Keeping LA Wild: Reflections from the 10th Annual P-22 Festival

Mindful Movement & Inspirational MoversAdventures of All Sizes
Written By Coach Vida

Every year, Los Angeles comes together to celebrate a legend — a mountain lion who crossed the 405, defied every odd, and found a way to live among us. This year marked the 10th Annual P-22 Festival, and as always, we showed up to honor the wild heart of our city.

For Coach Formie and me, this festival has become a tradition. We walk the tents, meet the organizations keeping our wildlife safe, and always find something new to learn, or at least a piece of merch to remember it by. But beyond the booths and live music, there’s an energy that’s hard to describe, part community, part gratitude, and part resilience.

The Legend That Crossed the 405

P-22 wasn’t just a mountain lion; he was a movement. Living in Griffith Park, surrounded by freeways and humans, he became a symbol of survival in modern LA. Scientists have studied how he not only adapted but thrived, maintaining his muscle mass and vitality despite the isolation. As Coach Formie (scientist by day, coach by heart) reminds us: that in itself is extraordinary.

Lessons from the Lion

For me, P-22 represents something more personal. He reminds us that we all have our own solo journeys — those stretches where it feels like no one else could understand what we’re walking through. But even then, like P-22, we can still thrive. We can still make an impact just by staying alive, steady, and true to who we are.

His story isn’t one of perfection. It’s one of persistence. Of carving a path where none existed. That’s what we celebrate every year, not just the mountain lion who lived in our city, but the message he left behind: You can make it, even alone. And when you do, the city remembers.

Community, Curiosity, and Courage

This year’s festival felt like LA in its truest form, families on the grass, music in the air, and every kind of Angeleno coming together to celebrate the wild side of our home. From the Reptacular Ranch’s curious turtle to the brave girl holding a snake, to the artists and scientists working to protect wildlife crossings, every tent was a reminder that coexistence is possible.

For us, it’s not just about showing up. It’s about staying connected to the city, to the planet, to each other. Because that’s how we keep LA wild.

Sin Límites Always

Walking through the park with our red caps and neon shoes, I kept thinking how P-22 would’ve approved, humans moving with presence and purpose, claiming space in the city he once roamed.

Here’s to another year of honoring his legacy and to living like he did: fearless, adaptive, and free.

More from FormaFit Active

Coach Vida

Coach Vida is the voice behind FormaFit Active a movement journal rooted in mindful motion, real gear, cultural pride, and showing up without apology.
She believes in slow mornings, walking when it hurts, and building strength that feels like freedom.

Her motto: You don’t have to look like an athlete to move like one.

She writes from Los Angeles, with a speaker clipped on and sunscreen always in the bag. This journal is for anyone reclaiming energy, stretch by stretch.

Coach Vida es la voz detrás de FormaFit Active, un diario de movimiento con raíces en el cuerpo, la cultura y la intención.
Cree en moverse con calma, en estirarse cuando duele, y en la fuerza como libertad.

Su lema: No tienes que parecer atleta para moverte como uno.

Escribe desde Los Ángeles, con su bocina a un lado y bloqueador en la mochila.
Este espacio es para quienes se están reclamando, paso a paso.

Next

Mental Fitness & The Power of Classical Music