Bare Oaks and Naked Club present a naturist/nudist weekend of fun body/mind/spirit activities and workshops near Toronto, Canada - July 26-28, 2024
Bodyfest Attendance Guide
How? Where? What? When? PLEASE READ ALL DETAILS! - updated July 6/23
NOTICE! - Kennedy Road north of Mt. Albert Rd is blocked by construction. Use Google maps to guide you to an alternate route.
Even if you are fully familiar with visiting Bare Oaks you should carefully read about the added steps involved with arriving and checking in for both Bodyfest and the Bare Oaks office. There are some details around the Bare Oaks discount you need to know.
Bodyfest 2023 officially runs from 5 pm on Friday July 21 through until about 5 pm on Sunday July 23. 48 hours! We expect a portion of attendees to arrive Saturday morning and leave the same evening. So, you can do that, or camp overnight Friday and/or Saturday to get the full experience. If you are already at Bare Oaks for a long stay, please buy your ticket Friday afternoon or early evening to avoid the Saturday morning rush.
How do I Register when I arrive?
To participate in Bodyfest activities you just pay the Bodyfest fee and wear the Bodyfest wristband. You can purchase this digital ticket in advance here on the website, or buy it upon arrival. You ALSO have to pay to visit Bare Oaks but that cost is 50% of the usual price if you have a Bodyfest ticket.
This is important to know: The way the 50% discount is applied depends on the sequence of events in your case. (A) if you have already paid Bare Oaks your visitor fee, or if you pay for that BEFORE you check in at the Bodyfest kiosk, then you will have to go back to the office and get your 50% back in the form of a CREDIT on your account. You can use this credit to purchase food in the restaurant or anything else in the future. (B) If you have not yet paid Bare Oaks we recommend the following: Make sure you come to the Bodyfest kiosk FIRST when you arrive, get your wristband, and then go to the Bare Oaks office to pay your day-fee. In this case they will only charge you 50%. FYI there is no discount on camping fees.
Do I have to be fully nude to be part of this?
Yes you do have to be completely nude. This is a naturist/nudist event about body-freedom and mind-freedom. That’s the whole point. However... if you are cold, or if you need to drape something loosely as sun protection, that is OK - follow by example. If you are new to social nudity please be aware that there are absolutely no sexual connotations to anything in a naturist context and everyone is expected to behave and interact appropriately. There are no clothed people in the mix - everyone is equal. Every kind of body type, age, and gender share in the experience. Here is a link to an excellent page that addresses all related questions and concerns if you are a newbie. bareoaks.ca/first-visit
When should I arrive at Bare Oaks?
Consider arriving on Friday afternoon and camping. Consider camping a second night as well so that you can enjoy evening activities without having to drive home at night. If you are arriving Saturday, the gate will open at 8:30 AM sharp. If you arrive at this time you might make it to the 9 AM hatha yoga class after checking in.
How do I get to Bare Oaks?
Any maps app will pinpoint the location of Bare Oaks. You will need a vehicular ride to get there, though there is an offering of a shuttle (see below). It is about 15 minutes drive from Newmarket, or under 1 hour from downtown Toronto. if you do not have a vehicle, you may have to ask a friend with a car to come to the event with you. There is a train between Toronto and Newmarket. And you could take an UBER or LYFT from there over to Bare Oaks ($20-$30 depending).
A shuttle service from the GO train station is provided privately by a Bare Oaks resident. The van can take up to 5 passengers at a time - please wear a mask because of the confined space. There are 3 trip possibilities, coming and going to/from Bare Oaks. 1 - East Gwillembury GO station $20. 2 - Newmarket GO station $25 3 - YYZ Airport $100. Prices are for a one way trip and covers however many people are in the car. If you have previously visited Bare Oaks, please call the office to be cleared to get the phone number to order the shuttle. Office: 905-473-6060. If you have not been to Bare Oaks before but you are a known and trusted person in the Naturist community please contact Robert, the event organizer (email below) and he will see what can be done to get you in touch with the shuttle person.
The current GO train schedule from Union Station (or the Airport) indicates quite a few trip choices on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to use the train and then our shuttle, plan carefully.
Another option for travel between the train station or bus terminal and Bare Oaks is to use public transit. Bare Oaks now has a bus shelter right at the entrance! THIS OPTION IS WEEKDAYS ONLY, so it's just a FRIDAY option for Bodyfest. From Newmarket Bus Terminal, or from Newmarket GO Station (at Davis Drive and Superior Street), passengers can catch a bus: "York Region Transit route 50 Queensway" northbound and travel to the intersection of Leslie Street East and Queensville Side Rd. (about 7 km). Once at this intersection you will wait for your next and final ride... Within the previous 1 hour do the following: Call York Region Transit to book a ride on the Mobility-On-Request North service. The phone number is 1-866-744-1119. While on the phone, let the operator know that you want to use the Mobility-On-Request service and you will be located at Leslie Street and Queensville Side Rd, and wish to travel to 20237 Kennedy Road (which is Bare Oaks). Good luck! Leave lots of travel time and bring a book!
Bare Oaks admin also suggests this option to be used at your own risk: carpoolworld.com. For further options and contact info, go to this page:
bareoaks.ca/hours-contact.
Details: Checking in at the Bodyfest kiosk
If you purchased an advance ticket we should have your name on a list. Identify yourself to the greeter so that we can record your attendance. It would be wise to have a printout (or image on your phone) of proof of purchase in case there is some kind of mixup in our records. Otherwise…
• Purchase a ticket from the greeter. Cash is preferred, however we expect to be able to take card payments via a Stripe account on an ipad screen.
• Sign the participation release form. You will get the Bodyfest wristband, showing that you can participate in activities. If you are a “no photos person” you will also get a piece of red yarn tied to your wrist.
• We will take a photo of you holding up the release form so that we know who’s who. You may decline this, however it is a definitive way for us to know who does and does not want to appear in event photos.
• There will be optional sign-up sheets for the main events of the day. Adding your name will give us some idea what people are interested in. Please take a copy of the schedule print-out. There should be no problem joining an event that you did not sign up for, however some events use props/materials of which there will be a limited number.
You can now join whatever activity is in progress!
Note that events happen promptly on the hour and finish 45 minutes later. This allows for a small break. Try to assemble at the next event before the start time, on the hour.
What should I bring with me to Bodyfest?
Since you have no pockets, you’ll need some kind of bag or knapsack. See below the list of items we recommend you carry with you. A towel is very important as it is required that you place a towel on any chair or bench before sitting on it. This is for hygienic reasons. A good idea is TWO towels - a small one to sit on and a larger one for drying after a swim. You may bring your phone, but be aware that surreptitious image-taking will get you removed from the property. Keep your phone out of sight unless you absolutely need it. Forget about social media this weekend and stay in the real world!
Towels, wallet, car keys, phone/watch, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottle, sandals, tissues, mask, paper and pen, snacks. Optional: yoga mat, umbrella, flashlight.
After dark it could be cool outside and something like a poncho or hoodie could come in handy. If it is too cold to be nude outdoors after dark, it is acceptable to wear some clothing.
One of the side activities planned for is tie-dying. We may have some white t-shirts on hand that you can purchase but bring your own to ensure the shirt will fit you when done.
What are the camping details?
There is a small fee for a camp spot. There are 2 areas. The main one is just east of the small lake which is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the main lawn. The other area is closer, to the west and past the mini golf and is designated for those who want to stay up late playing music and having conversations.
What about food?
The outdoor/indoor restaurant, Bare Bistro, will be open all day except for change-over times between breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will be buffet style so service should be reasonably fast. For menu details and hours please check barebistro.ca. Bring whatever additional snacks you enjoy. There is a small confectionary area in the main office with water, pop and snacks plus other useful items.
"I heard there is photography. I do not want my photo taken!""
We do cautiously shoot some photos throughout the event. We are very much aware that some people do not want to be recognized in photos depicting Naturism. We do not want anyone to feel they cannot participate because of their privacy concerns. Here is how we deal with this... When you first check in with us at the start of the event you can define yourself as a “no photos person” by wearing a red yarn loop around your wrist. One photo is taken of you during check-in to establish your status for later reference. During the event, whoever is shooting photos will make a point of knowing who does not want a clear recognizable photo "out there" and will avoid those people when framing the images. The next steps are important. The raw photos must be relinquished to the event organizer at the end of the day. After the event, all the photo sets are edited to create the master set of jpeg images. During this process all the "no identification" people will be noted and all images will be checked to either eliminate photos, or crop them or blur faces on occasion. Be awere that if you are set as a "no photos person", your body may still appear in some photos.
Aside from this, generally, know that Bare Oaks does allow persons to take photos of others that have given permission to that person to do so, provided no other persons appear in the background.
Do I have to do everything listed in the schedule?
You can do as many or as few activities and workshops as you like. It would help us organize if you let us know at our kiosk which items you will try to participate in. FYI there are other amenities open to your use including the pool, mini golf, volleyball, trails and the beach by the small lake.