CohobaFest III: Collective Healing, Art, & Education

Date & Time: Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 1:00 PM-6:00PM EST (afterparty kicks off 7pm @Petra's Bar)

Venue: VAPA Center (Charlotte, NC)

CohobaFest III moves mental health support out of the clinic and into a communal space, transforming an urban hub into a sanctuary for collective healing and celebration.

Attendees will experience a community-driven festival centered on the powerful intersections of mental health, artistic expression, cultural stewardship, and social justice. Join us at the VAPA Center for a day of inspiration, connection, and healing through the arts! Our official afterparty will be hosted at Petra's Bar, featuring Gravitate!

Cohoba is a psychedelic-positive nonprofit focused on establishing equitable, evidence-based community care. We are a team of licensed mental health therapists, artists, and activists dedicated to cultural stewardship and the flowering of Charlotte's healing arts programming, with special emphasis on amplifying voices that go unheard in the modern psychedelic movement.

What to Expect

Psychedelic Education & Therapy Insights: Learn about the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted therapy and how your fellow Charlotteans are participating in the modern psychedelic science and culture movement
Creative Expression & Art: Immerse yourself in vibrant visual and performing arts celebrating the Charlotte-Mecklenburg creative community.
Community-Led Spaces: Engage in collective healing practices designed to foster connection, reflection, and joy

Who Is This For?

This vibrant, multicultural, and multigenerational festival welcomes anyone passionate about community care, including:

Artists, Creatives, & Cultural Stewards
Clinicians, Therapists, & Mental Health Advocates
Organizers, Care Workers, & Social Justice Advocates
Students & Lifelong Learners

As psychedelic-assisted therapy moves toward broader medical and policy integration, Charlotte—like much of the South—faces a critical gap: communities most impacted by mental health disparities and systemic inequities are often the least likely to access emerging resources, conversations, and funding streams tied to this movement. Support of CohobaFest helps advance Cohoba's mission of providing our community with direct therapeutic care, harm reduction education, advocacy opportunities, and cultural and artistic engagement.

Join us in celebration, and who knows, you might even learn a thing or two!

Tentative Schedule:

1:00pm- Opening w/music from in-house drummers, Los Yayá, & remarks from Cohoba

1:15-1:45pm - Demystifying Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, w/Laura Camilo, LCSW

2:00-2:45pm- Cohoba Veteran's Panel

3:00-3:15pm - Psychedelic Policy Update w/Gina Giorgio, founder of Carolinas for Care

Break For Community Offerings: Healing Circle For People Impacted By The War On Drugs, facilitated by Oriana Mayorga, m.Div; Group Art Station facilitated by Rebeca Carvajal, LPC; Harm Reduction Demonstration w/Daniel de la Cruz, LCSW; Psychedelics In Recovery Info Session w/Matthew Withrow

4:30pm: Multimedia Premier w/Sweat Transfer

4:45pm: Dreamwork, Creativity, & Psychedelics w/Sequoya Hayes, LCSW

5:15pm - Rhythm, Ritual, & Release w/Brianna aka Blackasthecosmos, Kelly Howard, Julio Montero, Ryan Persaud

6:00pm- Wrap-up & Transition to Petra's for official afterparty feat. Gravitate!

CohobaFest III

Fundraiser for Community Mental Health & Arts Programming

Team Members