A gathering for ritual and learning in European traditional spiritualities
[SOLD OUT - CLICK THROUGH TO JOIN THE WAITLIST]
Biggar, Scotland, July 27-30
all-inclusive £585
Pagan Camp is a gathering for ritual, celebration and learning in traditional European spiritualities between people of all backgrounds. It is curated and hosted by pagan educator Danica Boyce, and facilitated by ceremonialists and knowledge-bearers from the Celtic, Baltic, and Germanic traditions.
Pagan Camp will take place across three days under a Lughnasa full moon at the foot of historic Tinto Hill (Gaelic Teinnteach — Hill of Fire), at the top of which stands one of the largest Bronze Age burial cairns in Scotland.
We invite you to gather together in this potent place and time from the many lands to bless one another and the living world with ancient devotions and newfound kinship.
location
Pagan Camp will be held at Wiston Lodge, a beautiful and spacious Victorian Lodge just an hour's drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow on a 53-acre estate of landscaped and forested land.
The Lodge, where most participants will stay, offers beds with sheets and duvets and plenty of pleasant heated gathering spaces for workshops and relaxation.
There is also a camping area with heated cabins and tenting spaces, both with access to toilets and showers.
We will have the use of a covered fire pit so we can gather around the communal fire in comfort if it rains.
Pagan Camp will be fully catered by Wiston Lodge, including bottomless tea, coffee and cookies available throughout the day.
What is paganism?
Paganism is a name given to diverse traditional European spiritualities, typified by a set of connection-building practices which precede the advent of Christianity, and in various ways remained following “official” Christianization.
These practices are found not only in Europe, but among the historical cultures of all humankind. They include offering-making, shared ceremony and creative arts, seasonal celebration and custom, animism — communication and kinship with non-human beings like animals, plants and trees, stone, earth, and celestial bodies like the sun and moon — and polytheism, communication with multiple gods.
Not all pagans will identify with all of these practices, and not all who engage in these practices would identify as pagan. Nevertheless, all who are interested in or curious about any these practices are welcome at Pagan Camp!
Paganism is diverse, non-dogmatic and non-prescriptive. Though the folklore that sometimes informs modern pagan practice can be rooted in regional cultures, the event organizers believe that the ancient sacred myths, texts and practices that inform modern paganism are common human resources, with no nationality or ethnicity held above any other.
choose your ticket
bed in lodge or cabin with catering
£585
With this ticket you secure a bed inside of Wiston Lodge or one of the onsite cabins. Both locations are heated and have indoor shared bathrooms, and bedding is included. Because this is dorm-style accommodation, it is possible there will be someone in a bunk above or below you. Food is included and will be served inside at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day. Gendered room-sharing preferences will be accounted for.
camping with catering
£460
With this ticket you secure a place to pitch a tent on a lawn with bathroom and showers nearby. You must bring your own tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and towel. Food is included and will be served inside Wiston Lodge at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day.
Please read our terms and conditions at checkout before purchasing (after pressing “book” button below).
Because we have priced them as low as possible, tickets are non-refundable.
If you need an option that’s not listed here, please email us and we will let you know if it is possible. Children are welcome, but admission is by special arrangement, and parents must supervise them at all times.
Please be advised:
Pagan Camp is explicitly and commitedly anti-racist, feminist, and inclusive of all ethnicities, sexualities, and genders (including trans and gender-creative people).
Anyone expressing racist, anti-trans or otherwise intolerant views will be asked to leave.
Lughnasa is an ancient three-day Celtic celebration of the first grain and berry harvest at the height of summer.
It was named for the god Lugh, who Irish and Scottish folklore suggests wrestled the golden grain from the dark god Crom Dubh who held it imprisoned underground all winter.
This was a time for offerings of the first harvest fruits, inter-tribal gatherings, hill-climbing, berry-picking and sharing, mock battles, and handfastings.
Lughnasa is special among pagan holidays in that it is very present-oriented: it is a time to focus on gratitude for what we have, to cultivate and celebrate connection with our multi-ethnic pagan and animistic community.
meet pagan camp’s facilitators
Danica Boyce (BA, MA, BEd) is Pagan Camp’s primary organizer.
She is a paganism and folklore educator, writer and singer with a unique vision of revival of tradition rooted in unravelling imperial and colonial cultural norms. She is the creator of the decade-running Fair Folk Podcast, a research-based show sharing sacred folk and song traditions of northern Europe. She has written two books on paganism and folklore, one for adults and one for children (co-authored with Phoebe Wahl), both of which will be released this autumn with respected publishers Hyldyr and Chronicle Books.
Danica teaches courses and workshops on paganism, folklore, folksong and creativity. Her facilitation prioritizes integrity, inclusivity, and evidence-based practice. She is currently training in wedding and child blessing ceremonies at the School of Celebrancy with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.
You can find her writing on her mailing list, Enthusiastica. Her instagram is @danica.boyce.
Photo: Kaja Balejko
Haukur Bragason (B.Ed., MA) is an Icelandic goði (priest/chieftain) of norse paganism.
For the last 15 years he has conducted hundreds of legal wedding ceremonies, namegivings, funerals and other ceremonies along with many blót rituals. Norse paganism (heathenry, ásatrú) has lived with the Icelandic nation for the 1150 years since the island was settled, appearing in the Icelandic Sagas and more prominently in the Eddas. The association Haukur is part of started a revival of the old traditions over fifty years ago and close to 2% of the Icelandic population are registered members.
Photo: Bragi Thor
Haukur is an editor specializing in Icelandic publishing and marketing, and a part-time university teacher. He used to be a ranger and a tour guide. He co-hosts a podcast on equal rights and inclusivity. His Instagram is @haukurbragason.
Photo by Caroline McKintosh
Sarah LONG is a Druid, holder of ritual and ceremony, artist and poet.
She has been exploring the path of Druidry and celebrating the wheel of the year for over 30 years, and carries a deep devotion and reverence for Mother Earth. She is a celebrant for handfastings, marriages, funerals and naming ceremonies. She has been involved with opening and closing Medicine Festival as part of the OBOD (order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids) team, and at the last festival spoke for fire on behalf of the Celtic nations in the Lughnasadh peace ceremony. She has spent many years making pilgrimage to sacred sites, holding space around the fire, and sharing stories, songs, and chants. She weaves her magic in the mundane through organic gardening and her love of plants and the divine feminine. She has lived on the isle of Iona, is a Keeper of the Sacred flame of Brigid, and is passionate about connecting to ancient myth through landscape and sacred sites. Recently she has led pilgrimages to follow in the footsteps of the sixth-century Merlin of the Scottish Borders.
Sarah creates warm and welcoming spaces, allowing people to feel at ease and encouraging their own inspiration to flow. She has a generous spirit and a great gift of offering blessings. She will be hosting a Lughnasadh ceremony as part of the camp with her own brewed mead as a tribute to the land.
Ignas Šatkauskas (PhD) is a vaidila (priest) of the native Lithuanian religion Romuva.
He often performs opening and closing rituals at open-air festivals and regularly accompanies the Krivė (High Priestess) of Romuva during marriage and child-blessing ceremonies.
He holds a PhD in philosophy, in which he focused on the phenomenology of attention (how attention works). His recent academic work has focused on the representation of indigenous Baltic folklore and myth in anthropology, specifically Lithuanian folk magic and verbal charms. This work has paved the way for a new interpretation of key historical sources on native Lithuanian religion.
Ignas is a bagpiper, and plays the pipes in ceremonial contexts. His current musical project Iltys fuses traditional Lithuanian music and song with electronic sounds.
You can listen to Danica Boyce’s interview with Ignas on Fair Folk Podcast, A Priest and a Piper.
Dougie Mackay is one of Scotland’s most prominent traditional storytellers
Raised in the Scottish highlands and mentored by some of Scotland’s last seanachie, he explores the interface between story, land and culture, community, ritual and myth. Leading wolf tracking expeditions and salmon of wisdom ceremonial weekends, deep nature connection, the power of the word and sensitivity to spirit of place are central to his practice and storytelling.
Dougie creates the Tales for our Times podcast and will help ground Pagan Camp in connection to Scottish and Celtic mythology and animism in our ceremonial and workshop contexts.
Annie Schermer is a multidisciplinary artist and teacher.
She has spent many years steeping in folk and traditional music in the U.S. and her work in folk groups West of Roan and Doran has earned international acclaim, such as her duo West of Roan’s inclusion in Guardian Magazine’s 10 Best Folk Albums of 2024.
Annie’s gentle and welcoming approach to teaching is rooted in deep desire to build and reclaim a culture of singing and music-making that belongs to everyone.
Prospective Schedule
Subject to change
Monday, July 27
1 PM - 3 PM: check-in
3 PM - 4 PM: free time and self-orientation
4 PM - 6 PM: opening gathering
6 PM - 7 PM: dinner
7 PM - 9 PM: ceremony
Tuesday, July 28
8 AM - 9 AM: breakfast
10 AM - 4 PM: Hike up Tinto Hill (TBD) or workshops / ceremonies
4 PM - 6 PM: free time
6 PM - 7 PM: dinner
7 PM - 9 PM: ceremony
Wednesday, July 29
8 AM - 9 AM: breakfast
9 AM - 12 PM: workshops / ceremonies
12 PM - 1 PM: lunch
1 PM - 4 PM: workshops / ceremonies
4 PM - 6 PM: free time
6 PM - 7 PM: dinner
7 PM - 9 PM: ceremony
Thursday, July 30
8 AM - 9 AM: breakfast
9 AM - 11 AM: closing ceremony
12 PM: departure
Your pagan camp checklist
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Will you stay inside the lodge or will you bring your own tent and bedding for camping? Please contact us at pagancamp2026 [at] gmail.com if you have special rooming needs beyond those listed above and we will let you know if we can accommodate them.
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Your intake form is confirmation of your purchase. This form will help us make sure we can accommodate you properly for your visit. As the event draws nearer, we will have less time to follow up on missed forms, and you may miss out on getting what you need. Best to fill out the form right after you make your purchase.
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Click the link below your chosen spot to make payment or set up a payment plan. Spaces, especially those located inside the lodge, are limited. Please carefully read the terms and conditions, as full refunds will not be available after purchase. If you must cancel you will be responsible for re-selling your ticket if you wish to re-coup the cost.
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We'd recommend booking your transportation to and from the event as soon as possible, to ensure you can arrive without any complications or delays, and to take advantage of low cost flights while they last! We will arrange a shuttle to and from Lanark bus and train station for those who are traveling by public transit from the airport or elsewhere.
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You’ve done the hard part! Now pack your toothbrush, a rain jacket (pray we don’t need it), a towel and your walking shoes and we will see you there!
If you’ve booked a tenting spot, you will need to bring everything you need for camping as well.
We can’t wait to welcome you there.
F.A.Q.
How do I get there?
Wiston Lodge is in South Lanarkshire, about 20 minute’s drive from the Lanark bus and train station. You can get to Lanark bus and train station from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports on public transit.
We will be sending a small shuttle to Lanark bus and train station during checkin and checkout hours to pick people up who have arrived by public transit.
You can also type "Wiston Lodge, Millrigg Rd, Wiston, Biggar ML12 6HT Scotland” (or just “Wiston Lodge”) into Google Maps and it will tell you how to drive there.
I don’t call myself pagan. Can I come?
As long as you are open to engaging in some of the practices outlined in the definition of paganism shared above, you are very welcome to come! All ceremonies and workshops will be optional, though we hope you will participate in many.
Is this an adults-only event?
The programming of the event will be aimed at adults but participants may bring children by special request. There will be no childcare or children’s programming provided. We have limited options for private rooms and pricing for children will vary based on age, so please email us to arrange. Parents must be responsible for supervision any children at all times.
choose your ticket
bed in lodge or cabin with catering
£585
With this ticket you secure a bed inside of Wiston Lodge or one of the onsite cabins. Both locations are heated and have indoor shared bathrooms, and bedding is included. Because this is dorm-style accommodation, it is possible there will be someone in a bunk above or below you. Food is included and will be served inside at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day. Gendered room-sharing preferences will be accounted for.
camping with catering
£460
With this ticket you secure a place to pitch a tent on a lawn with bathroom and showers nearby. You must bring your own tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and towel. Food is included and will be served inside Wiston Lodge at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day.
Please read our terms and conditions at checkout before purchasing (after pressing “book” button below).
Because we have priced them as low as possible, tickets are non-refundable.
If you need an option that’s not listed here, please email us and we will let you know if it is possible. Children are welcome, but admission is by special arrangement, and parents must supervise them at all times.