Terms & Conditions

US Festival 2025 Terms & Conditions for In-Person Attendance

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY

Everyone must register at least 24 hours before arrival.

Your registration is only valid when accompanied by the 25% deposit. Your registration cannot be transferred to another person. 

Booking Confirmation & ID: You will receive an email confirming the details of your booking and payment: Please keep this safe as you will be required to show either a paper or digital copy upon arrival. If you are not able to show your confirmation letter you will be required to show some form of photographic identification (i.e. a US license or passport) in order to register onsite.

Please read carefully the cancellation and refund policy below.

Refund Policy: Please read the following information carefully (all dates/times refer to EDT time).

Festival Fee

• Bookings made on or before April 16: A minimum 25% deposit is required at the time of booking.  Bookings without the minimum deposit will be canceled automatically after 72 hours, after which it will be necessary to make a new booking.

• Bookings made on or after April 17:  require full payment at time of booking.

• Cancellations: 25% deposit is non-refundable in case of cancellations up to 48 hours before the start of the festival (8:00pm EDT time April 22), after this the Festival Fee is fully non-refundable.

Accommodations

The following conditions apply to all accommodations at KMC New York, except for camping in your own tent, which is subject to the same conditions as the Festival Fee above.

If you cancel before April 15, we will refund all except the non-refundable 25% deposit. If you cancel on or after April 15, no refunds are given if you cancel all or part of your accommodation booking unless we are able to resell it. 

Meals
If you cancel before Friday, April 24, we will refund all except the non-refundable 25% deposit. From Friday, April 24 onwards no refunds can be given for canceled meals.

Airport Shuttles
Full payment is required to secure a place on the shuttle – this will automatically be calculated when you make your booking. Due to contractual obligations this is refundable only if you cancel before April 10. If you cancel your airport shuttle on or after April 10, no refunds are given. If there is insufficient demand for a shuttle, we will cancel and notify you in writing. In this case the fee paid will either be credited against your remaining Festival balance, or if you have a zero balance, we will refund you in full. We regret that airport shuttles are not wheelchair friendly. Any non-refunded fees arising from cancellations are donated to the NKT-IKBU International Temples Project. 

Exceptions: May be made in cases of sickness or bereavement; you should apply by e-mail to the Treasurer: treasurer@kadampanewyork.org within 2 weeks of the end of the Festival. This applies to Festival Fee and onsite accommodation only and does not apply to meals or transport.

Festival accommodation: Please note – indoor accommodation onsite is limited and allocated on a first come/first serve basis. Camping is available per person/per night. Camping onsite at KMC New York is unlimited and available for any number of nights. Please be prepared for variable weather, including cold nighttime temperatures and warmer daytimes. Bring an appropriate waterproof tent, ground cloth and sleeping bag.

Special instructions for twin and double room bookings – These room choices are booked by room and must have two people booked to stay in them. You select your own roommate. If you book for a twin or double room, one person should book the room and then indicate the name of their roommate in the “roommate” field. You will be required to input your roommate’s name at the time of registration. Note that your roommate will also need to register for the Festival separately without accommodation and mention that they are sharing with you in the special request field on the registration form. We cannot hold twin or double room bookings that just have one person booked in the room, so it is important that both people have booked promptly.  

Festival Meals: A continental breakfast is included in onsite accommodation fees. For lunch and dinner, you may register for meals when you register for the Festival, or select the “no meals” option. All meals are served onsite. If you prefer not to purchase a meal ticket, a selection of savory snacks and light meals will be available in the Festival Cafes. Festival meals begin with dinner on Friday, April 24 and end with lunch on Wednesday, April 29. All meals are vegetarian or vegan. We regret that it is not possible for our cooking team to provide for any other special diets during the Festival.

Early Arrivals and Late Stays: Pre-Festival stays are available April 22 and 23 only. Post-Festival stays are available for the night of April 29. These can be booked online when you register (based on availability). Other than these days, stays must be booked directly with KMC New York and are charged at the usual KMC New York accommodation rates (contact KMC New York at info@kadampanewyork.org to register). Sojong (for ordained only) will be held on Friday, April 24 at 11:00 am EDT. Please register for this and the lunch served after, online when you register for the Festival. 

Children and Young Adults

Children & Young Adults (17 and under) are welcome to attend the Festival however, some special conditions apply. Please see the Children & Teenagers page for more information. Please note that two responsible adult carers must be nominated for all children’s bookings, and bookings can only be confirmed on receipt of the required photographs of the two adult carers. Due to the public nature of the Festival, children’s safety and welfare is the responsibility of their nominated responsible adult carers at all times.  NKT-IKBU and KMC New York does not assume responsibility for children attending the Festival.

Special Festival rates apply for children:

Children’s Festival Fee: 0-7 FREE, 8-15 years – 50% discount, 16+ years – full adult price.

Children’s Accommodation: Children are able to camp or stay in pre-erected tens with the following conditions:

We are unable to accommodate children under 17 years old in any triple, shared or dormitory accommodations.

Children who are 16 and under who are camping (in their parents’ own tent) are free of charge. It is not permitted for those 17 and under to sleep in their own tent, but must share with an adult family member/nominated carer.

In general children aged 3 or under who are camping in a pre-erected tent are free of charge and children aged 4 and over will be counted towards the maximum occupancy of the tent.

Children’s Meals:  Children’s portions are available for those aged 12 and under. These will be charged at 50% of the full price.

The Course You Will Attend: The Festival will begin with dinner at 5:30pm on Friday, April 24, and end with lunch on Wednesday, April 29.

Disability Access: There are wheelchair-accessible toilet and shower facilities at KMC New York. Entry to the Temple and some accommodation is ADA accessible, but KMC New York is a rustic property and we regret that some accommodations, roads, paths and areas are inaccessible to wheelchair users and others. If you have any requirements or requests to help with accessibility please indicate this in the “special request” field in your registration.

Parking Permits: Parking spaces are limited at KMC New York, so please ensure to book this soon. Cost per car for parking onsite or offsite is $5/day. If you are disabled and need a nearby parking space, please indicate this in the “special request” area on your registration form. Priority for onsite parking will be given to those with disabilities. US drivers must have a valid Disabled Parking Permit.

Audio Recordings: Audio recordings are of the teaching sessions only and do not include the guided meditation or retreat sessions. The empowerment recording is just the empowerment talk but not the empowerment itself. It can be purchased at the time of booking or added to your cart later up to one month after the Festival. The final date for purchasing audio recordings is May 29, 2026.  Recordings may be purchased for the whole Festival (Fri - Mon), weekend only (Fri – Sun) or just Saturday. You must have booked to attend the necessary sessions. Recordings are for the sole use of the registered recipient and should not be shared. 

US Festival 2026 Terms & Conditions for Online Attendance

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY.

Who can attend the online US Festival? You must be a resident of the United States to register for this festival. If you register from outside of the United States, our registration team will be in touch to check your booking, and it may be canceled. In this case, there will be a $10 cancellation fee.

Registration is necessary: Links are intended for the registered recipient only and should not be shared.

Bookings cannot be transferred to another person.

Payment & Refund Policy: Please read the following information carefully.

• Bookings are for the whole event.

• Bookings made on or before April 16: A minimum 25% deposit is required at the time of booking.  Bookings without the minimum deposit will be canceled automatically after 72 hours, after which it will be necessary to make a new booking.

• Bookings made on or after April 17:  require full payment at time of booking.

• Cancellations: $10 admin fee will be retained for all cancellations up to 11:59pm EDT on April 22. After this all fees are non-refundable.

Audio Recordings: Audio recordings are of the teaching sessions only and do not include the guided meditation or retreat sessions. The empowerment recording is just the empowerment talk but not the empowerment itself. It can be purchased at the time of booking or added to your cart later up to one month after the Festival. The final date for purchasing audio recordings is May 29, 2026. Recordings may be purchased for whole of the Festival (Fri - Mon), weekend only (Fri – Sun) or just Saturday. You must have booked to attend the necessary sessions. Recordings are for the sole use of the registered recipient and should not be shared.

Live Streaming with Video on Demand: For those who have booked to participate online, each teaching and meditation session will be available as a live stream following the Festival schedule and as a video on demand shortly after the end of the live session. With the exception of the Prajnaparamita empowerment which is only available for 24 hours from the time the link has been made live.

Availability: Bookings to attend the online Festival close at 11:00am (EDT) on Saturday, April 25. The videos will be available online until 11:59pm (EDT) on Monday, May 11, 2026.