2026 CCMC Winter Retreat and New Winter Workshop – Registration coming soon!

February 20-22, 2026

CCMC’s annual winter retreat is a fun way to bring a little camp spirit back into your life in the midst of winter. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce friends and family to the CCMC community. The retreat is open to all CCMC alumni, plus one guest (of any age) per attendee.

We’re looking forward to another wonderful Winter Retreat weekend on February 20-22, 2026!  As always, this year’s retreat offers the warmth of seeing longtime friends while welcoming alumni who attended CCMC’s summer camp for the first time in 2025. An unstructured jamming weekend, the retreat takes place Friday late afternoon through Sunday lunch. There are full weekend or Saturday-only attendance options. 

We’re introducing something new! After lunch on Sunday, February 22, we’ll host a Winter Workshop, which will be instructor-led workshops designed to help beginning/intermediate jammers learn and practice basic jamming skills. This separate event is open to both retreat attendees AND people who are not attending the weekend retreat. If you want to “do it all” and attend both the weekend retreat and the Sunday workshop, an extra fee applies for the workshop.

WHO: The retreat is open to CCMC alumni plus one paid guest, giving attendees the opportunity to introduce friends and family to the CCMC community. 

HOW: This year, we are offering the following options for retreat attendees: 

• Full Weekend Retreat: includes two nights’ lodging. Jam all weekend with new and old friends. Retreat opens at 4 pm Friday, February 20, 2026, for weekend attendees. Please do not arrive earlier than that time. The six meals are from Friday dinner through lunch Sunday, February 22. Friday dinner is served at 6:30 pm. 
• Saturday-only Retreat: includes lunch and dinner on Saturday, February 21 only. No overnight lodging or camping. “Day trippers” can arrive on Saturday after breakfast (after 10 am) and must leave the site by midnight.
• Full Weekend Retreat + Sunday’s Winter Workshop: classes start immediately following the retreat, you should get in line early for Sunday’s lunch. For those who are adding the workshop to your retreat weekend, we’ll offer a special, short “jam etiquette” session on Friday evening. We hope this will help you fully enjoy your jamming weekend prior to Sunday’s how-to-jam workshop event.

WHAT HAPPENS? No structured activities are planned for the retreat. We do have our traditions, however. There’ll be a singer/songwriter’s circle, a Beatles jam, Americana/bluegrass/country jams, ukulele circles, gospel revival, both slow and fast swing jams, and hot Django. The weekend is yours to sing, dance, play, socialize, whatever! There are places to play music in large and small groups, as well as hiking trails, and more. The retreat takes place rain or shine! 

For those who like more structure and classes, you can learn more about the Sunday Winter Workshop here.

LODGING: Overnight lodging is pre-assigned. You can request a co-ed, women-only, men-only, or a quiet-at-night room. Most attendees are housed in shared rooms with 2-4 total occupants. You may request specific roommates. Please note in your registration if you do not want to share lodging with a guest you’re bringing. By pre-arrangement, there is limited space for camper vans and small RVs (<23 ft), at the same cost as other lodging. There are a few single-occupancy rooms offered at a premium price. If these first-come first-serve rooms are sold out, indicate on your registration form if you would like to be placed on a waiting list if a spot opens up.

MEALS: The full weekend price includes six meals: Friday dinner, three meals on Saturday, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Sunday’s lunch is at noon, so if you have to run along early, we hope you’ll take a “to go” lunch with you. Please describe your dietary restrictions or specific food allergies on the registration form.

COVID PROTOCOLS: To keep everyone as safe as possible, CCMC asks all attendees to take an at-home test just prior to the event. Even if you test negative, please do not come if you are not feeling well. There is an inherent risk in attending any gathering, so some attendees may feel more comfortable wearing a mask indoors — and that’s OK.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Partial scholarships are available. To apply, send an email to retreat@musiccamp.org with “Scholarship” in the subject line. Provide a paragraph to explain why you’re requesting a scholarship award and state whether the request is for the weekend, Saturday day tripper, or Sunday workshop attendance.  

CANCELLATIONS: Registrations are not transferable. If you must cancel, send an email to retreat@musiccamp.org  as soon as possible (cell phone and text access might be spotty during the retreat). If you cancel your registration prior to January 31, 2026, you’ll get a full refund minus a $50 processing fee. There are no refunds for cancellations in February.  

CONFIRMATION: You’ll receive an email with the site address and other details. Check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive your confirmation email shortly after registration. We’ll send you another email a few weeks before the retreat.

QUESTIONS?  If you have a question that isn’t answered on this page, email retreat@musiccamp.org.

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT: Please fill out the registration form below. You may pay online using PayPal. If you’re paying by check, choose Pay By Check to register and then mail your check to: California Coast Music Camp, P.O. 60895, Palo Alto, CA 94306-0875.