What is Transhumance?

The Transhumance Festival is an annual celebration dedicated to reconnecting people to the land. The festival reintroduces the age-old practice of transhumance--the tradition of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle. This takes the form of local shepherds and land-tenders walking a flock of sheep from the hills of Sonoma County to Steamer Landing Park, in downtown Petaluma, where they will subsequently graze for the day. Following the physical transhumance is an all-day public festival which includes cutting edge discussions on environmental ethics, regenerative agriculture, watershed health; as well as an art exhibit, live music, theater, interactive educational activities for youth, a local artisan marketplace, and locally-sourced and foraged food.  The festival has become an open forum to discuss how to create an inclusive culture of place, while expanding our ecological lexicon to help nourish and renew our relationships to animals, land, water, climate, and each other.   

CREATORS & Collaborators:

Art and Photography by:  
Paige Green Photography
Noelle Gaberman    
Molly Kars
Neiel Caven
​Videography by:
Trim Tab Media


​connecting our community to our working landscapes
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Grazing animals play an integral part in helping us manage the health of our oak savannas, grasslands and coastal prairies.  We want to celebrate the work with a day dedicated to local artisans, education and food-shed based delicacies.
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