Musicians Ashley Coleman and Nicholas Samuels perform at Rest Fest 2025.
Picture this: hundreds of people taking over the stage and grassy berms of Dogwood Dell, screaming into oblivion. While alarming, these screams are an act of release, not a cry for help.
The big group scream is just one part of a comprehensive breathwork session led by Ari Khan and Liz Bowden, two facilitators of the wellness gathering Rest Fest, coming this month to the Carillon and Dogwood Dell.
Rick Plautz, a wellness practitioner and motion designer, launched Rest Fest in 2024, bringing together yoga classes, holistic medicine practitioners, food vendors and live music for a one-day event in May. His intention was to invite Richmonders to learn about the wide world of wellness and give them space to decompress.
“We’re bombarded with a lot of angry, sad news, and there’s no outlet for any of the reactions we have to what’s happening in the world,” Plautz says.
Planned for Saturday, May 9, this year’s festival has a theme of catharsis. It’s defined by organizers as a collective release, a shared healing, and a moment to let go and begin again together.
“It’s just this everyday attention to yourself, your surroundings and your community,” adds co-organizer Lindsay Hess, emphasizing the role of mindfulness in difficult times.
Elena Alexis (right) performs Reiki during a sound bath at Rest Fest 2025.
The festival’s main events take place between the Carillon and its lawn, as well as the Dogwood Dell stage, where vendors can host their own programs in booths called “islands.” Events kick off at 10 a.m., but attendees are encouraged to arrive a few hours early to participate in a park cleanup organized by the environmental nonprofit Keep Virginia Cozy.
The morning block features yoga classes for all experience levels with Shanna Praneshwari Latia of the wellness pop-up Sacred Vibes Yoga and Parham Neal-Pishko. One afternoon event is a sound bath, a meditative experience that immerses listeners in waves of sound. Led by Plautz, the Rest Fest session will feature opera and choir singers harmonizing throughout the ceremony.
“Wellness is really a set of tools and experiences for a person to come back to themselves,” Plautz says. “It’s about getting back into your body, discovering yourself again and re-centering in whatever way that you think that is.”
Rest Fest tickets are pay what you can, with a suggested donation of $25-30. Find vendors and more information online and via Instagram.
