Paganicon – a new hotel convention for the Midwest!

If you’re anything like me, sometimes it can be… well, inconvenient to go camping. You need tents, coolers, sleeping bags, camping stoves…and you might even get dirty! Well, for those of us who love nature but also appreciate soft sheets and comfortable beds, there are hotel conventions. I’ve been to many hotel conventions, all of which had something valuable to offer: ConVocation, the now defunct Real Witches’ Ball, Between the Worlds, and of course my favorite, PantheaCon.

Well… here’s some very exciting news for us hotel-goers! There is an all-new Pagan hotel convention launching this year in Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area of Minnesota: Paganicon. The dates are Mar. 25-27 and the location is the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park, just outside of downtown Mpls. It’s close to lots of restaurants and grocery stores for those who like to stretch their legs, and the hotel restaurant also caters to special needs, for those of you with restrictions or allergies.

Author John Michael Greer

Most exciting of all is that I can now announce that Llewellyn is a dedicated sponsor of this event, bringing John Michael Greer all the way from Maryland to be the guest of honor! (Also: we’ll be putting some pretty good goodies in your registration bags!) He will be giving a keynote address on “Paganism and the Future,” a workshop and ritual entitled “The Magical Mesocosm”, in which he constructs a symbolic mesocosm to bridge the divide between the macrocosm (the universe) and the microcosm (the indivual), a book signing, and he’ll also participate in a panel discussion on Paganism and environmental issues. If you’ve ever read his Archdruid Report blog, you’ll know that he is extremely learned in the issues facing our post-peak oil civilization.

Due to timing issues (the convention gobbling up his whole weekend), Greer will not be able to make an off-site appearance at any local bookstores. So if you want to see him, you’ll have to come to Paganicon!

Paganicon is a registration-only event, which means you must register online (or by mail) by March 4 if you want to attend; there may be some last-minute tickets after that at a higher price, but they will not be selling tickets at the door. So please plan ahead and plan to be there! Registration is just $60 ($75 after March 4 deadline), which includes all programming, musical entertainment (Kari Tauring, Drew Miller from Boiled in Lead, Bedlam, and Murphy’s Midnight Rounders), a dessert buffet on Saturday night, a Sunday afternoon tea, and access to the hospitality suite for the duration of the con. The Doubletree is offering great rates of just $87 per night for a standard room, so take advantage of it and make it a magical weekend surrounded by our vibrant community.

We are just 4-5 hours from Madison, WI, 6 hours from Milwaukee, 7.5 hours from Chicago, 4 hours from Fargo, 4.5 hours from Sioux Falls, 4 hours from Des Moines, and 6 hours from Omaha. Trust me… if you’ve never connected with a large group of Pagans for a weekend dedicated to spiritual growth and magical instruction, it is so worth it. You’ll make great connections, meet new friends, and learn lots of new stuff you can take home and apply in your everyday (or your ritual) life.

So come out and enjoy the first inklings of spring at Paganicon with us! If you want to help spread the word, download fliers (PDF files) from the right-hand side of any page of the Paganicon website, or join the event on Facebook. I hope to see you there!