For four days this October, Sedona is leaning all the way into its wellness side.
The Sedona Yoga Festival returns October 1–4, 2026, bringing together yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, sound healing, outdoor excursions, live music, workshops and conversations against a backdrop that makes a typical studio class feel very far away.
And this year, there’s a notable change: the festival is happening in fall.
That means cooler October mornings, red rock scenery and an entire long weekend built around movement, recovery and slowing down.
Here’s what’s happening and what to know if you’re planning to be in Sedona for it.
It’s Much More Than Four Days of Yoga Classes
Despite the name, the Sedona Yoga Festival has grown into a broader wellness conference.
The 2026 program includes yoga and meditation alongside Ayurveda, sound healing, keynotes, metaphysics, conscious conversations, live performances, kirtan and outdoor excursions.
The festival officially begins Thursday, October 1. Check-in opens at noon, followed by a social gathering that evening. The main opening ceremony takes place Friday morning, and programming continues through Sunday evening.
There are also separate pre- and post-festival immersions for anyone who wants to make a longer experience out of the weekend.
Some of the Most Interesting Experiences Aren’t Traditional Yoga
One reason this festival is worth watching is the range of experiences on the schedule.
There’s a Yoga Nidra immersion focused on transformational sleep, a workshop exploring pain through movement and breath, ecstatic dance, kirtan concerts and even a hands-on frame drum building workshop.
The festival also incorporates excursions and outdoor experiences, allowing participants to get outside instead of spending the entire weekend moving between indoor classes.
That combination feels particularly appropriate for Sedona.
You Don’t Have to Be a Serious Yogi
This isn’t exclusively an event for people who can hold an impossible pose on the side of a red rock.
The festival describes its programming as designed for different experience levels, with participants able to build their schedules around the sessions and subjects that interest them.
That could mean stacking a day with classes, choosing meditation and sound-focused sessions, attending a concert, or leaving significant gaps in the schedule to actually enjoy Sedona.
The latter might be the better strategy.
Don’t Make the Mistake of Overbooking Your Sedona Weekend
With dozens of sessions and experiences available, it would be easy to turn a wellness weekend into an aggressively scheduled wellness weekend.
Sedona in October gives you a good reason not to.
Leave space between sessions for a slow morning, lunch outside, an easy walk through the red rocks or an afternoon doing very little.
If you’re staying at Arroyo Pinion Hotel in West Sedona, that downtime can also become part of the trip. Come back from a morning session or hike and spend the afternoon by the pool, use the zero-gravity massage chairs, try red light therapy or slow things down in the salt room.
A festival centered around wellness does not require being busy from sunrise to sunset.
What to Know Before You Go
Sedona Yoga Festival 2026
- Dates: October 1–4, 2026
- Location: Sedona, Arizona
- Main festival venue: Outbound Sedona
- Opening: Check-in begins at noon Thursday, October 1
- Main programming: Thursday through Sunday
- Closing programming: Sunday evening
Festival passes cover festival sessions, workshops and concerts, with certain excursions included depending on the pass. Some immersions, additional excursions, meals, lodging and travel are separate.
Single-class and multi-class options may also become available based on remaining capacity.
Because parking and transportation vary by venue and activity, attendees should check the festival’s current transportation instructions before arriving.
Make a Weekend Out of It
The best version of Sedona Yoga Festival may not be the one where you attend the most sessions.
Pick the experiences you actually care about. Leave gaps in the schedule. Get outside. Watch the light change across the red rocks. Give yourself an afternoon with nowhere you need to be.
Sedona already does a pretty convincing job of making people slow down.
For one weekend this October, the entire itinerary can follow suit.
