A modern pagan festival is a celebration that often honors nature, the Earth, and deities or spirits, often held at points in the year related to seasonal changes or astronomical events like solstices and equinoxes. These festivals may involve rituals like offerings, feasts, or practices like divination, and they are a way for modern pagans to connect with the rhythms of the planet and their spiritual traditions.

Firelight Gathering is small, intimate, cozy Pagan gathering nestled in the welcoming spirit of Whispering Pines, a campground in Eastern Ontario. It started with a yearning to return to Whispering Pines to camp with a spiritual community and blossomed into much, much more quite overnight. Over time, Firelight Gathering started to evolve organically, mainly due to those people who became regulars year after year. Today, Firelight Gathering features the following:

  • A sacred firepit that smolders during the day and blossoms at night
  • Drumming and dancing around the main firepit, and all are welcome to add to the rhythms!
  • Workshops offered by local community members
  • On-site vendors that feature local artisans
  • Community Potluck on Saturday night, including the mysteriously vegetarian Stone Soup
  • The ever-entertaining Saturday night Bardic
  • The Fairy Tea Garden where you can be served a pot of tea with scones by real(ish) fairies!

For more information about what you can expect from a Pagan festival and how to prepare for your experience, explore these articles:

Firelight Staff

  • Main Bottle Washer: JD “Hobbes” Hickey
  • Registration Regents: Caycee Price
  • Safety Maven: Shahna Summers
  • Vendor Vixen: Louise Baron
  • Firekeepers: Patrick and Amelie

Edition History

Eleventh Edition: August 14th to 17th, 2025

Tenth Edition: August 15th to 18th, 2024
Nineth Edition: August 17th to 20th, 2023
Eighth Edition: August 18th to 21, 2022
August 2021: Canceled due to Covid
August 2020: Canceled due to Covid
Seventh Edition: August 16th to 18th, 2019
Sixth Edition: August 17th to 19th, 2018
Fifth Edition: August 18th to 20th, 2017
Fourth Edition: August 19th to 21st, 2016
Third Edition: August 14th to 16th, 2015
Second Edition: August 15th to 17th, 2014
First Edition: August 16 to August 18, 2013