Pagan Fringe 2024 in Review and Looking Ahead

Before sharing our exciting plans for 2025, I want to reflect on what the Pagan Fringe community achieved together in 2024. From Midsummer to Midsummer, we created spaces for learning, celebration, and connection that reached both our local Western Sydney community and beyond.

Our in-person gatherings brought together practitioners at every level of experience. From our Midsummer celebrations that drew up to 45 participants for each one, to intimate bushwalks with 10 people, to educational book circles that engaged 30 learners over two months – each event strengthened our community bonds. Seasonal celebrations like our Autumn Equinox ritual and Imbolc picnic (up to 20 participants each) helped us mark the wheel of the year together.

Perhaps most significantly, we’ve seen our reach extend well beyond our physical gatherings. With 2,500 views and 1,200 unique visitors to our website – most finding us through organic search – we’re clearly filling a need in the wider pagan community. This online growth tells us that more people are seeking the kind of inclusive, accessible pagan spaces we strive to create. We’ve also collaborated with students from Sydney University on various projects as well to assist in connecting folks with others in the wider pagan community.

One piece of feedback that particularly resonates is how our events create safe and comfortable spaces for everyone, including members of our neurodivergent community. Making witchcraft and spiritual practices accessible to folks with autism and ADHD has become a cornerstone of our approach, and this will continue to guide our future offerings.

Plans for 2025: Building on Our Foundation

Many of you have asked about upcoming plans for the Pagan Fringe in 2025. Building on the successes and lessons of 2024, I’m excited to share our intentions for the coming year. For transparency, these plans will unfold as my energy and capacity allow. If you’re not familiar with the term “spoons” and how it is used, it refers to the concept of spoon theory – a metaphor for managing daily energy with chronic illness or neurodivergence, where each task requires a certain number of “spoons” (units of energy) from your limited daily supply. Everyone’s spoons are limited, including mine. Despite this, I still have things I’d like to share with the Western Sydney witchcraft community.

Educational Workshops: Accessible Learning for All

Building on the success of our 2024 book/reading circles, we’re evolving our educational offerings with a focus on accessibility and neurodivergent-friendly spaces. While our previous format explored classic Wiccan and witchcraft texts, we’ve learned that the magic lies not just in what we teach, but in how we create inclusive learning environments. Whether we’re holding a ritual, leading a bushwalk, or facilitating a workshop, our priority is making these spaces welcoming and accessible to everyone, regardless of their approach to witchcraft or spirituality.

One of our first workshops in 2025 will focus on an essential topic: identifying and recognising safer pagan and witchcraft groups. This workshop will provide valuable tools for both newcomers and experienced practitioners to recognise healthy community spaces and avoid potential harmful situations.

These educational offerings will be available through multiple channels:

• Independent events hosted by the Pagan Fringe
• Collaborative events with other groups, organisations, or folks in the community
• Online sessions parallel to in-person gatherings

We’re particularly committed to developing our online presence to ensure those who can’t attend physical events can still actively participate in our community. Our YouTube channel has been established, and there are private links there if you missed out on the 2024 Book Circles in person.

Witchy Death Café: Opening Sacred Conversations

March 2025 will see the launch of our Witchy Death Café – a unique ‘space’ for discussing death, dying, and mortality through a magical lens. While many practitioners work with ancestors and death magic, we’ve noticed a gap in how we approach conversations about our own mortality and end-of-life journeys.

As part of the broader Death Café movement, these gatherings aim to normalize discussions about death while adding a specific focus for magical practitioners. These aren’t commercial events – they’re opportunities for witches, pagans, and occultists to explore death-related topics in a supportive, open environment. We plan to host our first two sessions in March and April 2025.

Rituals and Celebrations

A highlight of our 2025 calendar will be our Samhain celebration at the end of April. This event will build on themes explored in our Death Café discussions, creating a meaningful space for honouring ancestors and exploring the thin veil between worlds. Additional rituals may be announced throughout the year as energy and capacity allow.

Community Social Gatherings

We’ll continue hosting social events for the Western Sydney witchcraft community, though more selectively than in previous years. These gatherings provide valuable opportunities for connection and knowledge-sharing, complementing similar events offered by other local groups.

Looking back at 2024 and forward to 2025, our commitment remains unchanged: creating accessible, meaningful spaces for learning and connection within our community. The growth we’ve seen this past year shows there’s a real need for inclusive, thoughtful pagan spaces in Western Sydney and beyond. We’re excited to continue this journey with you all.

Stay tuned for specific dates and details for each event – we’ll announce them as they’re confirmed. You can subscribe to our email list if you’d like to stay updated in the New Year.