Steven Turner ran Fire Priests at Samhuinn 2012 and will be doing the same for Beltane 2013. Here, he shares his experience of the last festival…

Steven as a Fire Priest at Samhuinn 2012. Photo by Simon Hay.

Well, after less than 1 year of being part of the Beltane Fire Society, at the suggestion of my previous Group Organiser, I helped put in an application to run Fire Priests at Samhuinn 2012. To my surprise, and mild horror, we got the GO positions, and got chance to put our plans into action.

All I can say regarding this is that is was another great part of my BFS experience, and something that everyone can and should do. Even if your ideas are small, your group can make amazing things happen beyond even what you planned.

One piece of advice I can give is PLAN. Plan lots, and practice. It all helps, as does acquiring a taste for coffee, and nights painting, while discovering your heated airing rack dries said paint really quickly (production line anyone?).

Your group can do amazing things. They can take a small suggestion and run with it, creating something new, and inspiring that gives your group a new view on where they stand within the performance.

So when the opportunity arises, fill in the form, give your idea a chance, and who knows what inspiring new things you will create with your group!