The Many Ways People Gather Here

When I first started building Hengarth, we thought mostly about people coming here to stay or to work. Friends escaping the city for a long weekend (like us), families gathering for birthdays, and small groups wanting a few days outdoors without sacrificing comfort.

But we soon realized the space offered something a little different to explore. By letting that unfold — and still letting it — different kinds of moments and gatherings started to happen here.Here are a few.

A mountain stage

One summer evening the meadow became something rather magical — an outdoor theatre.

Catskill Mountain Shakespeare brought their YOCO performance of Hamlet to Hengarth. With the mountains as a backdrop, people gathered across the grass while the play unfolded outdoors.

The setting quietly became part of the performance. The mountains framed the stage. The evening light shifted as the actors moved through the story.

It was one of those moments where you realize the land itself can become part of the gathering. The young actors were fabulous, and it was a real joy for us to host them.

Photos from 2024 YOCO production of Hamlet @Hengarth Farm

A place for ideas

Another mid-week summer session saw the space hold something entirely different. A small group arrived for a writers workshop, bringing notebooks, drafts, and long conversations about ideas that needed time to unfold. Some sessions happened around the table. Others drifted outside. People walked the property when a thought needed space, and conversations — and ideas — continued long after the formal discussions ended. It was structured and not at the same time. And that was kind of the point.

Photos from Humanity Play Project Writer's Workshop

Celebrations that stretch across the weekend

Other gatherings are simpler, and maybe the most familiar. Birthdays have become a natural rhythm here. Families arrive, kids immediately running across the meadow while the adults settle into preparing food and drinks. Someone lights a fire. Drinks start pouring. No one seems in a hurry. And that’s usually when the best parts of a gathering appear.

The landscape does alot of the work for you

What these different gatherings share isn’t really the point. Theatre, writing, celebration — they all arrive here for different reasons.But something about the setting changes the way people spend time together - the mountains and the open land quietly encourage a different rhythm.

In many ways Hengarth was always meant to be a place where people could come together. Not necessarily for a single type of event, but for the kinds of moments that benefit from a little more space, a slower pace, and a landscape that invites people outside.

Sometimes that looks like a play performed in a meadow. Sometimes it’s a group of writers thinking through new ideas. Sometimes it’s simply friends and families gathering for a celebration.

Different gatherings.The same land. And often the same result — people lingering just a little longer than they expected.