Broadly open public Pagan events fall into a couple of common categories, and knowing what you’re going to will help. I’ve listed them here in order of complexity and generally cost.
Note: Right now, most events like this are going to be virtual for some time to come due to the coronavirus.
Networking events
These can happen in coffee shops, family restaurants, or similar places (in the UK they often happen in pubs) and have a variety of names. Some take place at Pagan or esoteric stores.
Frequency:
Usually scheduled regularly. Some places that’s once a month, some it’s twice a month, a few are weekly.
Time involved:
Sometimes it’s just open discussion for an hour or two, at others there’s a topic (a lecture or discussion) followed by social time.
Range of people:
Usually a couple of people who are there most weeks to facilitate, and then other people who show up more or less frequently. This can mean the event is really great for you one time, and not so useful another.
Costs and other expectations:
If it’s at a coffee shop, pub, or restaurant, it’s polite to buy something there (it doesn’t need to be big: a soda or cup of coffee or tea should be fine). In other spaces, there will often be a donation jar out, and the usual donation is a couple of dollars in the US.
Advice and ideas:
If you’re curious about one of these events but not sure about whether you’ll like it, find something else in the same area (or on your way there or back) you’re also interested in doing, like checking out a store, park, library, etc.
If you have a great time at the networking event, you can stay, and if not, you can excuse yourself with a “It was great to stop by, but I’ve got an errand I need to run” and feel like you haven’t made a specific trip for something you didn’t enjoy.
Public rituals
These are what they sound like, rituals open to the public. Their format is most commonly Wiccan-derived (in very general ways) unless otherwise noted but there are many different methods of doing ritual, and a lot of details depend on who is putting on the public ritual. There’s usually social time after (and sometimes before) the ritual itself, and often some kind of potluck.
Some events are announced in public but require contacting someone organizing the event for specific details of location – these are pretty common if the event needs an idea of the number of people coming, it’s on private property, or there is specific information they want to make sure everyone has.
Frequency: Some areas have open ritual events for every full moon and Sabbat, but in a lot of places you’re more likely to see a couple a year – Samhain, Beltane, winter solstice, and Imbolc are particularly common times (end of October, beginning of May, around December 22nd, and beginning of February, respectively.) They’ll often be on the nearest weekend.
Time involved: Normally allow 30-60 minutes before the ritual starts, 1-2 hours for the ritual, and 1-2 hours for social time and cleanup afterwards. for a total of 3-4 hours or so. Sometimes (especially in good weather) there may be longer social times, workshops, or other activities as well as the central ritual, and it might be an all-day sort of thing.
Events with good announcement practices will often give specific details in the announcements about timing.
Range of people:
Some of these events have a core of people who are often there. Sometimes you’ll get people who come for one event and disappear, or come to one or two events a year. Usually it’s somewhere in the middle. Samhain events tend to get more once-a-year folks and be the largest, so if you’re looking to make more local connections, trying other options may be a good idea.
Costs and other expectations:
Since people usually need to rent space (or pay for park permits) there is usually a request for donations, generally in the $10-15 range or so.
You may be asked to bring a potluck dish (some places ask for specific types of dishes based on your last name or birth month). If you’re not sure what to bring, fruit, cheese, handheld foods, or non-alcoholic drinks all tend to go over pretty well. Make sure there’s an ingredients list if a food has multiple ingredients.
If there’s food at the event, bringing your own dishes may be very helpful. Items made for patio or beach meals work pretty well and are usually available cheaply. Bring a plastic bag to stick dirty dishes in: there may not be somewhere to rinse your plate easily.
Public events
These include Pagan Pride events and other public Pagan networking events more involved than a conversation. They often involve at least one ritual, and may also include workshops, discussions, networking opportunities, and sometimes vendors or other activities. Some places have special events for Samhain (and sometimes at other times of the year) with formal meals, dances, or other activities.
Frequency:
This varies a lot. A lot of these kinds of events are a once a year thing, but in some places there are more frequent options. Even if you’ve missed this year’s event, it can be worth checking out any public information (like a website) to find out more about groups, vendors, and other events in the area.
Time involved:
Varies, but often the event runs for a significant portion of the day, and may have several different pieces or parts.
Range of people:
This also varies. Pagan Pride events in public places with a lot of walkthrough traffic may have one or two people who identify as Pagan for every 10 people there. Pagan Pride events that take more effort to get to are probably filled with more Pagans (but they may be people who don’t know others in the local community.) Other events may have a strong turnout from people who go to the event every year, or be very welcoming to newcomers.
Costs and other expectations:
Pagan Pride events are free to the public (but will ask for a small donation and a food pantry donation, usually). Samhain balls might cost $50 or more, if they include a meal, special performers, or other similar items.
Conventions and festivals
These events last more than a day, and generally include a combination of workshops, rituals, arts and music, vendors, and much more. Some of these events are held at hotels (like science fiction and other hobby conventions), others are held at camp grounds or other similar sites.
Frequency:
Most of these events are held yearly, usually the same basic time every year. Some events have a spring and fall version, or something similar.
Time involved:
If it’s a hotel based convention, the core events usually run from Friday evening through Sunday early afternoon, but there may be additional workshops, activities, and other events on Thursday, Friday morning and afternoon, Sunday evening, or into Monday.
Camping festivals range from a weekend (arrive Friday evening, leave Sunday afternoon or maybe Monday) to 10 day festivals (a week plus the weekend on either side). Because of the locations of camp grounds that can host a significant gathering, they’re usually a good drive outside a city. Sometimes they’ll be at scout camps or similar sites before or after the main season for sleepaway camps.
Either way, most people are there for the vast majority of the time. (For hotel conventions, people who live in the immediate area may come and go a bit more.) This can make it easier to have ongoing conversations, meet new people, or learn things in more depth than a briefer workshop or event could allow.
Range of people:
One particular note about these kinds of events is that they often have one or more guests of honour. Usually these people give highlighted presentations, workshops, or lead key rituals.
Some people at these events are at their very first Pagan event! However, because of the greater investment of time and resources, many of the people there are more likely to be established in their paths. If you’re looking to go a bit deeper in your practice, looking for one of these options, with guests of honour you’re particularly interested in, can be a great choice.
Costs and other expectations:
Costs are obviously very different depending on if you’re camping or at a hotel.
In general, registration for events starts at around $50 and goes up for longer events or with more special guests, plus whatever it will cost for food and housing. There are often early bird rates for registration, which can help you save money.
Other events
Probably the last big category of other events are workshops. These may run from an afternoon to a full weekend (or a series of weekends over the course of a year.)
A few events like the Reclaiming Witchcamps are a moderately structured series of activities (rituals, focus on particular topics, maybe workshops or learning specific techniques) that take place over a series of days (a long weekend up to a week).
Costs will depend on the length and other details (Do they need to rent space? Is the workshop presenter flying in or coming from a distance?) Some workshops may have some things to read or consider in advance (or you may want to be familiar with the presenter’s work for your own reasons.)
Some people also attend things like psychic fairs, faerie festivals, Renaissance festivals, and other related activities where they may find other Pagans or even specific Pagan community groups represented. Costs and time commitment for these range very widely – check out the details before committing.
Last edited July 2020. Reformatted November 2020.
