Previous Attendees
Highland Lake Cove
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Highland Lake Cove offers 26 acres of pristine land, a private lake, and spaces designed for gathering, reflection, and play.