Reflections on Pan Pagan

My first Pan Pagan festival happened sometime between 1990 and 1991. I attended my first pagan festival at Lothlorien, in central Indiana, in 1989 and I fell in love with festivals. Festivals, and the Festival Movement, were a way to meet other pagans in a natural setting and share what it was to be pagan with others of a like mind.

That first Pan Pagan festival took place in Plymouth, Indiana, self-proclaimed Blueberry Capital of the world. It was four days of sun, fun, ritual, workshops, and sharing. Pan Pagan was sponsored by the Midwest Pagan Council and the host was Stanley Modrzyk.

Every attendee was required to donate two hours of their time to the festival, and it was its own little community for four glorious days. Over the years, I attended time and time again, and I can probably count on one hand the number of festivals I missed. It was home from home.

Living  in many worlds

During the 90s, I was working in Chicago, in the Loop. When Pan Pagan rolled around and after work, I would drive from Chicago to Plymouth and spend the night, only to return to my Loop job the next morning. I found a local motel that would let me shower for $15 and I would arise, go to this hotel, shower, and then drive the two hours to work. I was commuting to and from  a pagan festival!

Over the years, the venue changed, and the festival continued. It retained the distinction of being the longest running pagan festival in North America. Over time, the venue changed several times and the attendance also changed. Gone were the days of large, Pan Pagan festivals and these were replaced by equally vibrant festivals of lesser people, but equal intensity.

Continuance

At some point, the festivals moved to a location near the Blueberry capital of the world and stayed there for many years, until a few years ago. Stanley, always the host of these festivals, passed away unexpectedly in 2014. His wife Dorie and daughter Lizzy kept the festival alive, much in the spirit of Stanley. It remains one of my favourite festivals anywhere.

Last year, the festival moved to a smaller, more out-of-the-way venue and attendance was very slight. I had to cancel my attendance at the last minute, but there were concerns for the continuance of Pan Pagan into the future.

A change of presentation

Then, this year, MPC made an unexpected change of venue decision. The festival was held in a hotel in lovely Decatur, Illinois. North America’s longest running outdoor festival moved indoor!

I had watched attendance slowly move downwards over the years. Some years, it seemed as though there were 40 or less people. While the festival still presented interesting workshops and rituals, the lack of attendance gave me pause for concern. How long could this go on?

The hotel in Decatur was very nice. The festival location comprised of a workshop / ritual room and a rather large vending room. While it was different having a hotel as the festival backdrop as opposed to trees, a stream, and the breezes that blow (and the rains that fall, the mosquitos that bite, and the relentless heat), it was still Pan Pagan after all. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the opening rite.

Out and In

While it was different to not be camping, it was a new, emergent Pan Pagan paradigm of being indoors for festival as opposed to on a field, among trees, the wind, and a stream nearby. The same comradery was there, the same workshops, the same shared sense of history that has stretched across the decades.

Whereas declining attendance had been a concern, this Pan Pagan resulted in a more than doubling of the previous numbers. In addition, while there were familiar faces, there were also a lot of new faces, new to not only Pan Pagan, but to festivals in general. While it is unfortunate that some previous attendees might not be able to attend, the change in attendance is a good sign for hotel festivals in general, but also for Pan Pagan in particular.

Tomorrow never knows

One can never tell what tomorrow – or next year – will bring. I remain hopeful for Pan Pagan’s continuance, not only for long time attendees, but for new people as well. I look forward, as always, to next year’s Pan Pagan Festival.