Children of Artemis to hold Witchfest Market and Hallowe’en Ball

UK — The organizers of Britain’s biggest Pagan event, Witchfest, announced last year that it would not be hosting the festival in 2018. The announcement was made in October during the 2017 event, and it was stated that the cancellation was due to financial constraints. Merlyn said an “unexpected and sharp decrease in attendance was to blame for a lack of funds to finance the conference for 2018.” He told TWH: “Final numbers aren’t in yet, but we think our losses are in the thousands [of pounds].” Witchfest itself is run by its parent organization, the U.K.-based nonprofit organization Children of Artemis (CoA).

2017 Wild Hunt retrospective

TWH – Now that the season has turned and we are nearing the end of the 2017, we look back, one last time, to review this historic year. What happened? What didn’t happen? What events shaped our thoughts and guided our actions? In our collective worlds, both big and small, what were the major discussions?

Witchfest International 2018 cancelled due to financial challenges

BRIGHTON, U.K. – Organizers of Witchfest International, the largest Pagan conference held in the UK, announced last Saturday that they were cancelling the 2018 event due to financial challenges. The announcement was made by Merlyn, one of the organizers, directly before headliner Professor Ronald Hutton presented at this year’s conference. Merlyn said an unexpected and sharp decrease in attendance was to blame for a lack of funds to finance the conference for 2018, but he added that plans were in the works for the conference to return in 2019. “Final numbers aren’t in yet, but we think our losses are in the thousands [of pounds],” said Merlyn. Witchfest International, run by The Children of Artemis, typically attracts around 3000 attendees and is held in the Brighton Centre in the seaside town of Brighton.

Pagan Community Notes: Mexico City, ADF, Fort Hood turns 20 and more

MEXICO CITY – Nearly a week since a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Mexico City, there are still people missing amid rubble of the reported 3,848 damaged buildings, 38 collapsed. Rescue parties desperately search for anyone buried alive, as time and hope runs out. The death toll reportedly stands at 325. Wild Hunt columnist Jaime Gironés lives in Mexico City and was home when the quake hit. He said, “I was in my kitchen when everything started shaking like a blender, seconds later I heard my husband entering the house and screaming my name, we left the house and joined the crowded and chaos in the street.”