
MENAHEM KAHANA via Getty Images
As the new year stretches out before us, it's the perfect time to start setting intentions. Among them should be a renewed commitment to self-expression and healing -- and there's no better way to do that than in a community of like-minded souls.
2016 will be full of festivals, retreats and gatherings to suit a wide variety of spiritual paths. From California desert yoga festivals to virtual meditation retreats, take a look at the list of this year's spiritual festivals below to see which one calls to you:
Advertisement
Witchcamp

Mitch Diamond via Getty Images
Witchcamp gatherings take place around the world and are associated with the Reclaiming tradition of paganism. The first one coming up in 2016 is Winter Witchcamp on Feb. 11-15 in western Wisconsin. California Witchcamp will run from June 26-July 3 in northern California. The gatherings include rituals, dancing, storytelling and communal living.
Envision Music, Art & Sacred Movement Festival

Matteo Colombo via Getty Images
Hosted every year in Uvita, Costa Rica, Envision Music, Art & Sacred Movement Festival is a gathering dedicated to "awakening our human potential." The four-day festival includes art, yoga classes, music, dancing, performances and workshops. The 2016 gathering runs from Feb. 25-28.
Advertisement
Forestdance Festival

Riddhish Chakraborty via Getty Images
Run by the community-building organization heARTbeat Collective, Forestdance Costa Rica is a five-day gathering for people interested in "expanding consciousness." The website states: "Our facilitators and teachers will guide the circle on a profound journey helping us to access and reclaim our own core, our inspiration, and our connection to nature." In 2016 the festival runs from March 3-7.
Mind Body Spirit Festival

RunPhoto via Getty Images
Australia's Mind Body Spirit Festival takes place multiple times during the year and treats participants to a weekend of meditation, healthy living seminars, psychic readings and performances. The first festival of 2016 takes place in Brisbane from March 11-13. In Melbourne, the festival runs from June 10-13, then again from Nov. 18-20. In Sydney there are festivals May 26-29 and Oct. 27-30.
Camp Calm

Poike via Getty Images
Meditation blogger David Cain will host the second round of his virtual retreat, Camp Calm, beginning on March 14. The 30-day workshop leads participants through the basics of meditation and mindful living. Perfect for meditation beginners!
Advertisement
Sat Nam Fest

Josh Ross via Getty Images
Sat Nam Fest describes itself as "an opportunity to immerse yourself in the joy, challenge and rejuvenation of Kundalini Yoga, sacred chant, healing, creativity and a discovery and return to your self." The festival occurs in two different locations during the year. Sat Nam Fest West will take place in Joshua Tree, California, from April 6-10. Sat Nam Fest East will run from Aug. 17-21 in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Shakti Fest

James O'Neil via Getty Images
Shakti Fest is a five-day celebration of the divine feminine, bringing people together for yoga, workshops and devotional music. The festival takes place in Joshua Tree, California and runs from May 13-15.
Advertisement
Festival of Faiths

The Festival of Faiths is an interfaith gathering that brings together spiritual leaders, thinkers and practitioners for dialogue and worship. The five-day celebration includes music, poetry, film and the arts, and in 2016 it runs from May 17-21 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ozark Mountain Yoga Festival

Ed Gifford via Getty Images
The Ozark Mountain Yoga Festival brings people together in the beautiful Arkansas landscape for a weekend of workshops and performances. The 2016 festival runs from May 28-29 and includes teachers from a wide range of yoga backgrounds.
Advertisement
Pagan Spirit Gathering

Zoonar RF via Getty Images
Want to celebrate summer solstice this year with song and ritual? Then check out the Pagan Spirit Gathering organized by Circle Sanctuary and held at the Tall Tree Lake campground in southern Illinois. The event is family friendly and includes workshops, panels, dancing and more. In 2016 the gathering takes place June 19-26.
Glastonbury Festival

Guy Moberly via Getty Images
On the surface, Glastonbury Festival is like other music and arts festivals of its kind. But several things make it unique. The festival takes place every year in the Vale of Avalon -- a land steeped in mythology from the King Arthur legend. Festivalgoers know not to come with preconceptions and rather let the spirit of the gathering do its magic. The website reads, "There will be enlightenments, awakenings, surreal happenings, Damascene epiphanies and people doing the strangest things in public." This year the festival runs from June 22-16.
Advertisement
Summerland Spirit Festival

Wallace Garrison via Getty Images
Originally founded as a pagan event, Summerland Spirit Festival has evolved into a gathering of people from many faiths and backgrounds who are seeking a divine connection to the earth. The nine-day retreat includes workshops, arts and crafts, rituals, music and communal living in the forest of Turtle Creek Glen in Clayton, Wisconsin. In 2016 the festival will take place July 9-17.
Advertisement
Osun-Osogbo Festival

Education Images via Getty Images
The Osun-Osgobo festival takes place every year in Osogbo, Nigeria, in honor of the goddess of fertility, Osun. A cultural festival of the Yoruba people, it draws participants from around the globe, and the festivities last for roughly two weeks in August.
Greenbelt

A registered charity and annual festival in Northamptonshire, England, Greenbelt brings people together for a four-day gathering of arts, faith and justice. The 2016 lineup includes poet Lemn Sissay, environmentalist Bill McKibben and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. This year's festival will run from Aug. 26-29.
Advertisement
Burning Man

Tens of thousands gather every summer in the Nevada desert for Burning Man, a music and arts festival known for its transformative power. The 2016 art theme is "Da Vinci's Workshop," and this year the festival runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 5. Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone for this one.
Whirling Dervishes Festival

Tuul and Bruno Morandi via Getty Images
Every December, Turkey's Whirling Dervishes (also known as the Mevlevi Order) commemorate the death of Sufi mystic Rumi in 1273 with a 10-day festival of sacred music and dance. Tens of thousands of attendees show up each year, and UNESCO has added the ceremony to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Advertisement
Carol Kuruvilla and Jaweed Kaleem contributed to this story.
Also on HuffPost: