Winter Solstice Celebration at Hirundo at 1107 W Old Town Rd – Old Town, ME

Join us for a Winter Solstice Celebration!

Embrace the magic of the Winter Solstice with us at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge on Saturday December 21st, from 6-9pm for an evening of connection, reflection, and celebration. Gather around the bonfire, enjoy seasonal snacks & drinks, BYOB, learn about the solstice, what it is and what it means for the natural world, and spend time with friends – old and new.

Enjoy light refreshments, including coffee, cocoa, tea and seasonal snacks. We welcome you to BYOB or BYOW (bring your own wine!) to this event to toast to the longest night of the year!

During the celebration you may visit our “Reflection” station where you can write down things you wish to let go of from the past year and set intentions for the year ahead. Follow our guided prompts or follow your intuition. Keep your notes to take home as a reminder or toss them into the fire as a symbol of renewal! Or try stargazing out in our beautiful open meadow! There will be a telescope set up for use throughout the evening.

With stargazing, seasonal snacks, and the warmth of the fire, it’s the perfect opportunity to unwind, celebrate, and welcome the return of light. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

*21+ ONLY due to presence of alcohol at this event

Tickets: *$15/person ( Adults 21+ )

*includes one ticket to enter the FREE birdfeeder giveaway!

Location: 1107 West Old Town Road, Old Town ME 04468 – Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Gate 1* (MAPS BELOW)

*subject to change based on weather, may be held at Gate 3 of Hirundo, 35 Hudson Road, Alton, ME 04468

Event information continued:

How to prepare:

Wear layers and dress for the cold! The event is BYOB, so prepare to bring your own beer, wine, or other alcohol to enjoy at the event. Please prepare to drink responsibly!

Depenind on the weather the parking and event area might be muddt, icy, or snowy & slippery. Prepare by wearing good sturdy footwear! You may want a flashlight or headlamp for the walks between the event space and parking area.

Event/Trail Conditions:

This event will be held almost entirely outdoors. The parking area is about 0.15 miles from the event location. The parking lot and the path to the event location are flat, packed down, dirt road. The event area consists of the same material but transitions to chunky gravel surrounding the fire pits and picnic area. The meadow where stargazing will occur is mowed and mostly flat but can be uneven. All of the event area and parking may become muddy, icy, snowy or slick in certain weather conditions. (to see the general event space area see the video below)

Bathrooms:

There will be an outhouse available. This outhouse is wheelchair accessible with a low grade 6ft long ramp. There is no running water in this outhouse. There are temporary battery run lights in the bathroom. (see video below)

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Policies:

Weather Policy

Hirundo will cancel a program when weather presents an unsafe condition for participants. In most cases, decisions for afternoon or evening programs will be made 4 hours prior to the event. For morning programs, the decision will be made by 6pm the evening prior. Due to the unpredictability of the weather, Hirundo reserves the right to cancel programs at any point when it is deemed unsafe. Participants will be notified of cancellations via the contact info provided at registration.

Full Moon programming (hikes, paddles) will not be canceled due to cloud coverage, and unobstructed views of the moon are not guaranteed.

Refund Policy

If Hirundo cancels a program/event a full refund will be issued to every participant. The refund will be issued via Eventbrite and may take several days to complete. Cancellations and notice of refunds will be sent to the email provided on eventbrite at time of registration.

Ticket Holder must request a refund on a program they can no longer attend 5 days prior to the event.

Requests for refunds less than 5 days before the event or after the event will not be honored.

Rain Date Policy

Hirundo may choose to offer an alternative rain date for some events. This date will be posted at the time of event advertising and the ticket holder commits to being available for either date. No refunds will be given to ticket holders who cannot attend the rain-date unless they request a refund more than 5 days prior to the rescheduled date