Pleasures of Beltane Camper Application

The fifth annual Pleasures of Beltane camp is scheduled for May 13-17, 2027 at Groundswell in Yorkville, California. All teachers and campers are expected to attend the entire event. There will be a maximum of 50 people at camp, including organizers, teachers, and caterers. You must be 18+ years of age to attend and have taken Reclaiming's Elements of Magic class or equivalent courses.

Please take your time as you wind your way through this form. It is a way for us to get to know about you. This form is confidential and will only be shared among the camp organizers.

After the form is submitted, if you are a new camper, we will set you up for an interview with two of the organizers. This will be an opportunity for us to learn more about each other and answer any questions you may have. If you are a returning camper, you may skip the interview if you wish, or sign up just to say hi or ask us questions.

Every three years, returning campers must complete a full new application. This means that if you attended Pleasures of Beltane for the first time in 2024 or earlier, you will need to fill out this entire form in order to attend in 2027. 

If you attended Pleasures of Beltane for the first time in 2025-2026, all answers AFTER your personal information need only be completed if your response has changed. Please type "2025" or "2026" if you would like us to refer to that year's application response and move on to the next question.

Please email us at pleasuresofbeltane@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Thank you for your interest in attending Pleasures of Beltane 2027!

https://www.pleasuresofbeltane.org

Consent & Safety

Healthy consent practices are vital to creating spaces and communities where people feel free to express themselves fully. Consent is not only important in sexual spaces, but in every aspect of life! We are not expecting everyone to be an expert, but we do expect all Pleasures of Beltane attendees to value consent and be open to learning how they can improve these practices for themselves and our community as a whole.

Our definition of consent can be found under the "Consent" section here: https://www.pleasuresofbeltane.org/camp-culture

Communication & Conflict Resolution

Conflict is an unavoidable part of life; if we expect ourselves to be perfect, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Pleasures of Beltane strives to create a community based on communication and accountability, not shame and blame. The organizing team will do its very best to facilitate conflict resolution in a respectful, timely fashion, without treating anyone as disposable, while also acknowledging that harmful impact is more important than good intentions. Mainstream culture addresses harm with more harm; we are seeking a better way!

Money and Inclusion

Pleasures of Beltane is a witchcamp in the Reclaiming tradition, and we openly acknowledge that Reclaiming is a majority-white community. We seek to change this, knowing systemic change is never quick or easy. We strive to create an event that is comfortable and pleasurable for a diverse range of people, in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, orientation, age, ability, and class background (not to mention sexual proclivities!). We encourage all participants to consider what their contributions might be to the creation of this type of space.

The sliding scale cost for attending camp is $569 - 1,569 USD.

A limited number of lower cost  spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. In answering the financial questions below, please be intentional in considering your financial situation and what you are able to pay. Know that your generosity will make it easier for your fellow campers to attend. We will never ask you for any information or proof about your financial situation.  We trust you know what you are able to pay.

After being accepted as a camper, all applicants will be asked for a non-refundable deposit of $100 (unless paying less than this to attend camp), within 7 days, to hold your space.

The final payment is due by March 1, 2027.

POB is a Covid cautious space and we are requiring camp attendees to take the risks of Covid and the wellness of their fellow attendees seriously.

What this means in practice:

Before Camp

• Knowing that jobs/travel etc. will be different for each, we are asking people to  limit their contact with others and especially public spaces and gatherings as much as  possible in the 7 days prior to camp.
  We require that camp attendees mask in the week leading up to camp in all public spaces. Public spaces include: grocery stores, restaurants, airports, buses, busy offices, etc.
  We require that you COVID test during the week prior to camp before you begin your travels. If you test positive, please let us know and please stay home for our collective well-being.

At camp

• All camp attendees will be required to take a plus life PCR test on Thursday afternoon (as part of registration/arrival), and then rapid antigen tests on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings.
• If anyone tests positive during camp we will support them to quarantine either by leaving camp or in a separate area at camp.
• We require attendees to mask indoors for the first 24 hrs of camp until everyone has received one negative plus life PCR test and one negative antigen test. There will be places to eat outdoors during this time. 
• Campers: please bring your own antigen tests (at least 3)! We will provide the PCR tests.
• Many of our collective meeting spaces are indoors and we will be using air filtration in all indoor spaces. The ritual/play space will be set up in a building that is half indoors and half outdoors covered area. 

If tending these pieces around Covid do not feel possible for you or aligned with your politics, then this is not the space for you.

POB endeavors to be a scent-free/low-scent camp. We ask attendees to ensure any products they are bringing to camp (soap, sunscreen, insect repellent etc.) are unscented/scent-free. We ask that people do not bring any scented items - essential oils, perfumes, candles, etc. to camp. We also ask people who do not regularly use unscented laundry detergent to wash any fabric items (clothing, bedding etc) in unscented detergent, ideally a few times before coming to camp.

CULTURE & LANDSCAPE

Please read the Camp Culture info here: https://www.pleasuresofbeltane.org/info/accessibility

This includes info on the land, accessibility, accomodations, daily rhythm, food and more.  This will help you answer questions ahead!

Demographics

We would like to collect some demographic data to see how we are doing at attracting a diverse range of participants. This information is optional and confidential (available only to the organizing team) but to help us meet our goals and encourage involvement, please complete this to your level of comfort.

Logistics & Webs of Care

There are multiple ways in which campers are involved in the smooth running of camp. WE ARE ALL - camper, organizer, and teacher - vital to the success of Pleasures of Beltane!

The following questions are for you to start thinking about the ways in which you can contribute, the ways in which we can draw upon your unique talents and gifts, and how we can best meet your needs on site.

One way we meet our needs collectively at camp is to support one another in six elemental departments. Let us know if you would like to be a part of one of the following teams. You do not need any prior experience to help with ritual planning (Spirit), fire tending (Fire), or accessibility support (Steam). For the other teams, we do ask that you have some experience/training in that field or realm of life, but it definitely does not have to be on a "professional" level.

Earth: medics/first aid
Air: conflict mediation
Water: emotional support
Fire: fire tending
Spirit: ritual planning
Steam: accessibility support

In addition, we are ALL devotees of Hestia, and everybody at camp will be contributing as they are able to small chores throughout the weekend. If you are interested and able to help with more specific tasks, sign up below!

Thank you so much for your application!