Booking Your Places

Initial place bookings will be for the whole four days of Men’s Nation.

All places available are THE SAME, with all the freedoms and responsibilities as the others. In the interest of Brotherhood, if you have abundance, please consider the Brother Fund to give others who may be less abundant the chance to participate.

Weekend and Day passes will be added in the Summer months, if capacity allows. You are most welcome to re-sell your place through our Facebook page only, and only at face value. Any places found being sold for profit will be instantly cancelled and no refunds will be issued.

Dates of the Gathering

Men’s Nation runs from 12pm, Thursday, the 19th of September until 6pm on Sunday, the 22nd. Camping areas will be open to booked participants at 9am on Thursday. Opening and Closing Ceremonies are at 4pm.

Those who wish to arrive earlier and help with set up, please get in touch with us here.

Travel

By Car – Men’s Nation is at Embercombe, located in a rural valley, south of Exeter, Devon, near Haldon Hill. Those with extra space in their vehicle or looking for a lift, please join the Men’s Nation Lift-Sharing Facebook Group here.

In the interest of caring for the environment, please ensure you have booked a Vehicle Pass. These include live-in vehicles and cars.

100% of the proceeds from these passes will go towards planting trees and supporting regenerative agriculture projects!

By Train and Taxi

Exeter St Davids (Mainline) and Exeter Central Railway Stations are circa 20 minutes from the site. A taxi ride to the site will cost from £20-30 pp/sharing. It is more expensive, if solo… Again, you could post on the Lift-Sharing Group here.

By Bus

The Stagecoach 360 bus runs from Exeter to Haldon Belvedere, daily. From Haldon Belvedere, it is a 1.4 mile/28 minute walk to site. Or, a 6 minute cycle…!

Radical Inclusivity and Diversity

Men’s Nation is an independent, all-men event. This is not about race, shape, sexual orientation or gender politics, this is about delving into the Embodied Masculine. That said, exploring Healthy Masculine means discussing and embracing the equality, power and relevance of the Feminine, too. To this end, if you resonate with the label ‘Man’, have been living as such and are keen to contribute to this conversation… no matter your age, size, sexuality, physical ability, ethnicity or religious beliefs, YOU are welcome.

If any participant is found using inappropriate or demeaning language at our event, we reserve the right to remove you from the site, and the Head of Security’s word is final.

We all have the right to feel safe all of the time. Every man has the corresponding personal responsibility in upholding this right, so that we all enjoy MenFest freely and safely.

We are inclusive of trans men and non-binary folk who have identified as men, and offer contact with [email protected] before booking a place, if queries or concerns arise.

Accessibility

We strive to make Men’s Nation as accessible as possible, however, due to the rural setting and traditional buildings used, some areas would be a struggle should you have accessibility needs.

The list includes, but may not be limited to:

• 1 Tipi requires stooping to enter, and due to a raised doorway, is not wheelchair accessible.

We also do not have ramps in case the weather is inclement and the field becomes muddy. We want to be as aware and cooperative of our participants access needs as possible, therefore our Access Angels should be able to consult should you be coming to the Gathering and have specific needs. If this is the case, please email us at: [email protected].

What To Bring

We are Camping! Please bring everything you need to make you comfy, warm, dry, cool and rested for the time you are with us.

Please bring a reusable water bottle! It’s September. Hydration is important.

Bring your tent and sleeping gear; weather-appropriate clothing; a towel for the spa and showers; flip flops and wellies; blankets, sheepskins and cushions that can be used in workshop spaces; anything that you know you will need, please bring it with you.

If that doesn’t appeal to you, or you know it’s not possible, then our amazing Glamping Team will be happy to arrange a furnished yurt or belltent for you!

We have a strong commitment to No Single-Use Plastics! Not even Paper, if we can help it!

Please help us in this effort by bringing your own cup, plate and cutlery for reuse. A washing up station will be located by the Café/Kitchen area. No bottled water will be sold onsite and drinking water taps are scattered throughout the site. Again, please bring a reusable water bottle.

The Gathering isn’t a hugely commercial event, and there are some items, refreshments, treatments and/or services that you may need to bring cash to purchase. In the interest of security, please be discreet with any money you bring on site, as neither Men’s Nation nor Embercombe accept responsibility for lost property.

What Not To Bring

Men’s Nation is a drug and alcohol-free Gathering. We reserve the right to remove anyone from the site that is found openly intoxicated or carrying illegal substances.

We aim to be as ‘Screen Free’ as possible. This is especially pertinent in regards to the Young Men attending. Please keep phone or other screen use to a bare minimum!

No fireworks, lit flying lanterns, personal open fires, drones or noisy electronics.

Animals are not allowed on the festival site. This is a stipulation of our booking the land, so we apologise that you will have to make arrangements for your pets.

Please see Ts&Cs for a more comprehensive list.

Commerce and Marketplace

Every area within the festival is free access.

For variety and to nurture Radical Participation, we do have a few stalls onsite as well as the Healing Field for one-on-one sessions, along with the Café and Drinks Stations. Men’s Nation will have some items to purchase separately and all of these are fully non-obligatory.

Every man selling their products is an independent Maker, Business Owner, Craftsman, Charity or other Not-for-Profit Organisation centring around Men or Nature Connection, so it’s always lovely to support them!

Age Policy

For a myriad of different reasons, we are a child-free festival. We do recognise that this can be a struggle for some single parents and apologise for that.

Young Men, having made at least one transition toward adulthood, (at least 13 years old) and whom can be Inactively Parented whilst on-site are welcome, as long as they are accompanied by a Parent or Guardian over 18 years of age. Maximum 2 Young Men per Parent or Guardian.

Men’s Nation, in promoting healthy masculinity, advocating mentorship and fostering connections of supportive communities of men… IS a Rite of Passage, in its own right. Our sons need to see that we’re here for them.

‘Inactive Parenting’ does not mean leaving a Young Man to his own devices when active attention is needed. It is having the knowledge that, in a safe, supportive environment, he will participate in activities, be able to look after himself over the course of the day and has reached a level of social maturity and independence that needs only seldom attention.

We aim to balance individual freedoms with appropriate safeguarding, and there may be instances of deep emotions, nudity and graphic language/conversation. The Accompanying Parent or Guardian is responsible for assessing whether a Young Man is mature enough to be present to this.

Please see Ts&Cs for definitions and more information.