AcroInsiders: December Related Fests Edition — ‘Tis the Season to Try New Skills 🤸

Hello, Bases & Flyers!

I finally made it to Thailand!…but my luggage did not.

After a couple of hours of searching, I went all the way back to the airport to get the bag. Then as I got to my hotel, I saw an email saying I had also left my passport at baggage claim. Perfect.

So yes, I’m writing this newsletter sprawled out on a bed, half-delirious with heavy jet lag.

Anyway, crisis resolved, thai massage complete, and now I can finally kick off December with your Acro-Related Festivals Edition: the circus, pole, flow arts, handstands, and consciousness gatherings that our community constantly cross-pollinates with.

So expect in today’s issue:

• 🗓️ All Events Coming Up Soon (Dec 5–Dec 17)

• 🎪 Featured Festival of the Week

• ✈️ Plan Ahead: Acro-Adjacent Festivals (Music, Flow, Circus, Conscious Gatherings)

• 🌍 Beyond Acro: Cultural Festivals to Catch in December

• 🧳 My Favorite Travel Tools

— Cat Xu @acroinsiders

🕒 COMING UP SOON: December 5–17, 2025

(Everything starting within the next two weeks)

• Dec 1–11 — AcroLove Teacher Training — Camp Harold Erdman Beach, Hawaii 🎓⭐

• Dec 1–7 — SAFE Icarian Spa — Zdravilišče Radenci, Slovenia 💫

• Dec 1–7 — Wonderland 50hr TT — Koh Phangan, Thailand 🎓

• Dec 5–7 — Retiro Elementhai — Cabuçu, Brazil 🧘

• Dec 5–8 — December Holiday Yoga Retreat — Valencia, Spain 🧘

• Dec 5–8 — Acro Revolución Solar — Córdoba, Argentina 🏋️

• Dec 6 — Blind & Blindfolded Acro — LSBU Active Sports Centre, London 💫

• Dec 6–8 — Acro Chimba Fest — Medellín, Colombia 🎪⭐

• Dec 6–7 — Acroyoga Intensive Florianópolis — Florianópolis, Brazil 🏋️

• Dec 7–21 — Acroyoga Montreal Teacher Training — Yucatán, Mexico 🎓

• Dec 12–14 — Acro Wonderland — Orlando, USA 🎪⭐

• Dec 13–14 — Partner Acro Intensive Koh Phangan — Koh Phangan, Thailand 🏋️

Symbol Guide

🧘 = Retreat | 🎪 = Festival | 🏋️ = Intensive | 💫 = Event
🎓 = Teacher Training | ⭐ = Popular | 😿 = Sold Out

🌐 FEATURED FESTIVAL OF THE WEEK

📍 Acro Wonderland | Orlando, USA | Dec 12–14

Step into three days of pure, imaginative, Florida-style acro play. Acro Wonderland blends high-skill partner acrobatics with a theatrical flair of dynamic pops, creative flows, and character-driven workshops.

Expect multiple workshop tracks each day, open jam zones, immersive theme moments, and a community that shows up ready to throw down.

Want your event featured here with a longer blurb? Sign up here.

✈️ PLAN AHEAD: Related Movement & Consciousness Festivals in December

🌍 Europe

📍 Pole & Aerial Sports World Championship | Budapest, Hungary | Dec 9–14 | Pole & aerial
A global gathering of elite pole and aerial athletes, featuring high-level competition, performances, and workshops. A great crossover for acro folks who love strength, lines, and artistry.

🌎 North America

📍 Cascadia Winter Solstice Weekend | Seattle, WA, USA | Dec 18–21 | Conscious music & flow arts
A Pacific Northwest winter ritual blending music, flow culture, dance, and ceremony. Expect immersive visuals, live sets, and a movement-friendly crowd.

📍 Dark Night – Winter Solstice | Calgary, Canada | Dec 21 | Movement & ritual
A solstice rite blending electronic music, movement, shadow/light aesthetics, and community gathering to mark the longest night of the year.

📍 Winter Intention | Loon Lake, Canada | Dec 29–Jan 1 | Conscious gathering
A land-based, substance-free community festival centered around workshops, music, embodiment practices, and New Year ritual.

🌏 Australia & Oceania

📍 Woodford Folk Festival | Woodford, Australia | Dec 27–Jan 1 | Folk, circus & arts
One of Australia’s largest cultural festivals, featuring circus acts, workshops, live music, crafts, and a vibrant flow-arts presence.

📍 Awakenings Festival | Melbourne, Australia | Dec 30–Jan 1 | Electronic music & movement
A massive New Year dance celebration drawing movers, flow artists, and electronic music lovers into an immersive multi-day experience.

Want to submit an event for our next edition? Fill out this form.

🌍 BEYOND ACRO: Cultural Festivals to Catch in December

Boun Kin Chiang (Hmong New Year) | Laos & Northern Thailand | Early December
A celebration marking the Hmong New Year with traditional dress, ball-toss courtship games, dance, food, and community gatherings. If you’re already in SEA, it’s an incredible cultural crossover to witness.

Hagoita-Ichi (Battledore Fair) | Asakusa, Tokyo | Dec 17–19
Rows of beautiful, handcrafted hagoita paddles fill the temple grounds at Sensō-ji. What started as a talisman market to ward off bad luck has become one of Tokyo’s most photogenic December traditions.

Christmas Markets of Europe | Throughout December
From Germany’s mulled wine and wooden stalls to Prague’s gothic glow and Vienna’s candlelit squares, European Christmas markets turn entire cities into warm, glittering winter villages.

🧳 TRAVEL ESSENTIALS — What I Actually Use

I get asked a lot what I pack, book, and use on the road. Here’s the shortlist all tested over years going around the globe.

• Booking.com – My default for hotels and guesthouses worldwide.

• Agoda – Especially good for Asia deals.

• Discovercars.com – Best rental car aggregator.

• Skyscanner – Still the fastest way I find cheap multi-leg flights.

• Travel Insurance via SafetyWing – Month-to-month coverage for when plans change last-minute.

Some links are affiliate — they help keep Acro Insiders running at no extra cost to you.

Thanks for reading! If this helped you map out December, share it with your training crew! Collective FOMO is more fun anyway.

📬 Have an event, retreat, or training to promote?
→ Submit it here or reply to this email for sponsored placement.

🎟️ Not yet subscribed? Join Acro Insiders →

Next week: Events in the new year and how to get rid of the holiday food weight.

Until then, hydrate, stretch often, and please triple-check you brought your passport.
— Cat Xu
Connect with me? @acroinsiders