Everything you need to know about the Annual Witches Gathering Charity Ball!
The Witches Gathering ended on October 27, 2018 but we’ve archived information about the event if you are curious.
What makes the Witches’ Gathering special?
Look, we get it. There is no shortage of parties on Halloween. So why should you come to ours? That’s a good question and you are both smart and good-looking for asking it! The Witches’ Gathering has all the great things you’d expect from any Halloween costume ball, like an awesome DJ, a fun-loving crowd, and costume contests. But we go beyond the ordinary and have a few things that make us unique:
The Samhain ritual!
The biggest thing that makes the Witches’ Gathering unique in Ottawa is the Samhain ritual. We are, after all, an event organized and run by actual witches, and Samhain is one of our biggest holidays and marks the beginning of our year. Each year our event features a new ritual with different insights on the Pagan festival of Samhain. The rituals are eclectic but generally conform to a Wiccan ritual format, although there have been some exceptions. Our rituals explore the mysteries of death and rebirth, both within and without and the lost interval between them where two worlds meet. All rituals are presided over by High Priestess Michelle Hrynyk, who has been teaching and performing public ritual in Ontario for over 20 years.
For many attendees, particularly solitary Pagans, the Samhain ritual at the Gathering is a chance to feel connected with the larger Pagan community. For others, it is an opportunity to explore Paganism in a safe, non-threatening environment. Whatever your tradition or level of experience, all are welcome to celebrate together.
The ritual starts early in the evening. Doors are closed for the ritual so please make sure to arrive before 8:00pm if you want to participate. The ritual will last around an hour. Doors will re-open after the ritual is complete and the party begins!
If this is your first Witches’ Gathering or if you’ve never attended a Pagan ritual before, don’t worry! Our goal is to provide a beautiful, moving and thought-provoking experience for all attendees. Audience participation is limited to some chanting and singing and we will teach you everything you need to know before the ritual begins. Just bring yourself and an open mind!
Of course if all this “Pagan” stuff isn’t your scene, no worries! Just show up after 9 and skip right to the dancing!
The fortune tellers
Pagans believe that Samhain is an excellent time for divination, or fortune telling. Another unique feature of the Witches’ Gathering is our talented group of fortune tellers who will cheerfully peer into your past, present or future in exchange for a small fee (under $5). The mix of fortune tellers changes each hear but normally includes Tarot, runes and palm reading.
The photo studio
The Pagan crowd and the cosplaying crowd seem to overlap quite a bit. That means we see some AMAZING costumes every year. After putting all that work into your makeup, hair and outfit do you really want to settle for a blurry smartphone picture of your efforts? Hell no! That’s why the Gathering features a studio photography set up to capture you and your friends in all your glory. The service is free and you can download your photos after the event. If you want your photo taken but don’t want it showing up online, please make arrangements with our photographer.
The costume contests!
I know what you’re thinking, every self-respecting Halloween event has a costume contest, how is this a unique feature? Oh, dear reader, you have no idea! You see, we at the Witches’ Gathering ADORE costumes, the crazier, geekier and quirkier the better. So we’ve raised the bar to the point where our costume contests are practically an event unto themselves. It’s hard to say who has more fun, our MC, the people competing on stage, or the people cheering them on in the crowd. Every year put tons of thought and effort into their costumes and we want to give them the opportunity to knock people’s socks off.
Unlike some lame competitions, we give you center stage to shine 0n like the crazy diamond you are, strut your stuff and sell us on your creation. Woo our judges and delight the crowd and you could come home with a basket worth around $100 in prizes.
Each year we have six categories of costume contests, including:
- Best Theme
- Best individual
- Best couple or group
- Sexiest
- Judges’ favourite
- Crowd favourite