Welcome to the Beltane Fire Festival 2025!
Whether you’re someone who’s looking on curiously, or a regular volunteer – we’re delighted to introduce you to the different performance and production groups who will be running this festival!
We’re excited to offer the opportunity for you to get involved and contribute to the festival as a volunteer. See which group calls to you! There are many opportunities to try news things such as costuming, character, production, handling crowds, drumming and many more!
Below you’ll find all the information you need to apply for your desired group and be part of our celebration!
Not sure how things work? Email the groups that sound fun/interesting and they’ll be able to share more about what they’re up to, and guide you to how to apply to join in with them if you want to.
The Open Meeting for the 2025 Beltane Fire Festival will be held on Saturday February 22nd at Nicolson Square Venues between 1:30 and 5pm. If you are new to the society, we invite you to join us at 12.30pm for a welcome talk. We will also have a newbie table for any questions after the main meeting. Please do come and see hello! After the meeting, we will be heading over to OX184 on the Cowgate from 5pm for a more social occasion. We look forward to seeing you there! Full details can be found here.
Introducing the Groups:
Open Groups
Aerosphere Air Point
Group Organisers: Anna Meulepas, Dave Rowell, Violette Rose and White Deer – aerosphere@beltane.org
AerOsphere is a dynamic musical and BFS-Style Drumming group hybrid.
Step into a world where the heavens ignite with untamed energy, where the night sky dances with the vibrant colors of the Aurora Borealis. Aerosphere is a force of nature, a sonic journey through the wild, celestial frontier. With every beat of our drums, the earth trembles; every note from our horns calls the stars to shine brighter. Our strings weave the ethereal tapestry of the cosmos, while gongs and bells reverberate like ancient echoes across the universe. The winds of our flutes carry the whispers of the sky, and our powerful vocals soar like the northern lights themselves, guiding you into a world beyond imagination.
Our performance is a cosmic ritual, a connection between the earthly and the celestial. Feel the raw, untamed power of the night sky as it pulses through you, as if the universe itself has come alive in sound and spirit. Join us and become a part of a living, breathing force that celebrates the beauty, the chaos, and the majesty of the wild night!
Sound: Our sound will hybridise BFS-Style drumming with Melody. In addition to a collection of basses and toms, we will provide a library of acoustic instruments for members to explore.
Vocals: Discover the power of your voice as a magical tool. Grand choruses and haunting melodies in Scots Gaelic, Faroese and Finnish.
More: Northern Lights prop build, Costuming day, and an Instrument-making workshop.
Performance opportunities: Outside of the festival itself, we will be performing for the BFS Busk in the city center, Community Bonfire/s, Drum Club and the After-Party.
- Commitment: All members meet once weekly on Sundays 3-6pm at Colorsound Studios. Drummers meet on an additional Thursday evening 7-9:30pm at George Watson’s College, which is optional but encouraged for all other members. Commitment will increase to 2-3 times a week for the mid – latter half of April.
- Looking for people with a musical sensibility (not necessarily ability), an open willingness to learn, and an interest in a ritualistic approach to music making.
- Expected financial contribution: £50 and your own costume costs. Costs cover venue hire and materials for workshops.
- Weekend Away Dates/or details: 6th of April. Location near Edinburgh, TBD. Highly encouraged but optional
- Open practices: Come as you are, no instruments.
- Sunday 23 February 3-6pm at Colorsound Studios
- Monday 24 February 7-9:30pm at George Watson’s College
- Tuesday 25 February 7-9:30pm at George Watson’s College
Aquarium Water Point
Group Organisers: Stacey Hayes, Bob Ball – aquarium@beltane.org
AQUARIUM is a safe haven where beautiful aquatic animals reside together in a flowing harmony of movement and dance. But an aquarium is not free, and it’s not wild. And kids keep tapping on the glass.
Led by wily rebel octopuses, word will spread of a life beyond glass walls, a free and wild world with food and wonder and danger everywhere. Some are afraid to leave the relative safety (and regular mealtimes) of aquarium life, but ultimately all shall rise up and escape, to roam and rewild Calton Hill on their way to the ocean.
In AQUARIUM, you’ll connect to the stranger parts of the natural world. We’ll be exploring life from thoroughly non-human perspectives and learning to think and move like these magical creatures of the deep.
We’d like to see beautiful tropical fish, sea jellies, and of course octopuses. Whatever you can imagine, we will help you towards creating it! We’ll have music, fantastical costumes, and UV lights! You do not need to already be an octopus to join us! We will teach you!
Rehearsals are outdoors on Sunday afternoons and indoors on Monday evenings. Sessions will include practical guidance for various costuming techniques including willow frame crafting and other tentacular techniques!
AQUARIUM is open to everyone from absolute beginners to experienced hands, all you need is enthusiasm -for any aspect of performance, costuming or non-human storytelling. Apply to join AQUARIUM with this link!
- Commitment level: Medium – 2 rehearsals a week (Sunday 2-5 outdoors, Monday 7-9 indoors), costume making.
- Expected financial contribution: £30
- Weekend Away Dates/or details: Camping in the Calderwood, 22-23 March (or a 2-day staycation depending on group preferences)
- Open practice schedule: Register for open rehearsals with this link! No pressure, we just want an idea of numbers.
- Sunday 23rd, 2-3:30pm, Montgomery St Park, location pin
- Monday 24th, 7-8:30pm, Leith Links (meet at bus stop on Vanburgh Place, then moving to the orchard)
- Sunday 2nd March 2-3:30pm Montgomery St Park, location pin
- Monday 3rd March 7-8:30pm 50 George Square
Beastie Drummers
Group Organisers: Giulia and Hannah – beasties@beltane.org
Now with VIDEO! Beastie Video
The Beasties are the embodiments of joy, rhythm and the pulsating energy of the upcoming summer. Painted in red, we will wake up, full of excitement, innocent wonder and delight for the world around us. We will explore the hill and bring the party! With our drums, we will ignite (figuratively) the space with wild, fun and high energy tunes to celebrate the returning of the sun.
We will be doing character work alongside drumming, to connect with and grow our inner Beastie and explore themes of harmony with nature, to understand how we are part of the world and not separated from it. We will also be spending lots of time with our Red siblings (See Reds blurb below), including our away weekend, to strengthen our family bonds.
The Practical bit:
- Commitment level: High – 2 practices a week, some extra time for costuming, and optional busks. There will be a mandatory weekend away with the reds with wild camping.
- Drums we’ll be playing: djembes, basses, toms, snares and shakers.
- Experience level: We are open to beginners, experienced drummers and everything in between. If you don’t have your own drum one will be provided.
- Finances: expected financial contribution £60-£70 depending on final group numbers – we strongly believe that finances should not be a barrier to participation. If you feel like costs could be a challenge, let’s have a chat in confidence.
Open practices at the Bongo Club:
Sunday 23rd of February, 4pm-7pm
Wednesday 26th of February 7pm-10pm
Sunday 2nd of March, 4-7pm
Coven
Group Organisers: Alex, Kit, Nat – coven@beltane.org
Coven reclaims the Witch as a symbol of diversity, otherness, and deep connection with nature and community, expressing magic through movement and dance.
This year, we explore rewilding—restoring both witches and the natural world to their untamed, authentic selves. Just as the land flourishes when left to regenerate, we seek to rekindle our bond with the earth, each other, and the wisdom once lost.
On the festival night, we bring this vision to life in a performance inspired by witches dancing in the moonlight, gathered around a fire in the heart of the woods. Moving to the otherworldly, melodic rhythms of live music, we weave a spellbinding spectacle—our presence mystical, ethereal, and enchanting. Our dance becomes a celebration of freedom, transformation, and wild, untamed spirit, drawing the crowd into our realm of magic and mystery.
In the lead-up to the festival, we will embark on a journey to fully embody our performance, nurturing confidence, creativity, and connection through dance, games, archetype exploration, divination, and storytelling by the fire. During our weekend activities, we will deepen our bond with nature through forest meditation, environmental art, and sustainable foraging. Each member will craft their own unique witch character, coming together as a true coven—united in movement, dance, and shared purpose.
Coven is a celebration of empowerment and transformation, culminating in a performance where witches rise again—wild, radiant, and untethered.
Please note that while our practices include physical movement and walking, we wish to make our group as accessible as possible for anyone interested. Please come talk to either of us if you think you might benefit from adjustments or any additional support physically or otherwise.
For any further information, please email us at coven@beltane.org.
Commitment Level: Medium
Open Practices:
- Mon 24th Feb, 7 – 9pm
- Wed 26th Feb, 7 –9pm
- Sunday 2nd March , 2 – 4pm
All open practices will take place at the Meadows Playground area (Eastern end/across the tennis court) area.
Closed Practices:
- March: Thursdays, 7–9 pm & Sundays
- April: Thursdays, 7–9 pm & Sundays (TBC)
Our outdoor activities will be on Sundays and with an added performance element in April.
Staycation: 22nd–23rd March
Suggested Contribution: £30
Consistent participation in performance practices is encouraged for our collective success.
Goblin Workers Union of Energy Point (GWUEP)
Group Organisers: Franklyn “Big Frankie” Reinhart, C’tri “Just C’tri please” Goudie – goblins@beltane.org
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED Fires! Flooding! The sun being upside down! WELL, WE (do not) HAVE ANSWERS.
Since time immemorial (2022), Goblins have been an integral part of our festivals, worming our way through every gap in the running order. We’ve set the arch on fire, we’ve had a giant house party, we’ve been “extremely helpful” to the production Tech team.
Each of those years saw us getting our grubby mitts on the Green Man’s horns / antlers / carnyx (it’s a kind of horn okay?!), so it’s tradition now – and by stick and by rock we’re gonna do it again! Plus, maybe it’s the answer to all this strange sky business!?
But there’s no sign of Greenie or Queenie on the horizon! We’ve been diligently calling out on the radio for things to get started, and only other goblins are answering. What’s wrong? Are we just on the wrong channel? Did we get the date wrong? Probably yes to all.
Our small band of Goblins will be a blend of costuming, character work, technology, and a lot of running around doing silly games – all involving one of the most powerful pieces of safety & communication equipment: the handheld radio.
Expect:
- Radio Hide and Seek
- Painting circuit diagrams on rocks
- Screaming at the sky
- Accidentally learning how radios work
- Being green and silly in public and generally confusing people
Who are we looking for?
Great question! We’re looking for up to 6 extra people on the same wavelength. (🥁😁)
If you enjoy being silly, being green, or screaming into the electromagnetic void – consider us!
You don’t need to have any prior experience being a goblin or using a radio; neither is a requirement of daily life (sadly).
Open practices:
11:00 – 13:00, 23rd of February, on Calton Hill – meet at Cannon south east of middle meadow walk junction [maps link]
11:00 – 13:00, 2nd of March, on Calton Hill – meet at Cannon
(Same content at both, 2 dates is for accessibility)
What sort of commitments does joining entail:
💷 Money – Everyone is gonna get a wee radio to decorate. We’re planning to buy in bulk, which is why the group costs are higher than you might expect. If cost is a problem, chat with us: C’tri has loads of radios and can lend you one for the duration.
Requested donation – £50 per person for shared group costs.
⌛Time
- 1 regular rehearsal on a Sunday afternoon 12 noon- 2pm.
- 1 weekly optional costuming session on Wednesday / hangout 7pm – 9pm (location to be determined)
- Optional camping away weekend on the 21st – 23rd March
- Optional hanging out with tech after Sunday rehearsals for social & to help the run-up go smoothly
- +homework: time on your own costuming as normal for a BFS group
Myoinn
Group Organisers: Chris M and Oli S – myoinn@beltane.org
We are Myoinn.
We are the wild or feral cats – savvy strays, lynxes, caracals and wildcats, who stalk the forests and mountains at night. We’ll be reintroduced to Calton Hill to investigate our new home, to sniff and chew and play and scratch, and to make mischief for other creatures – including the audience, of course. We are a roaming group and will be scampering across the hill through the audience, on the hunt for some mischief.
We are wild creatures, not tame, or anthropomorphised characters. We’re inquisitive, playful, jumpy and twitchy, and we can change mood on a dime. We will go where we please, regardless of any barrier, be it human or rope. We’ll be teaching you to sneak, prowl, growl, meowl, squabble and knock over cups. You will also learn some light acro-cat-ics to play around with.
We’re planning to be quite physical (often on all fours!), and will have some light training and homework. We’re not requiring you to be in super-good shape, just willing to move around to the limits of your ability. Be prepared to get a bit fitter!
- Commitment level: We’re a medium commitment group, with one 3hr outdoor practice on Sundays in Holyrood Park (location may change to collaborate with other groups) from 1 – 4pm throughout March. In April, we will be meeting Wednesday nights from 7 – 9pm as well as Sunday afternoons from 1 – 4 pm. Our first closed meeting will be on Wednesday 5th March 7-9pm. You will also be expected to create your own costume.
- Expected financial contribution: £35 and your own costume costs.
- Weekend Away Dates/or details: Mandatory staycation weekend planned for 5 – 6th April in Edinburgh.
- Open practice schedule: For our open practices, meet at the Pavillion Café in the Meadows, where we will guide you to a nearby location. Open practices are:
- Sunday 23rd February, 4 – 6pm
- Wednesday 26th February, 7 – 9pm
- Sunday 2nd March 4 – 6pm
If you want to ask about anything please contact us at: myoinn@beltane.org
Nightwatch
Group Organisers: Ann Landmann, Feòrag Forsyth, Jenny Glover, Saskia Schmitz – nightwatch@beltane.org
Nightwatch is a welcoming group of Stewards and Torchbearers. Together we hold the space between the audience witnesses and the performers. We guard the May Queen as she journeys around Calton Hill.
Stewards, clad in high-vis, help answer questions from the audience, guide them and hold the performance space. They are also part of the fire safety for the festival.
Torchbearers in their black cloaks provide light for the performance in the form of open fire carried in long metal torches.
We have many skills to learn, such as crowd engagement and safe fire handling.
Sessions will be fun and educational, using techniques and games like improvisation and storytelling – getting prepared for the unexpected.
Nightwatch is a low(ish) commitment group.
Regular meetings will be on Sunday afternoons 2-5pm on Calton Hill, with a social option afterwards.
There will be other optional meetings on Wednesday evenings 7-9pm and some Sunday mornings 11am to 1pm at Beltonia for things like costume or torch balls making.
As for special social events, there will be up to four creative, nature-based events, like mindful walking, exploring the woods by night or foraging.
Group contribution is £5 per person. There might be additional individual costs for your costume. Fire safe clothing and leather gloves are compulsory.
Nightwatch is a great gateway group for newcomers. You see the festival close up, get to know the other groups and discover what it’s all about.
Equally, it’s great for more experienced members looking for a less intense festival experience, or those who would like to give back to the society.
If you want to know more, contact us on nightwatch@beltane.org.
First Open Practice Sunday 2nd March, 2pm to 5pm
Photopoint
Group Organisers: Seb, Martin – photopoint@beltane.org
In short – come take photos with us!
Photopoint are the volunteer documentary team who ensure that the festival can be witnessed across time and space. We will capture a bit of the magic of Beltane – both to share with the world; and to retain in image form so our community can look back at the magic they created once the body paint has been washed off. We will collaborate with every group and court to tell their stories and explore their creativity and ours.
We will spend some time in the first half of the run-up sharing our collective knowledge and skills in photography and editing, including focusing on low-light photography by meeting twice a week. We then start organising photoshoots with other groups to document their preparations, share their stories with the community and to further hone our skills.
We would love to recruit a pool of photographers with diverse experience and perspectives who want to work with each other and with performers to learn something new, take brilliant photos and have a great time together! Whether you’re an experienced photographer or would love some advice on what the buttons are for – we’d love to hear from you.
We may also have space for a self-motivated videographer or two if you’ve got a hankering to try those skills behind the scenes with BFS.
Having access to a camera, lenses and equipment is beneficial but we can support you in sourcing one to borrow if necessary.
(There isn’t any photo accompanying this blurb but know that most photos on this page were taken by past photopoint members 🙂)
- Commitment level: Moderate to High but can be flexible (2 rehearsals a week in March, various photoshoots in April and only photo editing in May)
- Expected financial contribution: tbc ~£20
- Open practice schedule: Thu 27th Feb 7-9pm and Sun 2nd March 5-7pm (in central Edinburgh)
Pillywiggins Earth Point
Group Organisers: Tiger (they/them) and Suzi (she/they) – pillywiggins@beltane.org
In the Dale, under the veil, we invite you into the realm of Fae. We are Pillywiggins. We are the fairies who dance upon the top of flowers. We will give gifts to share the journey we will take, use the magic of the Self to transform and re-wild the Self, taking us back to a more natural state. In a supportive group we will set a quest, complete it and turn our experience into honouring the May Queen, whilst letting go of that which does not serve us anymore, and playing with the audience.
Expect sessions to build character, focus on how to achieve goals set and every other Wednesday to make costume and other beautiful things.
The Group Organisers are Tiger & Suzi – cabaret performers and many other roles through many a Beltane. The group is open and welcoming to new folk and experienced, where the opinion of both will have equal influence in the group direction. We are committed to being accessible, with our indoor spaces having accessible toilets and Sundays split between inside and outside practices.
Commitment
After the group closes, we will meet at St Margarets House, 7pm – 9pm, every other Wednesday. Every Sunday we will meet at the Salisbury Centre, 1pm – 2.30pm then outside until 5pm. A staycation hosted in a location tbc but Edinburgh-based, and on a bus route. Attendance to sessions on a Wednesdays are encouraged and attendance on Sundays are mandatory. The group is designed to fit alongside a full-time job and to fit into those spaces that happen in our daily lives..
Expected financial commitment
For 2 months of indoor rehearsal spaces, getting ready space, staycation and the Journey with all its workshops = £40. We are very centred around using what we have at hand and beltane fabric swaps for costume. We hope by sharing skills and materials and knowledge of where to get items at discount, we can be a socially mobile group.
Weekend Away (staycation)
2 days : 12th & 13th April. The rough plan is a tour of Edinburgh’s secret and forgotten public gardens, mindfulness and inspiration for character design. Then a meal. Times to be confirmed but general vibe of bonding and joy. Based in south Edinburgh most likely.
Open Practices
Thursday 27 February: meet at the Black Sheep Coffee company in the St. James Quarter (30 St Saint James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AY), 7pm until 9pm inside sat down, games and chat.
Sunday 2 March: meet at the Black Sheep Coffee company in the St. James Quarter (30 St Saint James Square, Edinburgh EH1 3AY) 2-3pm, then a gentle stroll up to the Hill to see the performance space (Earth Point) until 5pm.
Wednesday 5 March: meet at the front door of St Margarets House at 6.55pm, rehearsal to begin at 7pm sharp (there is a door entry system) until 9pm. There are a couple of flights of steps down from the street to the front door of the building. If you require flat access to the building, please contact us – Tiger and Suzi, and we can arrange meet you at the back door car park entrance. The building has lifts to take us up to our rehearsal space.
So, a group that hopes to reclaim some wild space within you, is accessible and hopes to be the first star in your constellation.
We are Tiger and Suzi, contact us at email: pillywiggins@beltane.org.
Processional Drummers
Group Organisers: Ian, Alex, Angus – processionals@beltane.org
Processional Drummers provide the RHYTHMIC HEART of the festival in the May Queen’s procession. Playing basses, low toms, snares, shakers and cowbells we will begin on the Acropolis on FIRE, playing the iconic first beats of the night. This will be our deliberate muir BURN to cleanse away the old. As we accompany the May Queen around the Hill, visiting the elemental points, we will gather energy and REWILD our sounds and selves.
Our purpose this year is to AWAKEN THE WILD – we will use our rhythms to wake the soil from Winter sleep and ecological depletion, building energy and culminating in energetic tunes to celebrate the full expression of nature’s intensity. Our character, costume and interactions will reflect the concepts of natural, cultural and spiritual rewilding, and what this looks like in practice will develop through COLLABORATIVE group discussions. Drumming will be the main focus of the group, and we welcome all experience levels.
- Commitment level – High – 2x practices per week plus occasional busks and some individual practice required in between
- Expected financial contribution – around £70 (but please speak to us if this might be a barrier – we don’t want it to be)
- Weekend Away Dates – 4-6 April (Sat 5 April 10am-6pm is compulsory, camping is optional)
- Open practices – Sun 23rd Feb 4-7, Weds 26th Feb 7-10, Sun 2nd March 4-7, all at the Bongo Club.
- Email questions to processionals@beltane.org
Pyrosphere Fire Arch Point
Group Organisers: Aaron, Chris, Nathan – pyrosphere@beltane.org
What’s our story?
Fire has always shaped the land, and the land evolved to exist with it. Sequoia trees need fire for their seeds to germinate, fire reforms the old into the new with the release of nutrients into the soil. This sometimes occurs naturally or through human interaction such as Muirburns. FIre changes environments to the aide of both predator and prey across the globe.
Humans took hold of fire and felt it was theirs to control, and use to build our world of light, warmth and also community. But, have we forgotten it’s roots in nature? Pyrosphere looks to explore fire, the natural landscape, humanity and this conflict, or potential union, and rebuild a core of pyrodiversity.
What will we do?
Embodying the wild nature of fire ecology and human practices, Pyrosphere will use movement, dance, fire spinning, choreography, and character work to showcase how we can come together with nature.
Who are we looking for?
We are open to all levels, whether you have years of spinning experiences or are completely new we want to help you learn. We will facilitate teaching for all levels, helping to practice new props and incorporating your character into your spinning style.
How much will I have to do?
Commitment Level: Two practices a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, occasional busks, and the option for costuming sessions.
Expected Financial Contributions:30-40 (indoor practice space, weekend away food and travel, fuel costs)
Weekend Away: 4-6 April Camping Overnight
Open Practices:
The near the pavilion on the meadows
Monday 24th Feb 19:00-21:00
Wednesday 26th Feb 19:00-21:00,
Saturday 1st March 14:00-16:00
Reds
Group Organisers: Maddie and Wil – reds@beltane.org
Reds are wild and feral creatures born on Beltane night, filled with joy and curiosity. We celebrate the coming of summer with a fierce love for the season and the world around us. We invite you to rewild yourself, discover what Red means to you and imagine a version of yourself outwith the confines of society’s norms. Some of us may discover sensuality, desire, silliness, animalistic wildness and playfulness. We will be exploring this through acrobatics, character work and audience interaction.
Our rehearsals will involve teaching and practicing acrobatics as well as exploring our Red character through games, guided meditation, and workshops. We will also get to know our Beastie siblings as we dance to their joyful drumming. We encourage applications from people with experience as well as those who are new to Reds (or the festival!) and are keen to get stuck in.
We will be working closely with the Green Man, drawing on his strength, connection to the season and celebrating his rebirth. We will also be interacting with the Banrigh Sith, acting as a force of chaotic energy and encouraging them to embrace their own silliness.
Key to Reds is building a safe space for each other to grow, discover our wildness and safely explore our boundaries, with consent at the heart of everything we do. We will be having consent workshops and activities throughout the runup to the festival.
- We are a high commitment, high energy group. We will be meeting twice a week on Wednesdays 7-9 pm and Sundays 1-6 pm. There will also be a mandatory weekend away wild camping from 4th-6th April.
- Expected financial contribution £50, but please speak to this us if this is an issue
- Our open practices will be:
- Sunday 23rd Feb 2:30-5:30pm at Red Point (Next to Middle Meadow Walk)
- Wednesday 26th Feb 7-9pm, Red Point
- Saturday 1st March 2:30-5:30pm, Red Point
Sìth Nam Banrigh
Group Organisers: Sophie McCarthy, Mailis Marty, Peter Bain, Nicole Stapinski – sithnambanrigh@beltane.org
Long ago, before humans came to stay,
In a place now called Edinburgh, far away,
A band of pixies, small and bright,
Sprang from the hills, born of green light.
They thrived in peace, with the land so fair,
Living in harmony, without a care.
But time marched on, with steam and gears,
Villages grew and cities appeared.
Bowls of milk were soon forgot,
So humans’ homes, pixies left to rot.
They fled to the green, the last of the land,
To a place they remembered was wild, but now not quite as grand.
And years passed by, the pixies endured,
Until one April came, and noise was stirred.
Then each year a Goddess, they saw would climb the hill,
And in return the pixies felt a warming thrill.
For Calton Hill was no longer a woe,
But a place where wild magic would once again grow.
Until this year, as they cleaned and prepared,
They found no humans in white, try as they dared.
But they knew they had to help, not flee,
For their Queen’s Summer was meant to be.
White cloths and buttons, all they could find,
To aid the ritual, to help their Queen they bore in mind.
Though wild and playful, with tricks in their heart,
The pixies were, after all helpers, each with their own part.
So on Beltane, they decided, with hope in the air,
The pixies would gather, show they care.
With laughter and mischief, they’d play their role,
To welcome the summer, and make it whole.
Commitment Level – High
Accommodations will be made for physical ability, but this group will involve a lot of walking and holding a stick in the air. There will be a lot of choreography to learn.
Expected Financial Contribution – £45.00 – £55.00 (pending final group numbers). We believe cost should not be a barrier, so if this is going to be the case for you, please reach out and we will try and help the best we can.
Weekend Away Dates – Friday 28th to Sunday 30th March. Friday arrival can be flexible, Saturday and Sunday are mandatory. Location TBC, but we’re aiming for civilised camping or more indoor space.
Open Practice Schedule –
– Sunday 23rd February, 2-4pm on the Meadows (On the Meadows near Uplands Roast)
– Thursday 27th February, 7-9pm on the Meadows (On the Meadows near Uplands Roast)
– Sunday 2nd March, 2-4pm on the Meadows (On the Meadows near Uplands Roast)
Regular Practice Schedule –
– Sundays 2-5pm and Thursdays 7-10pm, location TBC
For more info, email us: sithnambanrigh@beltane.org
Tech
Group Organisers: Peter – tech@beltane.org
We help facilitate the tech needs of each Beltane group (within reason) and the wider production. We create and provide light by fire cans, to help tell the Beltane story with fire sculptures.
On the night we are there to light fires and contribute to the safety and smooth running of the festival. From stage building to fire safety, we do a bit of everything: Tech is the glue that pastes the festival together by fire and sometimes nuts and bolts.
You don’t need specific skills, only enthusiasm to learn! Whether you’re completely new to Beltane Fire Society, or you’ve been involved in more festivals than you can count, everyone is welcome in Tech: we’re to share knowledge, learn from each other and have a good time.
- Tech is a variable time commitment group. We’ll be having meetings on Sunday afternoons at our stores in Leith in the run up and will be involved with the build the day before the festival and the take down day after. Apart from a mandatory safety training session, and attendance at at least one walkthrough, there is a lot of flexibility about when you can help out.
- No financial contribution. You might want to consider buying safety boots if you want to be involved in certain tasks that require foot protection. However we do have a limited number of pairs that can be borrowed.
Open practice schedule
- Sunday 2nd March 2-4pm at 16 East Cromwell St, EH6 6HF (suggested that you contact us in advance but turning up is fine too) with meetings after this to be confirmed. Contact us to find out more. If you can’t make the open practice that’s fine, we’ll email with details of later sessions.
Drop us an email at tech@beltane.org or complete the form to find out more information about Tech and open practices.
Semi-open Groups
Ether
Group Organisers: Jess Lightfoot- ether@beltane.org
The space between everything and nothing .
The word witness is an extension of the word “wit”, which comes from old roots which can mean knowledge, understanding, or consciousness. That is something all us earthlings share, our Anima, animus or spirit.
Honoring the ever evolving consciousness of our festival
Ether will weave together the then, the now and the, what if…
Opening this medium intensity group to those who have held a court role in the past, come and share your understanding, come share your knowledge. Come be in sovereignty and tender service to yourselves and the community.
We will meet once a week in March and more in April. We will have a craft element to our group in the creation of a giant acorn! More on that later!
Open Projects
Fabric Sharing
Project Organisers: Alex, Simone, Marc – fabricsharing@beltane.org
Creating a costume is a big part of the Festival for many, and lots of us have built up a considerable stash of supplies, whilst others may not know where to start. We would like to facilitate sharing, reusing creatively, connecting through generosity, getting free stuff, and making it easier for everyone to make sustainable choices this Beltane!
We will be running two fabric swap events in the runup, on the 29th of March and the 14th of April. These will be a chance to bring fabric, props and other costume elements and offer them to others, and get some new-to-you things for your own costume or other projects. This festival, we’d also like to invite people to swap items such as water spray bottles and mirrors for use in your Getting Ready Space.
Even if you have nothing to swap, you’re still very welcome to come to collect items!
We’ll share more information about event logistics and what we have available to collect on social media, through GOs and in the society newsletter, but if you would like to get info directly to your inbox, please sign up to our mailing list here:
Kindling
Project Organiser: Hannah Smith – kindling@beltane.org
It’s the Beltane FIRE Society, and the Beltane FIRE Festival… but not everyone is comfortable to simply pick up and play with FIRE.
Fire groups might seem too much of a commitment as a complete newbie, maybe you had a stressful experience around fire, maybe you just have that normal evolutionary instinct to be wary of fire that the fire-spinners have trained themselves out of?
And yet… you’ve got a little spark of curiosity to try it?
This Project is for you!
I’m Hannah, I’ve GO’d multiple fire-spinning groups, and I’ve done around 8 performance groups that used fire in some form. I’m very confident in helping absolute beginners get comfortable handling and trying out various fire props (while unlit), I’ll give helpful tips and safety info for fire spinning, and I’ll happily help people try out a lit fire prop for the first time. I’ll provide a range of props and the safety equipment, you bring yourself.
If you know how to fire-spin, this is not the project for you. If you want to learn specific spinning tricks, it’s not that either. It’ll be a roughly 60-mins workshop of just getting used to handling fire toys and having a safe space to dip a toe into fire spinning, especially for those who are nervous or unsure. If you don’t want to try fire by the end, that’s fine too!
I previously ran this Project at Samhuinn and had to cut down the number of workshops I did because I was also GOing – this time, I’m not GOing, but the Beltane runup will have more ‘stuff’ going on generally. Therefore, one initial Kindling meeting will be in midMarch and more TBD
Please email kindling@beltane.org to register your interest and I’ll send out a Google Form to assess dates ASAP.
Story Circle
Project Organiser: Stew Wilson – storycircle@beltane.org
The Story Circle is an online project to get people used to telling stories. We’re going to be writing stories (with prompts) for those who want to create new tales or reinterpret old ones. We’re also going to look at techniques and tips for performing those stories in front of people.
We will be operating through Discord, with the option of video chats to share stories, but there’s no specific time commitment. As such you’re very welcome to join alongside other groups in the festival. As an online event it’s also perfect if you’re not in Edinburgh — or in the country — for Beltane itself but want to stay connected with the community and the themes of Beltane.
There is No bin
Project Organiser: Jess Lightfoot – thereisnobin@beltane.org
There is no bin …..think about that for a moment .
Are we aware of our impact on nature as a place we expect to “vanish” our waste into? Are we content in our choice to continue to unconsciously burden nature with our addiction to convenience? When in reality, there is no bin …. there is a choice, continue to turn a blind eye or to rewild.
In harmony with our theme this year, conscious Rewilding, I have been contemplating and considering how to fuse traditional tools for connectivity and growth with some of the issues of this time on our planet.
Climate change and waste management are real world issues, by taking on projects which bring attention and reshape these fundamental blindnesses in our way of life, we can grow. We could inspire change, we can reshape the smallest things which could have a big impact.
When we weave ancient traditions such as the celtic labyrinth of contemplation … into a contemplation within our consumption, what happens?
When we turn waste into the resources with which to make space for thoughtful art pieces, we align with some of the roots within Beltane Fire Society …why this society began in the first place…. anarchist art, performances that inspire people to think in ways that invoke connectivity….. there is magic there ✨️ let’s build it together ✨️
Shifting our awareness from “waste” to “resources”. What is then possible? This project leans into this by inviting everyone within the community to contribute , in an easy and accessible way, you’ll just be doing what you always do ….
Are you intrigued yet …….
More info coming soon….
Closed Projects
Call Horn
Details coming soon
Town Foxes
Scamper
Bark bark ack ack
Hallo
We have heard that there is some sort of festival on that there Hill at the end of April and we thought we’d go for a wee daunder and see what the fuss is about
We are town foxes, but city life is getting tiresome
So we’re very up for being rewilded
Also we hear that there is a Goddess and we’ve never seen a Goddess before but She sounds like our kind of people, we’d like to see Her
(also we heard that there will be humans and that therefore brings about the possibility of the presence of snacks and we like snacks)
100% of us live or work on the west coast
We’re not human tho
We are definitely foxes
(We may look a bit like big lit up lantern puppets but we’re definitely foxes)
Definitely not human
Bark bark ack ack yup yup
Byeeeee
Scamper
Beltane Fire Society 