The Sirius Rising festival is a fun, family-oriented, community-centered pagan event. It is held at the Brushwood Folklore Center the third week of July each year, attended by 500+ people each year (and growing). Brushwood, being a pagan-friendly campground, normally makes space available for other groups and organizations to hold their events, but Sirius Rising is Brushwood's own festival, and therefore they are personally committed to making it a great experience for all.
As usual, the Sirius Rising Festival, named for the Dogstar that rises in midsummer at festival time, was bigger and better than the year before. Hosted by the Brushwood Center itself (home to the more famous Starwood festival), this Pagan festival has continued to expand their programming and solidify its identity as a fun-filled, community oriented event. Originally begun as an event to fill in the week immediately before the Starwood festival, many of those who originally arrived early only to snag a good camping spot got hooked by the strong community spirit of Sirius Rising, and have now made that their festival of choice. Sirius Rising definitely has its own unique identity and community spirit.
One of the best things about this festival is the friendly assistance provided by the Brushwood owners and staff. From arrival through departure, the Brushwood staff worked hard to see that the grounds and facilities were clean and safe for all attendees. The grounds are comfortable and well supplied for camping, as well as having some facilities for RV’s and campers. There is an open-air pavilion that features a swimming pool and a very popular hot tub to soak away the aches associated with sleeping on the ground. There is also a first aid station on site, and the Java Junction Café is available for excellent coffee and meals from breakfast through dinner.
The Sirius Rising festival is a fun, family-friendly, community focused event, and the atmosphere of community caring has continued to grow each year. Pagans of all ages found events and activities to get them involved. Although daycare is not provided, there is a secure children’s play area with a ball pit and other playground toys, where parents may supervise their children at play. There were also a wide variety of children’s programs offered this year. Children were treated to a Native American (bubble) pipe ceremony, story telling and crafting workshops, as well as an afternoon of field games, a costume showcase with prizes awarded by some of the community of elders, and culminating in a puppet parade through the village at the end of the week. As a community festival, Sirius Rising belongs to the children too, and they had a blast.
For adults, there was more than enough to keep everyone fully occupied during the days and nights of the festival. Featuring topics ranging from pagan philosophy, to practice, to etiquette, crafting, and even music lessons, the workshops offered this year were diverse and excellent. Aside from workshops, there was also an extensive and tempting selection of vendors and merchants for those who liked to shop. Beginning Wednesday evening, there were nightly concerts at the main stage, as well as a seemingly endless variety of smaller gatherings around campfires.
After the evening concerts was the nightly bonfire and drum circle. Located in it's own open-style Roundhouse, the Brushwood fire-tenders maintain a large central fire with excellent care and devotion. Once the fire is burning brightly, the drummers gather for an evening of hypnotic trance/dance rhythms. The drumming and dancing typically last until dawn each night. In recent years, the Sirius Rising festival has been known to attract some of the finest elder drummers around. Their presence and contribution led to some amazing experiences in the Roundhouse, and this year was no exception. There's almost always something going on at this festival... it merely depends on your energy level!
The best thing about this festival is how people reach out and help one another unselfishly. The community spirit is strong at Sirius Rising, and is created consciously and deliberately each year. The sense of building community is what lures many back to this festival, and what keeps it growing each year. Led by the wisdom and grace of Don and Daniella Waterhawk, daily village meetings keep the community up to date on current events, as well as offering a venue for having suggestions or thoughts listened to and honored by the community as well as Brushwood staff. The village meetings helped create a core of community unity, which helped many find a deeper connection to their festival experience.
The Sirius Rising festival is a magical week that features the best that Pagan festivals have to offer. From the beautiful, well-kept grounds to the friendly, responsive staff to the excellent quality of events, workshops, vendors, and presenters, this event consistently has what it takes to raise the energy and make magic.
~Flame RavenHawk
July 27, 2003