Summer Solstice and Midsummer Pagan Events

The Summer Solstice in 2019 is on Friday, 21 June. There are lots of things to do over the next week or so to mark the moment when the sun stands still before lengthening days turn into lengthening nights. The Summer Solstice is the most celebrated festival of the pagan Wheel of the Year, while traditional midsummer is a few days later on 24 June. Most of the pagan events I list are in London, because that is where I am based, but some are in other parts of England including the stone circles at Stonehenge, Avebury and the Rollrights.

Now - 8 September; Museum of the Moon. Luke Jerram's artwork featuring NASA imagery of the Moon. Venue: The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. Free event. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/museum-of-the-moon.html

Now - 15 September; Smoke and Mirrors - exhibition about the psychology of magic. It includes items from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. There are also live performances of stage conjuring on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Free admission. https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/W_vuwBQAACoA_SY2

Now - 27 October, Secret Rivers: discover the secrets of London's historic waterways. Exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. Venue: No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL. Free entry. https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands

Now - 31 October; Betwixt and Between: Isobel Gowdie, the Witch of Auldearn - the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic's summer exhibition. Venue: The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle, Cornwall. Entry with museum ticket. https://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/

Now - Friday 28 June; Art Exhibition - The Book of Shadows - the Lost Code of the Tarot by Andrea Aste. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Now - 22 June; Magical Exhibitions in York: Magic and Mystery. Exhibition exploring the fine line between science, religion and magic in medieval society. Venue: Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, York, YO1 8AR. Open 9am-5pm daily. Normal admission costs. https://barleyhall.co.uk/whats-on/magic-mystery/

Wednesday 19 June; Free Guided Tour of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (takes place every Wednesday). Venue: UCL, Malet Place, London, WC1 6BT. Time: 2pm. Free, but you must book in advance: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?


Wednesday 19 June; Time to Meditate - group meditation (every Wednesday). Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 19 June; Sagittarius Full Moon Gong Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Two sessions: Time: 7pm and 8.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday 19 June; Return of the Children of the Sun: Initiations and Solar Practice. Workshop with Jorge Luis Delgado. Venue: The Columbia Hotel, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £30. https://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Wednesday 19 June; Solstice Social at Hertford and Ware Moot Moot. (Usually the last Wednesday of each month.) Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, SG14 1HH Hertford, Hertfordshire. Time: 8pm. Entry: £3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Wednesday 19 June; More Mead Moot with Pagan FutureFests. Venue: Hope Pub, 48 West Street, Carshalton SM5 2PR. Time: from 7.30pm. Meets on the third Wednesday of each month.  http://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/

Thursday 20 June; Dr. Emoto's The Message from Water with Michiko Hayashi. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event, just turn up. For more details visit the websites http://www.watkinsbooks.com/  or https://www.meetup.com/WatkinsBooks/

Thursday 20 June; Meditation and Om Healing. (Weekly event, usually on a Friday, but on a Thursday just for this date). Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. For further details, visit: http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/#

Thursday 20 June; Shamanic Journeying with a Drum with Sarah Fox. Venue: Clearly Destiny, 12 Woburn Walk · London. (Every Thursday until July 11) Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £12. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanic-Journeying-with-a-drum/

Thursday 20 June; Artificial Intelligence - the Golem. Talk hosted by Golden Rosycross. Venue: Holborn Citadines Hotel, 94-99 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6LF. Time: 7pm. Tickets, free, but you must reserve a place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artificial-intelligence-the-golem-tickets-62170711271?

Thursday 20 June; PFL Open Ritual for the Summer Solstice led by the Coven of the Hare and the Heron. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://pflondon.info/

Thursday 20 -  Friday 21 June; Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old megalithic monument on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, is the most famous place in England to celebrate the solstices. English Heritage, which manages the site, allows free "managed open access" to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice. English Heritage allows individuals and groups to conduct their own ceremonies and rituals during the opening times, from 7pm on 20 June until 8am on 21 June. No camping is allowed. There is a car park (charged) and buses run from Salisbury railway station. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/summer-solstice/

Friday 21 - Saturday 22 June; 3rd Annual Summer Solstice 26-Hour Global Healing Event with Peace Fires. Light a candle or fire for peace wherever you are in the world, for just for 10 minutes or an hour or longer and state the intention: “Let there be peace on earth and love for one another.” Details: http://peacefires.org/

Friday 21 - Sunday 23 June; Heal Her London: The Art and the Ritual of Protest. Three days of events including  ritual, performance, and workshops, in an activism festival supporting environmental justice and women's empowerment. Various locations and times: https://www.facebook.com/events/2375166709396472/

Friday 21 June; Summer Solstice soulful gathering in the woods, in Queen's Wood, Highgate. Meet in the cabin behind Queen's Wood Cafe, Highgate. Time: 9.30am-noon. Price: £35. https://www.meetup.com/London-Forest-Bathing-Nature-Connection-Meetup/

Friday 21 June; Earth Festival: Wheel of the Year Meditation - Summer Solstice, gather at the well head for meditation at noon, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Venue: Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Friday 21 June; Meditation and Om Healing - weekly event. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/#

Friday 21 June; An Evening of Psychic Mediumship with a Difference, with Gerrie March. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15/£13.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 21 June; Summer Solstice Ritual with Chloe Isidora. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Friday 21 June; Solstice Evening Meet with NWK Pagans. Venue: Coldrum Long Barrow, West Malling, Kent. Time: 8.30pm. Free, but you must be a member of the group to attend. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Saturday 22 June; Temenos John Michell Symposium 2019. Venue: Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT. Starts 10am, Tickets £55 or £50 concessions, £25 full-time students with ID. Contact Stephen Overy (01233) 813-663 or temenosacademy@myfastmail.com https://www.facebook.com/events/2223804821220558/

Saturday 22 June; Unleash your Creativity through the Power of your Menstrual Cycle - Day 1. Workshop with A.Pope and S.Wurlitzer. Women-only event. Venue: The Columbia Hotel, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 10am-5pm. Tickets £85. https://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Saturday 22 June; Summer Solstice Drumming Picnic with Spirit of the Drum. Venue: Hundred Acre Wood, Wickham, Hampshire. Time: 11am. Free, but parking costs £5. https://www.facebook.com/events/330792944220166/

Saturday 22 June; Self Healing Goddess Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH.  Time: 11.30am start. Cost: £45 per person. Bring your lunch. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/  Bookings here: https://www.wiccamoon.co.uk/ourshop/prod_6763031-Self-Healing-Goddess-Workshop-June-22nd.html

Saturday 22 June; Intermediate Tarot Workshop with Sue Merlyn Farebrother. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets £75. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 22 June; Saxons, Romans and Druids in London - two-hour walking tour with Ross Norman. Meet outside  McDonald's Liverpool Street Station, The Concourse, London, EC2M 7PY. Time: 1pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/816416625403850/

Saturday 22 June; Sisters of the Stones of Cear Aribi Summer Solstice Meet Up. Avebury Stone Circles, Marlborough, Wiltshire. Time: 1pm. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/events/2734743209900430/

Saturday 22 June;  London London Woodland Witches Midsummer 2019 Ceremony and Festive Gathering. Venue: Queen's Woods, Highgate, North London. Meet at The Woodmans pub patio area by 2pm to be led to the ritual site for 3pm. Cost: £5. Wear outdoor clothing and bring food and drink to share. Details: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/

Saturday 22 June; Watchers of the Old Ways Summer Solstice Litha Ceremony. Venue: Rollright Stones, Off A3400, Chipping Norton, OX7 5QB. Time: 2pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/311605152849796/

Saturday 22 June; “Tell” with London Dreamtime (Part of Art Night 2019). Stories as part of an exhibition and a mapped self-guided tour during the E17 Art Trail June 2019. The exhibition will take place within a domestic dwelling transformed into a vessel where artworks and storytelling create a space of idea exchange. On Art Night, Vanessa Woolf will tell stories to a small intimate audience. Venue: Hewing Wittare, 93 Fleeming Rd, Walthamstow, London E17 5ET, UK
Time: Performances at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm.. Tickets: free just turn up. For more details email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/ or visit https://2019.artnight.london/artist/emily-vanns-georgie-white-and-vanessa-woolf/

Saturday 22 June; Midnightwalk. Solstice Midnight Stroll along the River for Tales. Meet at Bus stop ‘’R’, 21 Duke St Hill (Tooley St), London Bridge  SE1 2SW.. Time: 11.45pm. Tickets free, but you must book a place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/midnight-summer-solstice-walk-by-the-thames-river-tickets-62615027232?

Sunday 23 June; Corral your Inner Critic – Liberate your Creativity  - Day 1. Workshop with A.Pope and S.Wurlitzer. Women-only event. Venue: The Columbia Hotel, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 10am-5pm. Tickets £85. https://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Sunday 23 June; Becoming the Alchemist. Workshop hosted by Anthea of Shamanism and Evolving Consciousness . Venue: 14 Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9DP. Time: 10.15am-5.15pm. Price: £75. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanism-and-Evolving-Consciousness/

Sunday 23 June; Sunday Meditation class with Lisabetta every Sunday. Drop-in class suitable for beginners and more experienced meditators. Venue: The Little Escape Therapy Centre, 4 Paxton Mews, off Westow St, London SE19 3RW. Time: 10am-11am. Cost: £12 per class, £30 for 3 classes. https://harmonious-healing.com/

Sunday, 23 June; Alban Heruin - Summer Solstice on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Open ritual hosted by Jeremy Morgan, the Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Venue: The Hawthorne Grove, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, London NW1. Gather at 12.45pm for 1pm start. https://www.facebook.com/LooseAssociationOfDruidsOfPrimroseHill/

Sunday, 23 June; The Art of Goddess Worship: Altars, Charms, and Talismans, part of the Heal Her festival. Venue: The Old Baths, 80 Eastway, London E95JH. Time: 1.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/361749167817495/

Sunday, 23 June; Anderida Gorsedd Summer Solstice open ritual at the Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington, East Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm, walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards, the Giants Rest pub. https://www.facebook.com/groups/anderidagorsedd/

Sunday 23 June; Summer Solstice rite at Luna Iter for Pagan and Wiccan Seekers. Pub moot followed by a ritual close to each full moon. Venue: Pembury Tavern 90 Amhurst Rd, London E8 1JH. Moot usually starts at 5pm, then at 6pm moving to a historic site for the ritual. Fee: £4/£5. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1230392930656154/

Sunday 23 June; St John's Eve Vigil for the Outcast at Crossbones to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard. Bring a flower, a ribbon, a totem or memento to tie to the shrine. Gather from 6.45pm for a 7pm start in Redcross Way outside the Memorial Gates, London SE1 1TA. For more details, visit  http://crossbones.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/GooseandCrow/

Sunday 23 June; Litha Summer Solstice Wheel of the Year meditation at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. http://www.rosslynhillchapel.com

Monday 24 June; Free Beginners Astrology Class by Astrological Lodge of London. (Every Monday evening). Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA, Time: 6pm-6.50pm. Tickets: Free. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 24 June; SATTVA – the Ayurvedic way to live consciously. Talk and book signing by Emine Rushton. Venue: St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL. Doors open 6.30pm. Event starts: 7pm. Tickets £20. https://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 24 June;  Group Study - The Temple Legend at Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, Marylebone, London NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm. Entry £3. https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/

Tuesday 25 June; Sacred Sounds Monthly Gong Bath with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £22/£25.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 26 June; Forest Bathing in Queen's Wood, Highgate. Meet in the cabin behind Queen's Wood Cafe, Highgate. Time: 9.30am. Price: £25. https://www.meetup.com/London-Forest-Bathing-Nature-Connection-Meetup/

Wednesday 26 June; Book Launch: Beyond the North Wind by Christopher McIntosh. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Time: 6pm. Call 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 26 June; Magic in West Africa and Beyond. Talk by Dr Tim Landry.  Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm. Tickets £10. Book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Wednesday 26 June; Resurgence Talks: Green Changes Everything with Siân Berry. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £12. For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Wednesday 26 June; Saints, Sleep-Surgery and Medieval Dream Miracles. Lecture by Dr Bill MacLehose, at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Thursday 27 June; Living a Life of Harmony. Talk and book signing with Darren Cockburn. Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details visit the websites http://www.watkinsbooks.com/  or https://www.meetup.com/WatkinsBooks/

Thursday 27 June; The Occult In British Horror Cinema talk and screening. Venue: Helgi's, 177 Mare Street, London E8 3RH , United Kingdom. Time: Doors open 6pm, talk at 7pm. Tickets: £6.66. https://www.wegottickets.com/event/474538?

Friday 28 June; Intuitive Tarot Readings Night - Beginners Welcomed - with the Tarot and Esoteric Discovery Group. Venue: The Light Zone, Apt B, 61 Compayne Gardens, London NW6 3DB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £13. https://www.meetup.com/Tarot-and-Esoteric-Discovery-Group/

Saturday 29 June; Candle Magic Workshop. Afternoon workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm-3.15pm. Cost: £20 per person. You can book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 29 June; Welsh Language Workshop with Elin Heron. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Time: 1pm-5pm. Tickets: £40. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Sunday 30 June; NWK Moot. Venue: Chistlehurst caves.  Time: 11am. You must be a member of the group to attend. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Sunday 30 June; A Blot for Holda. Heathen ritual in Greenwich Park. Meet at 2pm, ritual at 3pm. Bring food and drink to share and a mask if you have one. Free event. Details: https://www.meetup.com/The-Kith-of-The-Tree-and-The-Well/

Sunday 30 June, “The Baal Shem of London”. Storytelling by London Dreamtime for the Big Jewish Fete 2019. Venue: Highbury Fields, north of Highbury Pool, Islington, London N5 1QP. Time: 2pm main stage, 3pm literary tent TBC. Entry: Free, but email vanessa@londondreamtime.com to reserve a place. For more details visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Please note that I am not responsible for any of these events except my own candle magic workshop at Treadwell's. I try to ensure my listings are accurate but do not always know of late changes, cancellations or ticket availability. If you do spot anything that needs correcting, please email the details to badwitch1234@gmail.com