Meal Day Festival 2026
24 July - 26 July
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Meal Day
Meal Day is an experiment. We don’t know where it is going, but we trust the ingredients.
The idea was born on a road trip in 2023. We had spent a year organising a series of celebrations that folded together groups from different places and times of our lives. These celebrations were also packed with rituals that gave the moments a shape. We wanted to build on what had started and bring it back to the place we grew up, Can Tillet.
Can Tillet is a working cattle farm, perched just below the Santa Anna dels Quatre Termes, a 1348m summit in the Aspres chain of the Eastern Pyrenees. Most of the land is covered by dense forest. The highest reaches are mostly bare, dotted with reddish-orange rocky outcrops. Growing up, the land created an almost infinite set of possibilities, a blank canvas for our imagination. Meal Day is an opportunity to multiply those possibilities, a space for each member of the community to fill with something they care about and want to share.
Meal Day has evolved through the connections it fostered. It all began with music, but the people we met pushed us to make food and communal meals a core part of the event and to open the space to more shared activities. Each year, we push the experiment a bit further, testing out the ideas in our community. This year, we want to source almost all our ingredients from the land and the surrounding area. We are also encouraging the community to share their skills at workshops, activity sessions, and on nature walks.
We don’t really know what Meal Day will look like in five years. We don’t even know what it will look like next year. You’re welcome to be part of it.
Dates & schedule
Meal Day 2026 takes place from Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026, in the Eastern Pyrenees.
• Friday 24 July: Arrival from 10:00 onwards. The event opens at 13:00 with a welcoming feast.
• Sunday 26 July: The event winds down with a cozy closing dinner in the evening.
Participants are welcome to depart on Monday morning (27 July). We will have a last breakfast ready for you before you leave.
Extended meal: you are more than welcome to stay on after Meal Day and chill up in the mountains with us. There is an option to select an “extended meal” in the sign up form. We’ll take care of the meals and ask for a contribution to the shopping bill.
If you want to stay longer in the mountains and help tidy up after the festival, we’ll take care of all your meals at our own cost (see the Volunteering section below).
Location
Meal Day 2026 takes place at Can Tillet, near La Bastide, in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
A Google Maps link will be provided to registered participants.
Music
It began with music: a shared interest in sound, movement, and the collective dynamics of a dancefloor. This remains the organising principle of the event.
The music is structured to evolve over the course of the day. It will remain groove-focused throughout, with a lighter and more open atmosphere during the daytime, including live performances. The evening programme increases in intensity, with the aim of bringing people together on the dancefloor.
A second area will run in parallel, offering alternative sounds and listening-oriented spaces. This is intended for quieter moments or different moods in the evening, and as a complement to the main dancefloor.
The full music programme and lineup will be announced on Instagram closer to the event.
Food & drink
Theme for Meal Day 2026: Raga Rodeo
Every year, we plan a different theme. Last year it was Space Disco. This year it's Raga Rodeo.
Raga refers to a musical system from Indian classical music. It’s not a song or a style, but a framework that guides how music develops over time. You all know what Rodeo is. Good luck!
Activities, walks & workshops
The weekend combines rest, movement, creativity, and shared experiences.
Planned activities include:
• Nature walks in the Pyrenees, both guided and self-guided (with GPS routes)
• Yoga and breathwork sessions, informal and optional, typically in the mornings
• Live music and DJ sets across the weekend
We also warmly invite participants to share skills or practices. This could include, for example:
• Music or sound
• Drawing, painting, or visual arts
• Wood carving or craft
• Movement practices (e.g. animal flow, bodywork)
• Any other skill you would like to offer to the group
If you are interested in contributing a workshop or activity, you can let us know when you sign up. We will work with you to shape and schedule it.
Spaces & atmosphere
The site is organised into several distinct areas:
• The Plateau: this is the central hub of the event, where we do most of our cooking and meal-sharing, with expanded chill and hang-out zones. This is also where you will find the bar and the Barn
• The Barn: the main stage area hosting central musical moments
• The Platform: this is our designated space for our yoga sessions and other activities
• The Yurt: our new alternative music and listening areas, designed for quieter or different moods
• The Pool: open during the day and used for relaxed gatherings and activities
• The Paddock and School: our camping areas
The intention is to create room for both collective energy and quieter moments throughout the weekend.
Art installations
We invite participants to contribute art installations, creative interventions or decorations to the site.
These can be visual, auditory, or experiential. If you have an idea you would like to try out, you can share it with us using the sign-up form. We will get in touch to discuss how it might fit into the space.
Volunteers
Meal Day relies essentially on volunteers. The event would not function without them.
We are looking for volunteers to help with:
• Event setup (before the weekend)
• The running of the event
• Cleanup and teardown (after the weekend)
Volunteers helping before and after the event will have their accommodation and meals before and after the event covered.
Volunteers may arrive up to one month before the event (most arrive around one week before) and can stay up to one week after. Cleanup is usually completed within 2–3 days.
If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know on the registration form.
By car
The farm is accessible with regular cars and camper vans of all sizes.
Parking is available on site. However, to reduce congestion, we strongly encourage participants to park in La Bastide village and use our pickup service to reach the farm (Map link will be shared with participants).
Pickups from the parking area will be organised between 10:00 and 12:30 on Friday 24 July.
By train
The closest train stations are:
• Perpignan
• Figueres
High-speed trains from Barcelona connect to both stations. We can help organise carpooling and pickups from Perpignan and Figueres stations.
By plane
The most convenient airports are:
• Perpignan
• Girona
• Barcelona
From Barcelona, onward travel by train to Perpignan or Figueres is recommended. We can help organise carpooling and pickups from there.
Carpooling & pickups
During registration, you will be able to indicate:
• How you are arriving
• Your arrival location
• Whether you need a pickup or have spare seats
We will help coordinate pickups and carpooling to minimise traffic and make arrivals as smooth as possible. Let us know if you need to be picked up on the registration form.
If you need to be picked up at a train station or airport, please plan to arrive before 10:00 on Friday 24 July at the latest.
You can also arrive the day before the event and camp on site. If you do plan to arrive before, we can try to pick you up during one of our shopping runs. We may ask for a reasonable contribution to the cost of picking you up, to cover some of our fuel costs, depending on when/where you arrive. We will let you know as soon as possible if we do.
Don't worry if you don't know yet! You can let us know using a dedicated pick up and drop off carpooling form that we will add to our info page closer to the date of the event.
Accommodation
Camping
Accommodation is camping-based.
We have two camping areas, both equipped with:
• Toilets
• Hot showers
• Drinking water
Each campsite offers a different atmosphere:
• The School: with open views and panoramic surroundings
• The Paddock: more shaded, cooler, and quieter
Participants are encouraged to bring their own tents.
Tents can be borrowed — please indicate this in the registration form.
Camper vans
A dedicated area is available for camper vans. Camper vans of all sizes are welcome.
Just let us know if you plan on coming with a van on the registration form.
Guiding principles
- Look out for one another: let one of the organisers know if you see anyone in trouble or witness any inappropriate/threatening behaviour
- Keep the animals safe: we are based on a working farm, please be gentle with the animals and assume all gates need to be shut (unless a sign tells you otherwise)
- Be mindful of fire risk: we are based in a very dry area, please don’t start any fires, use the ashtrays we provide, be proactive if you see a fire risk, and know where the nearest water point is (we will share maps)
- Be considerate: not everyone parties the same way, please try to make everyone feel welcome and included, please also be mindful of other campers when you are using those spaces or the facilities
- Leave no trace: we will provide ashtrays and garbage bags, please use them and encourage others to do so
- We encourage people to get involved: during the event we may ask for help, we can make the event better for everyone if each of us gets involved (no obligation of course!)
What to bring (beyond the obvious)
Other important practical Stuff
- The event is for adults only (no kids allowed, sorry)
- Dogs, cats and other animals are present on the farm; visiting animals must be friendly with other animals
- Updates and detailed schedules will be shared on this page and via our Instagram Page