Despite some initial skepticism among locals last year, hundreds of Sonoma County residents ended up flocking to the monthlong Edge Esmeralda event in June 2024 — an experimental conference-meets-festival filled with international “techno optimists” trying to come up with better ways of living in the 21st century.
In part, locals were attracted by a heavily discounted ticket price of about $200 for the full month’s worth of daily talks and activities. The second annual event kicks off in a few months, on May 24 — at a much higher price tag for locals, with one exception. This year, the discount for verified Sonoma County residents will be 10% off the normal ticket price, which amounts to around $1,120 to $2,240 per person for the full month, depending on one’s level of involvement. (The lower end of the price range is for people who build something for the village, or otherwise contribute their skills or time. And the other way for locals to try for that low-end price is to apply for a need-based scholarship.)
Now, for the exception! Because these thousand-plus out-of-towners need somewhere to stay for the month, and not all of them can afford a hotel room or fancy vacation rental, organizers say Healdsburg residents who host “a visiting scholar or builder” in their home will receive “a free month long ticket to thank you for being an essential part of making this gathering possible.” They add: “Hosting offers a unique way to experience Edge Esmeralda. Rather than just attending sessions, you’ll help shape someone’s entire experience of our community. We will try to match hosts with guests based on shared interests.”
You can fill out this hosting form if you’re interested in that option. And here’s the regular ticket application, with an area to explain if you need a scholarship.
FYI, when I asked Edge Esmeralda co-organizer Devon Zuegel — who’s also in the process of planning a more permanent utopian village up in Cloverdale right now (!) — why ticket prices are higher for locals this year, she explained: “The shift comes from feedback that locals wanted to be fully integrated into all aspects of the experience, especially meals. The new pricing reflects full access to everything.” And by everything, she means all talks and workshops; daily discounted meals; daily fitness classes, meditation sessions, cold plunges and other health stuff; access to co-working spaces; weekend adventures and more.
As for what kind of programming Edge Esmeralda will be running out of Healdsburg event venues, theaters, hotels, wineries, etc. from May 24 through June 21: Much of it tends to unfold in real time, due to the almost dizzyingly democratic and decentralized calendar system that Edge Esmeralda uses. But here’s my recap of the experience last year, if it helps. And here are the general topics organizers plan to explore this year, by week:
- May 24 – June 1 | Living Better, Living Longer: Health, Longevity, Biotech, Neurotech, and Community & Experiential Design
- June 1 – June 8 | Reality Reinvented: Virtual & Mixed Reality, Hard Tech, Augmented & Artificial Intelligence, and Adventure Weekend
- June 8 – 15 | Environments of Tomorrow: Education, Cities, Culture, Agritech, and Climate
- June 15 – 21 | Decentralized Technologies: Real-world Crypto, Stablecoins, Governance, Programmable Cryptography, Protocols Research, and D/ACC
In the time since Edge Esmeralda came to Healdsburg last summer, one of the two orgs that runs it — “society incubator” Edge City — actually held a similar monthlong “popup village” of 800 people in Thailand in October, called Edge City Lanna. You can read about how that one turned out here. Next up, they’ll host a shorter event in Austin, Texas, about a week-and-a-half from now. Edge City leaders describe it as a “weeklong unconference focused on frontier tech for human flourishing, featuring lightning talks, collaborative workshops, a hackathon, and daily workouts.”
Which brings us to little old Healdsburg. Edge Esmeralda organizers wrote in an email to followers earlier this month: “We are so excited to come back to Sonoma County for Edge Esmeralda 2025! Last year’s event resulted in so many fun activities, interesting collaborations, and new friendships, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds this year. … Edge Esmeralda works because Healdsburg and Sonoma County welcome us so warmly. We’re grateful for your trust and excited to build something special together again in 2025.” Check out their (super trippy) event website for more info.
