The Pan Pagan Festival is one of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

's first and longest running nature spirituality festivals, organized by the Midwest Pagan Council that spans from Wednesday through Sunday of the first full week of August every year. The first Pan Pagan festival was held in 1976 as a way of bringing different groups together to share knowledge and experience. The festival grew each year until 1980 which was the largest Pagan gathering ever held up to that time. Attendance was almost 800 Pagans! Virtually anyone who was anyone was there including: Raymond Buckland

Raymond Buckland

Raymond Buckland , whose craft name is Robat, is an English American writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca, of which he is a High Priest in both the Gardnerian and Seax traditions.According to his written works, primarily Witchcraft from the...

, Isaac Bonewits

Isaac Bonewits

Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic. He was also a liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded the Druidic organisation Ár nDraíocht Féin, as well as the Neopagan civil rights group, the Aquarian...

, Z Budapest, Herman Slater

Herman Slater

Herman Slater was an American Wiccan high priest and occult-bookstore proprietor as well as an editor, publisher, and author. He died of AIDS in 1992. - Beginnings :...

, Prudence Priest, Margot Adler

Margot Adler

Margot Adler is an author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio .- Early life :Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City...

, Selena Fox

Selena Fox

Selena Fox is a Wiccan priestess and activist, psychotherapist, self-published author and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism, Wicca, New Age and comparative religion.- Circle :Rev...

 and more! From this Pan Pagan other festivals grew including Circle's Pagan Spirit Gathering

Pagan Spirit Gathering

The Pagan Spirit Gathering is one of the United States's oldest and largest nature spirituality festivals, organized by Circle Sanctuary...

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The Midwest Pagan Council has just finished hosting its 34th annual Pan Pagan Festival, August 4–8, 2010 and is settling in to start work on its 35th Festival, August 3-7th, 2011.

Rituals

There are three rituals that are a constant at the Pan Pagan Festival, including:

• Opening Ritual—Wednesday Afternoon
• Main Ritual—Saturday Night
• Closing Rituals—Sunday Afternoon

For programing, we are always more than happy to have our attendees schedule their own rituals to host at the fest so long as they don't line up with our three main rituals. Some of the rituals we've had at PPF are:

• The Hymn to Ra
• Winnie the Pooh Ritual

Children, teens, and young elders

PPF always has extensive programing for people of all ages, crafts and scavenger hunts for children to workshops on herbs, crystals, and home remedies for your aches and pains.

Certain events go down every year though and they are as followed:

• Opening Ritual is the only thing scheduled for Wednesday. Namely because we want people to be able to arrive and relax as they set up their tents and settle in.

• Town Meeting is held every morning of the fest. Come get coffee and get appraised of changes to the schedule and what's been going on around camp that you might have missed.

• Meet & Greet is held Thursday night. Everyone introduces themselves, the council supplies a limited supply of beer, wine, and soda as well as snacks to help produce mingling.

• The Annual Duck Races are held Friday morning. Whether you're a kid or just a kid at heart, try your hand at getting your duck to be the first down the slip 'n' slide.

• The Follies are held Friday night. Whether you have talent or just think you do, we welcome one and all to entertain us for the night. We've had everything from belly dancing to singing, from poetry to band members perform, to children even burping the alphabet. No talent is denied. There's also always the chance that the Polish Pope might show up with his new Acolyte.

• Scavenger Hunt for kids is held Saturday morning. Your lovely fest coordinator and the MPC secretary hides a few fun things around the camp and the kids get to team up and find them. And yes, there are prizes at the end of this game.

• Auction & Raffle are Saturday late afternoon. The vendors are asked to donate one item from their shop, though you don't have to be a vendor to donate items to the raffle and auction. All money raised goes to the MPC to help offset the costs of holding next years PPF.

• FEAST! That's right. We feed you. Saturday night, the council supplies an assortment of locally grown fruit (more delicious than you'd think, really), cheeses, veggies, a vegetarian dish for vegetarians, corn, and a pork roast that is absolutely mouth watering. The only things we don't supply are what you eat the delicious food with and drinks.

• Main Ritual is held Saturday night. Each one is unqiue and different but no less amazing and they always end in the bonfire. The bonfires are usually built chimney style by our resident Leo and before being burned reach between six to seven feet in height and are amazing before, during, and after they burn. Drumming, dancing, and fire jumping (once the fire has fallen) take place after the bonfire has been lit.

• Closing Ritual is held Sunday afternoon. A farewell and a goodbye but never an end, for there is always next year.

Safety & rules

We are a pet friendly fest.

• Pets must be leashed at all times during the fest. Yes, this means even cats. Your festival coordinator has pictures to prove that cats can be harnessed and leashed just like any dog and we do expect them to be.
• You are expected to clean up after your pets. We have people and small children running about.
• You are asked to keep the noise level of your pets down. Over excited barking because one dog sees another dog is expected but not for the entirety of the fest and not after quiet hours.

Fires

• Fires at your campsite are encouraged to be kept in a fire ring.
• Practice fire safety.
• We also encourage people to share fires. This leads to mingling, friendships, and a lot of nights an amazing drumming circle.

The area in general

• The campground does have a pool, so we ask that adults accompany their children when in use.
• We ask that everyone wear shoes.
• Cigarette butts are to be field stripped, thrown in a trash bag, or burned at personal fires only.

Vending

A large number of vendors come to PPF each year selling Pagan festival a'coutrement of all sorts.

Ending

When the week is through, everyone packs up their tents and says good-bye for an entire year.

Themes

Every year, Pan Pagan has a theme to go along with the year. The theme helps to give what the artwork for the year should revolve around. Here's a list of themes from the past twenty-five years.

• PPF-34 (2010) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Sharing Traditions, As One!

• PPF-33 (2009) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Community Starts Here!

• PPF-32 (2008) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Share The Labor, Share The Love!

• PPF-31 (2007) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Around The Wheel & Back Again

• PPF-30 (2006) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: 30 Years Of Growth

• PPF-29 (2005) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Strength Through Diversity

• PPF-28 (2004) Held At: Rising Sun Campground in Indiana

Theme: Unity Through Diversity

• PPF-27 (2003) Held At: 3-D Campground in Indiana

Theme: We Make A Bountiful Harvest

• PPF-26 (2002) Held At: 3-D Campground in Indiana

Theme: Caretakers Of The Garden

• PPF-25 (2001) Held At: 3-D Campground in Indiana

Theme: 25 Magickal Years

• PPF-24 (2000) Held At: 3-D Campground in Indiana

Theme: Flowing Forever Forward

• PPF-23 (1999) Held At: 3-D Campground in Indiana

Theme: We Dream The Future

• PPF-22 (1998) Held At: MPC Land in Indiana

Theme: Harmony Through Family

• PPF-21 (1997) Held At: MPC Land in Indiana

Theme: From The Goddess Into Our Care, This Land Is Ours

• PPF-20 (1996) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: Making Pagan History

• PPF-19 (1995) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: We Make The Magick Come Alive

• PPF-18 (1994) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: Realize A Bright Tomorrow Thru Our Ties With The Past

• PPF-17 (1993) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: From Times Beginning To Times End, Our Circles Always Blend

• PPF-16 (1992) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: Blossoming Forth With Love

• PPF-15 (1991) Held At: Timber Trails Campground in Indiana

Theme: Regenerated And Growing Anew

• PPF-14 (1990) Held At: Campground in Yorkville, Illinois

Theme: To/Gather, Again

• PPF-13 (1989) Held At: Circle Pines in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Theme: - NO THEME SHOWN -

• PPF-12 (1988) Held At: Circle Pines in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Theme: - NO THEME SHOWN -

• PPF-11 (1987) Held At: Lake Eliza in Indiana

Theme: - NO THEME SHOWN -

• PPF-10 (1986) Held At: Lake Eliza in Indiana

Theme: We've Come A Long Way Lady, 10 Years Young And Growing

• PPF-9 (1985) Held At: Lake Eliza in Indiana

Theme: Life Is Unity Is Life