spirit fest

How we got here

In 2013 Becky Lindsay Kent and her husband, Kelvin, were vacationing in the isle of Jersey in the UK when a booklet in a local parish church caught their eye. It was for a “Spirit Festival” taking place that year, which featured several interesting events, including art, music, poetry, theatrical performances and presentations by well-known experts in their fields. Much of the program focused on spiritual teachings from all faiths and traditions.

On return to Colorado, Becky formed a committee to create such an event in the small rural town of Ridgway. By 2014 the concept had been accepted, a group formed, and the following June, the first Ridgway Spirit Fest took place.

Spirit Fests continued in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Over the past four years, many diverse subjects have been presented. These have included World Religions and Cultures, Poetry and Spirit, Parallels between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, A Course in Miracles, Meher Baba, Centering Prayer, Barbara Marx Hubbard’s Visions of Universal Humanity, and Fr. Richard Rohr teaching on non-duality. Additional events have included: The Four Directions, Yoga, Meditation, Taize, Movies with spiritual messages and themes, The Healing Power of Horses, Essential Huna, Discovering Your Soul’s Ancestry, Educational Kinesiology, Human Design, Archetypal Symbols in Dreams, Guided Nature Walks, Native American Spirituality, Dances of Universal Peace and Labyrinth walks.

In 2017, Spirit Fest became a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization. (Ridgway Spirit Fest, Inc.) As part of that year’s program Spirit Fest erected and dedicated a Peace Pole in the stunning setting of Ridgway’s Dennis Weaver Memorial Park, next to the impressive metal Eagle sculpture.

With mounting enthusiasm and feedback, the board and organizing committee decided to expand the event for 2018 by bringing in a nationally-known speaker, author and presenter, Father Richard Rohr from the Center for Action and Contemplation, to headline the Festival, which also featured “Art as an Expression of the Sacred” with visual, theatrical, musical and written presenters. This new website was also put in place. In 2019 we welcomed Charles Eisenstein. And now, as we look forward to the Fall of 2021, we are especially excited that Justine Willis Toms has agreed to be with us.