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Maypole, magic and community: Pagan holiday Beltane returns to Spokane
Spokane coven invites the public to celebrate Community Beltane 2026 with rituals, dance and community connection.
By Mia Gallegos | FāVS News Reporter
Main Points
The Children of the Crossroads Coven of Spokane is hosting their annual Community Beltane celebration Saturday, May 9, from 1-4 p.m., at Friendship Park, 606 E. Greta Ave. Beltane is a pagan holiday celebrated by various non-Abrahamic religions including Wicca, a branch of witchcraft.
Lola Stardust, the high priestess and founder at the Crossroads Coven, explained that Beltane functions as a Gaelic May Day, offering a moment to welcome in the upcoming summer months with an implication of the seasonal deities that are worshipped in the Wiccan religion.
“It’s celebrating the unification of the god and the goddess coming together and creating life,” Stardust said. “Beltane is just one of the sabbats that we celebrate during our wheel of the year.”
Stardust explained that there are a total of eight sabbats, seasonal Wiccan festivals, celebrated by those who practice Wicca, Beltane being one of the most festive of these holidays.
Rituals, vendors and workshops
“It’s a great celebration of life and the great weather with the change of the season,” Stardust said.
Some of the festivities encapsulated within this year’s Beltane holiday include an annual ritual, the Maypole dance, several vendors and a variety of workshops. Stardust explained that she will be leading a workshop on movement, while another woman who specializes in symbology and animal communication will be leading one of her own.
“We’re very nature-based,” Stardust said, explaining the purpose of having a symbology workshop. “So animals are a big part of our beliefs.”
Stardust shared how much witches enjoy this yearly celebration but made mention of the fact that this event isn’t exclusively for those who practice Wicca.
“We do this in a public park,” Stardust said. “So when people come by and ask what we’re doing, we want to be very welcoming to them. You don’t have to be a witch to celebrate with us.”
Fiona Greenwood, one of the members of the Beltane planning committee, shared similar sentiments to Stardust regarding the joy they feel when being reunited with fellow witches during Beltane.
“I love when the community comes together,” Greenwood said. “Life is often very busy. Beltane is often one of the only times I get to see all my friends.”
Greenwood’s hope for the Beltane festival is that all participants, whether they’re returning to Beltane or attending the celebration for their first time, have an experience they are able to take something tangible from.
“My biggest goal is for people to have a very magical experience,” Greenwood said.
Five years in the making
Stardust shared that the small Beltane planning committee has been organizing the celebration for five years, the process running smoothly at this point due to prior years of experience.
The members of this committee come from the Crossroads Coven and several other pagan organizations, including People of the Woods, Spokane Magickal Moot and Spokane Mystical Kids, the latter of these being an organization for pagan children.
Stardust is most excited for the Maypole dance and the ritual at Beltane this year. Beyond that, she hopes that those who attend Beltane have a specific takeaway following their time at the celebration.
“I want people to feel like there’s a place where they can just be themselves and be the wacky, wild witches that we are,” Stardust said. “ I want to provide a space [where] people can be relaxed, have some great food and enjoy a lovely celebration.”
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