When Three Cranes Grove was given the opportunity to take on the mantle of organizing the Summerland Festival, we had to take a good hard look at the prospect; organizing a festival, even a relatively small one like Summerland, is a lot of hard work, and we were already stretched somewhat thin!
In the end, the decision came down to community. Over many decades, pagans have gathered together here in mid-August to celebrate the summer and its bounty in community with the land, with its spirits, and with each other, and we Cranes were a consistent part of that community. We wanted — we still want — to keep that community spirit vibrant, and that consideration is at the forefront of our work.
We strive to create an environment of friendship and belonging, where you are sincerely welcomed just as you are. That’s a general stance that intertwines with everything we do at festival. But below, you’ll also find a couple concrete policy changes we’re making for Summerland 2025 to put our money where our mouth is.
Open discount pricing
Festivals are expensive; there’s no way around it! We’ve done our absolute best over the years to keep prices low for attendees, but even with our comparatively low prices, we know that the cost of our weekend in the woods is beyond some folks’ means.
For a number of years we offered scholarships in exchange for work time, and while we thought it was a mostly fair trade, we still didn’t like the way this boiled down to a transaction, and one for which people had to apply. It didn’t jibe with the ethos we hold within our grove of support freely given.
So we’re trying something new this summer: we’re going to simply post the discount codes and invite you to use whatever discount you need to make this weekend doable.
That’s it! We’ll probably have to put a cap on the total fund available so that we’re also being good stewards of our grove bank account, but by and large, it amounts to a pay-what-you-can system. We’re still figuring out exact amounts, but by the time we open registration (very soon), we’ll have them posted.
By the same token, we’ll continue to accept donations to our scholarship fund at registration. We’ll be honest: this is a little scary! But our community has carried us through so much, and we’re confident it’ll continue to do so. If you have the means and wish to contribute in order to subsidize others’ attendance, please know that you have our deepest gratitude. But also, thank you sincerely for giving us the gift of your presence by taking the discounts you need!
Volunteering
Newcomers might look at the open discount policy and assume that we’ll be left with a lot of things undone, or with a few exhausted organizers doing everything. But if you’ve been coming to Summerland the last few years especially you’ll know that we’ve been developing, almost accidentally, a strong culture of volunteering — that’s due in large part to the generosity of our attendees, who’ve pitched in despite our constantly saying “no, please, you’re our guests!”
Insistent volunteers, we’re admitting it: you were right. This is your festival, too, and we don’t want to prevent you from taking ownership. We’ll have a clear, organized signup sheet on-site so that we can get volunteers when we need them, where we need them. We’ll also likely make some ad hoc requests for smaller help in the moment
To be very clear: volunteering isn’t expected. If you want to spend your time at festival relaxing, that’s more than acceptable. Please do! Many of our organizers do exactly that at other festivals. But for our attendees for whom service is an integral part of their festivalgoing, we’re officially welcoming that help, with our sincere appreciation.
