With just five days to go until Beltane 2018, we wanted to share with you the proposed timings for the night and route of the procession. You can see the map and timings below.

We also wanted to remind you that while the procession may be the central feature of our festival, there is plenty going on, all around the Hill at different times, away from the procession itself. So find your own journey towards Summer and truly experience all that Beltane has to offer.

Some of the characters to look out for on the night include:

The May Queen and Green Man – Beltane’s core characters
The Blues – the guides and protectors of the procession
The Whites – companions of the May Queen – and their Processional Drummers 
The Reds – embodiments of chaos and rebirth – and their Beastie Drummers
The Aerie – messengers of hope,the Aerie are bird-like creatures who herald the beginning of Summer
Earth Point – welcoming the growing and nourishing properties of Earth in the springtime
Water Shrine & Guardians –  representing clean, pure water, with a Jellyfish sculpture nearby showing the reality of polluted oceans and rivers
Fire Point – the living embodiment of fire with explosive dance and tribal drumming beats
The Fire Arch –the gateway between worlds, where we will also have a physical theatre group playing with fire
The Faerie Porters – tricksy impish creatures who move to a new home on the night of Beltane
Cloaked Torchbearers – who stand between the darkness and the light allowing the audience to see through the veil and witness the festival
The Bower – the home to which we all return, our safe haven on the hill, the end of all our journeys
Convergence Drummers – representing the convergence of the sun’s lifegiving light and the forces of the Earth’s core
Guth nam Beò – a Gaelic singing group honouring the May Queen and Green Man with their favourite songs

More details of all the performance groups can be found on the Beltane 2018 group page.

Beltane 2018 Map

Approximate Procession Timings

8.00pm Gates open
9.20pm Neid Fire lit, May Queen appears on Acropolis
9.35pm Procession begins
9.45pm Procession arrives at Fire Arch
10.05pm Procession arrives at Air Point
10.20pm Procession arrives at Earth Point
10.30pm Procession arrives at Fire Point
10.35pm Procession arrives at Water Point
10.50pm Procession arrives at Charge Slope, Reds charge
11.05pm Procession arrives at Red Slope
11.10pm Reds and Beasties perform at Red slope
11.20pm Procession arrives at stage
11.40pm Bonfire is lit and performances continue at stage
12.15am Reds and Whites dance at Bower
1.30am Event ends, drummers lead the way off Calton Hill