The Beltane Fire Society (BFS) is a cultural organisation that celebrates the ancient Celtic festival of Beltane through artistic and theatrical expression. 

We acknowledge that some far-right groups wish to misappropriate Celtic traditions for their own purposes, including advancing white supremacy and fuelling racial and religious hatred. As a result, we want to be clear that the BFS does not and will not endorse or support any form of hate or discrimination, whether in our leadership, our membership, our performances, or any other event that we organise or are taking part in. Anyone participating in any capacity is required to sign an agreement saying that they embrace these principles. 

To be clear, membership is not open to those: 

• who actively or tacitly hold far-right ideologies 
• who refuse to publicly condemn far-right ideology when the opportunity arises 
• who produce content for the far-right
• whose actions continue to support the far-right once informed of how that is happening

Our events are open to people of all cultures and inspirations. We strive to create an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally heterogeneous environment where everyone can celebrate the beauty and diversity of our shared cultural heritage. Although there are traditional Celtic roots to Beltane, our festival is a celebration for everyone and we welcome people who wish to celebrate their own cultural heritage as part of our festival, be it Celtic or otherwise. 

We are proud to bring together artists, performers, and participants from many different backgrounds and traditions to create a unique and vibrant expression of Beltane. Our festival is constantly being recreated and reimagined by our current participants. It is not a museum to the past but an ever-evolving ritual performance. We remain committed to promoting community, creativity, and artistic expression in Scotland, and we invite everyone who shares these values to join us in celebrating this ancient festival in their own way.

We do not tolerate intolerance, and will not enter into debate on this. We defer to 20th-century philosopher Karl Popper’s stance on intolerance that has come to be known as the Paradox of Intolerance: “in order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.” Such is the philosophy of the Beltane Fire Society’s Board of Trustees, and our community at large.

[Photo copyright Scott A. Winchester for Beltane Fire Society. Originally published September 1st, 2023]