Beltane Pagan Events in London & Elsewhere

Beltane, the Pagan festival for May Day is on May 1, but there are celebrations taking place during the weeks either side. Here are some of the events in London plus a few in other parts of southern England over that time that could be of interest to pagans. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at [email protected].

Now to Saturday 28 April; Esoteric Harlequinade. Sean Jefferson Art Exhibition. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Private preview on the evening of 13 April (ticketed event); exhibition normally open Monday-Saturday during shop hours, just pop in. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 25 April; Time to Meditate – group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 25 April; Psychic Self-Defence talk at Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: White Horse Pub, 33 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1HH (45 mins from central London). The pub does not have disabled access. This moot meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Thursday 26 April; Simply Being and Sparks. Talk by James Low. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 26 April; Earthstars Group Meeting – Return of the Goddess. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 4SH. Time: Doors open 7pm. Entry by donation. https://www.facebook.com/Earthstars-Sacred-Space-104790729559515/

Thursday 26 April, Blood in the Forest. Talks on fear and fantasy inspired by Britain’s ancient woodlands. Venue: William Morris Gallery, Forest Road, London E17 4PP. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £8/£12. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blood-in-the-forest-tickets-43403034645

Thursday 26 April; Forgetting Ourselves: Reflections on memory and identity. Talk by Professor Chris French at The London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Friday 27 April; Target. Talk by Jérôme Chouchan. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Friday 27 April; Rilko (Research Into Lost Knowledge) AGM followed by talk by John R Gordon on Working with the Elemental Landscape. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Doors open: 6.45pm. Entrance: £8/£10. Details: http://www.rilko.org/lectures-2018-spring/ or https://www.facebook.com/rilkotrust/

Friday 27 April; Holistic Sound Bath Meditation – Summoning The Sacred (weekly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 5-6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, London SE19 1TN. Time: 7pm. Entry £15/£13. https://www.facebook.com/summoningthesacredsound/

Friday 27 April; Seance: Spiritualist Ritual and the Search for Ectoplasm. An illustrated presentation with Shannon Taggart. Venue: Brompton Cemetery Chapel, Kensington, London, SW10 9UG. Time: 7pm. Tickets £12 including a Hendrick’s Gin cocktail. Details here: http://londonmonthofthedead.com/seanceshannon.html

Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 April; London Esoteric. Two days of talks, workshops and concerts focusing on the weird and wonderful. Subjects covered include telepathy, secret societies, LSD, theremins and a possible time machine. Venue: Brompton Cemetery Chapel, Kensington, London, SW10 9UG. Full list of the programme and ticket details here: http://londonmonthofthedead.com/londonesoterichome.html

Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 April; Kent Mind Body Spirit Festival. Venue: The Hop Farm, Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6PY. Starts 10am Saturday. Tickets £5. https://www.facebook.com/events/117607922242164/

Saturday 28 April; Study Day – Psi and Lucid Dreaming. Venue: Society for Psychical Research HQ, 1 Vernon Mews, London W14 0RL. Time: 10am-5.15pm. Tickets £38/£42. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Saturday 28 April; Crystal activation day – initiation into working with crystals through sound, meditation and elemental energies. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Starts: £10.30am. Tickets: £35.99 For further details contact [email protected] or call 0208 850 7803. https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/  or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk/events.html

Saturday 28 April; The Canterbury Mystical Market hosted by The Magical Times Magazine. Venue: The Westgate Hall, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2BT. Time: 11am-4pm. Tickets: £2.50 adults, kids free. www.mysticalarts.co.uk

Saturday 28 April; Beltane Ceremony with Watchers of the Old Ways. Venue: Rollright Stones, off the A3400,  Chipping Norton, OX7 5QB. Time: Arrive at 1pm for a picnic, ritual starts at 2pm. Entry £1. https://www.facebook.com/events/1737511456306410/

Saturday 28 April; Free and Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri Beltain ritual at Avebury Stone Circle, Avebury, Wiltshire, SN8 1RF. Time: 1.30pm. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/events/186958078480446/

Saturday 28 April; Dream Analysis and Interpretation Workshop with the Tarot and Esoteric Discovery Group. London venue to be confirmed. Time: 2.30pm. Entry: £7, but you must be a member of the meetup group and reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/Tarot-and-Esoteric-Discovery-Group/

Saturday 28 April; Dancing Under the Full Moon with Wild Women Gatherings London. Venue: Forest Hill (details sent to those attending – advance booking essential). Suggested donation from £10. Time: 6pm. https://www.meetup.com/WILD-WOMEN-CIRCLES-LONDON/

Sunday, 29 April; Shamanism and Evolving Consciousness. Venue: Neal’s Yard Meeting Rooms, 14 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP. Time: 10.15 to 5.30pm. £75. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanism-and-Evolving-Consciousness/

Sunday, 29 April Earth Day/May Day Celebration with Maypole dancing. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster, Havering, RM142XH. Time: 11am-3pm. Free entry. https://www.facebook.com/events/419501945169754/

Sunday, 29 April; Anderida Gorsedd Beltane open ritual at the Long Man of Wilmington, Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm for a walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards back to the Giants Rest pub in Wilmington for a social drink together. https://www.facebook.com/groups/anderidagorsedd/

Sunday, 29 April; Luna Iter – Journey of the moon- for Pagan and Wiccan Seekers with Luna Iter- Wiccan Seekers London NE. Pub moot followed by a ritual close to each full moon. Venue: Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, Hackney. Moot starts at 4.30pm, then at 6 pm moving to a historic site for the ritual. Fee: £4/£5. https://www.meetup.com/Luna-Iter-WiccanSeekersLondonNE/

Sunday, 29 April; Pink Scorpio Full Moon Sound Activation hosted by Tim Wheater and Cherub. Venue: The Pirate Castle, Oval Rd, London NW1 7EA. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets £20+ https://billetto.co.uk/en/e/scorpio-full-moon-sound-activation-with-reflexology-energy-healing-tickets-274077

Sunday 29 April; Full Moon Ceremony by the Thames with London Woodland Witches, Pagans and Ritual Magicians. Venue: Meet outside the Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG at 8pm. The ritual will be on the bank of the Thames before low tide and will start at 8.30pm promptly.· Wear outdoor clothes and bring food and drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Monday 30 April; Full Moon Peace Fires. Light a candle or fire for peace wherever you are in the world, for as short or long a time as you like between 10am and 6pm PDT (US) time, which is from 6pm UK time. You can light a candle just for an hour or so and state the intention: “Let there be peace on earth and love for one another.” Details: http://peacefires.org/

Monday 30 April; Peace in Our Time. Talk by Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss. Organised by Alternatives. Venue: St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL. Doors open 6.30pm. Talk starts: 7pm. Tickets £10/£15 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 30 April; Morgan le Fay, Legendary Witch Queen. Lecture by Dr Will Visconti. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm start. Tickets £9. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 30 April; Full Moon Magic Ceremony. Venue: Hazelwood Crescent, London, W10 5FT (Exact address will be provided after booking). Time: 7.15pm. Tickets: £16. http://uk.funzing.com/funz/full-moon-magic-ceremony-11769?

Tuesday 1 May; Wheel of the Year Festival – Flowering at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the well head for midday meditation until 12.30pm, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Tuesday 1 May; Fowlers Troop and the Deptford Jack in the Green will be in Deptford and Greenwich to celebrate May Day. The procession starts at the Dog and Bell, 116 Prince Street, London, SE8 3JD at about noon. Free event, join in when and where you like. Details: http://www.deptford-jack.org.uk/mayday2018.htm

Tuesday 1 May; Moonstone Magic with Wolf Sister. Venue: She’s Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Tuesday 1 May; Galatea talking on Egypt at Romford Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford, RM1 1HR. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4. https://www.facebook.com/events/169242483789220/

Tuesday 1 May; Witches’ Inn Beltain Gathering. Venue: Red Lion, 48 Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1DP. Starts at 8pm. Moots are the first Tuesday of each month. For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437/

Wednesday 2 May; Time to Meditate – group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 2 May; Heart Beat – Drumming Collective with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm – 8.30pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 2 May; The Strange Tale of Mary Overie at Southwark Cathedral. Storytelling with London Dreamtime and George Hoyle. Venue: Southwark Cathedral London Bridge, London SE1 9DA. Time: 7pm. Price: £10 via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-dreamtime-presents-the-strange-tale-of-mary-overie-at-southwark-cathedral-tickets-43606465111.  For more details, email [email protected] or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Thursday 3 May; Shamanic Healing. Talk by Itzhak Beery. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 3 May; Madame Blavatsky: Esoteric Philosopher. Talk by Gary Lachman. Venue: Carlyle’s House, 24 Cheyne Row, London SW3 5HL.  Time: 6.30pm. Tickets £15, including a glass of prosecco. www.acuriousinvitation.com

Thursday 3 May; The Wheel of the Year: Foundation of Pagan Spirituality. Lecture by Dr Jonathan Woolley. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm start. Tickets £9. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 3 May; PFL Beltane Open Ritual. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://pflondon.info/

Friday 4 May-7 May; Hastings Jack-in-the-Green Festival – traditional annual event to celebrate May with music, a procession, Morris Dancing, a May Queen and Jack-in-the-Green. Full four-day festival programme culminating on Bank Holiday Monday with the Jack-in-the-Green parade. For full details visit the festival website: http://www.hastingsjitg.co.uk/

Friday 4 May – 7 May; Beltane Fire Festival hosted by Intothewild. Venue: Coombe Wood, Broomlands, Cowden, TN8 7EA. Tickets: £99 adults. www.intothewildgathering.com

Friday 4 May – 7 May; Spirit of the Marsh Beltane Fire Gathering and festival. Spirit of the Marsh is a family gathering that aims to keep ancient traditions alive. It offers talks, workshops, music, meditations, Pagan ceremonies, children’s entertainment and the Beltane fire. www.spiritofthemarsh.com

Friday 4 May; Dreaming of a Divine Life. Talk by Joanne-Lee Philpot. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Friday 4 May; The Fifth Dimension and Alien Influence. Talk by Sonja Grace. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm – 8.30pm. Cost: £12/£14. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 4 May; Eagle Condor Drum Circle. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5. www.aho.community

Saturday 5-Monday 7 May; Rochester Sweeps Festival 2018. The Rochester Sweeps Festival celebrates the traditional May Day chimney sweep holiday with a three-day festival in the streets of Rochester, Medway, Kent. Includes Jack-in-the-Green, Morris dancers and live music. Free event. Details here: https://www.medway.gov.uk/sweepsfestival

Saturday 5 May; Beginning Dowsing – The Weird and Wonderful Simplified. Workshop with Christopher Strong. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 10am – 5pm. Cost: £75/£95. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 5 May; Dragon Conference 2018 hosted by Glastonbury Dragons and Shadow of the Tor. Venue: Town Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset. Time: 10am-6pm. Advance tickets cost £25 each, on the door £28 subject to availability. https://glastonburydragons.co.uk/dragon-conference-2018/

Saturday 5 May; International Dawn Chorus Day: listen to the bird life of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park with The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. Venue: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, The Soanes Centre, Southern Grove, London E3 4PX. Time: noon. Free event but you must register in advance. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birds-a-tower-hamlets-cemetery-park-soundcamp-2018-tickets-45290943431?

Saturday 5 May; Beltain Wickerman Festival 2018 at Butser Ancient Farm. Afternoon/evening of entertainment and refreshments culminating with the burning of the giant wickerman at dusk. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane, Chalton, Waterlooville, Hants, PO8 0BG.  Tickets: £17.50 per adult and £12.50 per child in advance. http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/

Saturday 5 May; Making Blended Incense. Workshop with Rebecca Beattie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 5 May; Woodland Beltane Gathering and Maypole Dancing 2018 with London Woodland Witches, Pagans and Ritual Magicians. Venue: Queen’s Woods, Highgate. Meet at The Woodmans’ pub at 2pm before leaving for the ritual site by 3pm.· Wear outdoor clothes and bring food and drink to share. Cost: £3. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Saturday 5 May; Ancient myth in the modern world: Madeline Miller, Kamila Shamsie and Bettany Hughes in conversation. BP Lecture Theatre , British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets £5/£3. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Sunday 6 May; Glastonbury Dragons May Fayre and Dragon Procession. Venue: various locations in Glastonbury, Somerset, throughout the day. Details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1164343210264976/permalink/1955346951164594/

Sunday 6 May; North West Kent Green Pagan Circle Moot. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Bromley, BR7 5NL. Time: 11am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Sunday 6 May; The British Museum and the Awakening of English Magic. Walking Tour with Caroline Wise organised by Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am. Ticket price £15. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 12 May; Pagan Federation Online Beltane Music Festival hosted by The Pagan Federation and Pagan Federation Disabilities Team. Starts at noon. https://www.facebook.com/events/159671141529981/

Saturday 12 May; The Power of Beltane. Workshop with Damian Allan. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 10am-5pm. Cost: £75/£95. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Note: I do not organise any of these events personally. Although I try to make sure my listings are accurate, I am not always aware of things like late changes, cancellations or ticket availability. Please contact the organisers before attending any event.

To read more posts like this visit A Bad Witch’s Blog at www.badwitch.co.uk