Solstice Sizzle: Our Summer Solstice Wellness Campout in the Catskills
There is something special about celebrating the longest days of the year outside.
At Solstice Sizzle, we gather in the Catskills to slow down, cook over fire, eat beautiful food, spend time in nature, and welcome summer the Basecamp Brooklyn way.
This is our summer solstice wellness campout — a weekend rooted in nourishment, nature, campfire connection, meditation, creative rest, and time outside.
For our NYC campers, it is a chance to leave the city pace behind and spend a few days reconnecting with the season, the land, and yourself.
It is not a formal retreat or an over-programmed weekend where every hour is crammed full of activities. It is something more grounded than that.
A few days in the mountains. A wild meadow surrounded by trees. Delicious meals cooked outside. A morning meditation to help you connect with the energy of the season. An afternoon adventure chosen to fit the weather. A campfire to gather around when the sun goes down.
That is the magic of Solstice Sizzle.
A Summer Solstice Weekend Rooted in Nature
Solstice Sizzle is for anyone craving a deeper connection to nature, a slower rhythm, and a few days away from the constant pace of city life.
There is still camping. There is still incredible food. There is still fire, laughter, and time under the stars.
But at its heart, Solstice Sizzle is rooted in nourishment, nature, ritual, and rest.
Arriving on the Land
The weekend begins with arrival.
Guests make their way from the city to our Basecamp Brooklyn property in the Catskills, where over five acres of land open into a wild meadow surrounded by trees.
The property is simple, peaceful, and intentionally rustic. There is a communal fire pit area, a covered dining and relaxation pavilion beside our cottage, and plenty of space to settle in, wander, and exhale.
It is the kind of place where you may see bunnies moving through the grass, deer at the edge of the trees, and all kinds of birds passing through the meadow. The land has its own rhythm, and part of the weekend is letting yourself adjust to it.
Friday is about landing.
Unpacking. Setting up camp. Meeting the group. Watching the light change. Gathering for dinner. Letting the city start to loosen its grip.
A Taste of the Weekend
Food is a huge part of every Basecamp Brooklyn weekend, and Solstice Sizzle is no exception.
This is camp food, but not the kind you may be imagining.
The meals are nourishing, colorful, healthy, and absolutely delicious. We believe food outside should feel generous and satisfying, but also energizing — the kind of food that supports the weekend rather than weighing it down.
We tweak the menu every year to make Solstice Sizzle feel fresh and special for returning campers, while keeping the same spirit of nourishing, seasonal food cooked and shared outside.
Here’s a peek at our 2026 menu to give you a taste of what the weekend can feel like.
On Friday night, we welcomed everyone with a tapas-style dinner by the fire. We served our version of savory s’mores with charcuterie meats and cheeses, local jams, gluten-free and regular crackers, olives, dolmas, and a garden-fresh herb dip with chips. Guests could sip a guava citrus mocktail or wine cocktail, with a variety of hot teas available to enjoy around the campfire.
Saturday morning started with a hearty farm-style breakfast: farm-fresh eggs, bacon, hash browns, and balsamic-drizzled heirloom tomatoes topped with garden microgreens. And of course, there was plenty of coffee and tea.
Saturday night was the big feast of the weekend. We served apple butter BBQ ribs, spatchcocked chicken with tarragon and rosemary butter made with herbs from our garden, grilled heirloom tomatoes and garlic scapes, and a summer salad with garden gem lettuce, fennel, cucumbers, red cabbage, and chive blossom vinaigrette.
For dessert, we had local vanilla ice cream with grilled figs and homemade dandelion syrup — the kind of simple, seasonal camp dessert that tastes even better by the campfire. Drinks for the evening included citrus berry iced tea and rosé wine.
Sunday morning was a lighter breakfast before everyone packed up and headed home — Greek yogurt with walnuts and apples, bagels with cream cheese and jam, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea.
Meals are a cherished part of the experience, not just something we squeeze in between activities.
At Solstice Sizzle, food is one of the ways we gather, celebrate, connect, and appreciate the deliciousness that nature has to offer us in this season.
Saturday Morning Solstice Meditation
Saturday morning begins with a guided solstice meditation led by Ivy + Light founder Erin Hollon.
The summer solstice is a powerful seasonal turning point. It marks the longest days of the year, a time of brightness, expansion, vitality, and connection to the natural world.
The meditation offers a chance to pause and tune into that energy — to notice the season, the land, the body, and the inner rhythms that are so easy to miss when life gets busy.
This is one of the pieces that makes Solstice Sizzle feel different from a regular camping weekend — that special moment to intentionally sit, listen, and tune into the beauty around us.
Saturday Afternoon: Hike, Swim, Create, Rest
One of the things we love most about Solstice Sizzle is that the afternoon can shift based on the weather, the temperature, and the energy of the group.
On a hot weekend, the best choice might be a swim. One year, we cooled off with a Delaware River swimming adventure — exactly the kind of summer afternoon the solstice seems made for.
On a cooler weekend, the best choice might be a hike. Another year, we headed to Minnewaska State Park to enjoy clear skies, beautiful views, and time moving through the landscape together.
And for some guests, the most meaningful way to spend the afternoon might be journaling in the meadow, drawing or painting, taking photos, reading under the pavilion, or simply resting in the shade.
There is no pressure to experience nature in one specific way.
The invitation is to creatively engage with the season in whatever way feels good to you.
Move your body. Cool off in the water. Sit quietly. Make something. Watch the birds. Take a nap. Let the day be spacious.
That, to us, is the magic of a wellness weekend.
Saturday Night: Fire, Food, and Summer Evening Magic
As the day softens into evening, everyone gathers again.
Dinner is served. The fire gets going. The light fades slowly through the trees. The meadow settles into that golden, early-summer feeling that makes you want to stay outside just a little longer.
This is the part of the weekend that is hard to fully describe unless you are there.
The covered pavilion becomes the center of the evening. The fire pit draws everyone in. The land quiets down. Conversations stretch out. The stars begin to show.
It is simple, but it is the kind of simple that feels rare.
Sunday: A Slow Sendoff
Sunday morning is for one more breakfast, one more coffee, one more look at the meadow before packing up.
No one ever fully wants to rush out.
That is one of the signs of a good weekend.
Solstice Sizzle is not about packing the schedule so tightly that you need a recovery day afterward. It is about leaving a little more rested, a little more connected, and a little more ready for the season ahead.
Who This Summer Solstice Wellness Campout Is For
Solstice Sizzle is for you if you want a summer solstice retreat that feels grounded, relaxed, and nature-based — not overly polished or packed with back-to-back programming.
It is for you if you want to spend the weekend outside, but you also want good food, a comfortable place to gather, and a little structure to help you settle in.
It is for you if you like the idea of celebrating the solstice with meditation, campfire meals, wildlife watching, creative rest, and time in a meadow surrounded by trees.
It is for you if you want the feeling of a wellness retreat without losing the simple joy of camping.
And it is especially for you if you live in or near NYC and are craving a weekend that helps you step out of the city pace and back into the rhythm of nature.
Come gather in the meadow.
Come eat beautiful food by the fire.
Come welcome summer with us.
