Thank you to everyone for creating a wonderful space for all! About
We understand that there are many questions people may have around all events and so we have compiled a "FAQ" list which hope may answer your questions.
Why the name 'Queer Spirit'?
Where is the festival?
When does the festival start and end?
Blog piece about Queer Spirit: Why Queer Spirit?
The festival is at Bridwell Park which is beautifully hidden from public view in the heart of Devon’s glorious countryside. One might say, the estate is a hidden gem.. Full address, travel information and map with route planner can be found on the Festival location page
Location information
The site will be open to the public from 2pm on Thursday 15 August 2024. You will need to be off the site by 3pm Monday 19 August 2024. The entry gate is open between the hours of 10am to 10pm (2pm on the Thursday). No vehicles (other than emergency access) are allowed in or out of the site between 10pm and 10am. There will be various things going on from about 4pm on the Thursday.
Are there weekend only tickets?
Who can come to the festival?
Are dogs allowed?
We have a limited number of weekend tickets available on a first come first served basis. Weekend tickets allow access to the festival from 10am Saturday 17 August 2024.
The festival is an LGBTQ+ festival open to all that are happy to be in this kind of space. If you are not sure what this means you may find our statement on gender useful to read. All age groups are welcome, although there will be some parts that are adult only. Under 18's will need to come with an adult.
Well behaved dogs are allowed on site, but must be kept on a lead at all times due to the Deer that roam the festival site.
Why the name 'Will there be electricity on site?
What accommodation is there?
Can I bring my vehicle on site?
There may be limited availability to phone chargers, however we encourage everyone to consider reducing their battery requirements and also suggest people consider bringing their own solar (or even wind!) generators. If you have accessibility requirements for power, please contact us in advance.
The festival is all camping plus glamping . There will also be a limited number of spaces for live-in vehicles. We will have a accessible camping area (please contact us before booking if you want to be part of that.)
Part of the sustainability policy of Queer Spirit is around the reduction of pollution, damage to the ground and general disturbance to other campers caused by vehicles and so the only vehicles that are allowed past the car park are pre-booked and paid for live-in vehicles and authorised site traffic. The camp site is a couple of hundred metres from the car park and if you have any concerns about getting your camping gear there, please do contact us before the festival.
How accessible is the site?
What facilities will there be on site?
What sort of things will there be to do at the festival?
We have camp-site toilets, hot showers and sauna. There will be drinking water available in the camping areas. We have various places selling vegetarian and vegan food. There won't be a bar on site and we don't have a cash machine or public telephone. Mobile signal isn't bad on most networks considering we are in a big field. We will have a donations based charging area for mobile phones/devices in the village hall.
We are going to have a wide range of things available for you - workshops, ceremonies and rituals, music and dancing, entertainers and cabaret, great cafe's, interesting stalls selling wondrous things, sauna, healing garden relaxation space and more!
Is nudity allowed at the festival?
What is included in the ticket price?
When will I receive my ticket?
People sometimes have different definitions of nudity, for Queer Spirit we are defining it as full or below the waist nudity of any body. Queer Spirit is very much a festival that encourages people to express their true self and for some people, they may choose to express that through nudity. We welcome 'respectful' nudity in the main Queer Spirit festival area. We also respect the venue’s request that nudity is kept out of the rest of the grounds owned by Bridwell Park. We ask that people be sensitive to the reactions of young people or those not used to clothing optional spaces. There are many nuances around 'nudity' and we understand people can feel unsafe around nudity even when there is no overtly sexual behaviour, contact, or even proximity, for a variety of understandable and valid reasons. We encourage people to talk to a steward or the welfare team about any issues they may have. We reserve the right to ask anyone, at any time to either put on clothes or exit a space or area. If someone’s state of nudity is regarded as sexually inappropriate, we will ask them to cover themselves and if this request is not followed, the person will be asked to leave the site.
Your ticket gives you entry to the festival and includes camping, access to all entertainment, workshops, rituals and other activities. Food is not included so you can self cater plus there will be places selling delicious vegetarian and vegan food. We are also aiming to have stalls selling interesting things for you to peruse and purchase. The healing garden will be offering various treatments and therapies and these will work on a scaled payment basis. If you will be coming by car there is a small car park charge. This is "per car" so a great incentive to car share if you can.
We have decided not to issue printed tickets as this helps us keep the price down and also can contribute towards making the festival greener. Instead, when you book we will send you an email (normally within 20 minutes) which is your booking confirmation and "e-ticket" (both as the email and also as an attached PDF file.) You can then show us the e-ticket on a mobile device such as a smart phone, or you can print out and bring the ticket with you. If you have any problems with using our booking and e-ticket system please do contact us.
Who can I talk to at the festival with questions/issues?
Can I be a part of the crew, a healer or a trader etc?
Our Info point is situated in the Village hall and there will be people there with answers to many questions!
We also have:
Stewards - Our site stewards are around 24 hours a day throughout the festival and can help with anything site related and also can help with other questions, or point you to someone who can help.
Priestx - These look after the temple of sacred sexuality and are the perfect people to talk to around any questions you may have about that space.
Welfare - This team is available to provide emotional, physical, energetic and magical support as needed throughout the festival. Welfare and access team are available 24 hours a day, offering a safe and caring space where you can come for support, or just to chill in a quiet tent to recover from festival overload. Private and confidential support is also available at any time from our experienced and compassionate volunteers. We can also help anyone with access needs, such as offering assistance with putting up tents. Accessible showers and toilets are also available in this area for those with access needs.
Please do take a look at the Help make it happen page and / or get in touch with us soon.
- Details
- Category: About
- Read Time: 7 mins
The Story of Queer Spirit Festival
Emerging out of decades of community-building and activism, Queer Spirit Festival works to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to explore spirituality, self-development and healing. Queer Spirit is a nature based, heart focused festival celebrating the creative, loving, magical spirit of LGBTQ+ people, promoting well-being, spirituality and healthy relationships in the community, and spreading awareness of the hidden spiritual history of queer people in service such as healers, priestesses and shamans in pre-Christian cultures around the world.
The roots of Queer Spirit reach back through the decades and link together the Gay Liberation Front, the Women's Spirituality Movement and the lesbian-led protests at Greenham Common, the Edward Carpenter Community, Radical Faerie Tribe, Queer Pagan Camp, Queeruption, LoveSpirit Festival, Quintasensual: all of which were focussed on the creation of nurturing, creative, community; were set up as safe spaces for healing and growth, places were queer people can truly be free to be ourselves, free of the fear or judgement of others, where our queer spirit could shine forth.
The vision of a large queer, spiritual festival, where people from any religious/spiritual paths could feel at home and could celebrate together, came to both Al Head and Mark Whiting (aka Shokti) in 2003 during an ecstatic gathering with 100 witches, shamans, druids, faerie magicians and other saucy sorcerers at a 10 day Queer Pagan Camp in Dorset. QPC was a ground-breaking, life-changing camp, that ran for many years, bringing together dozens of experienced and new magic workers, creating a melting pot of energy that birthed several other projects, including the Albionfaeries, the British clan of the global Radical Faerie tribe.
The Radical Faeries came into being in the late 1970s, as a result of some gay men rejecting the increasing commercialism and consumerism of the emerging gay culture, and instead pursuing the search for the essential, spiritual nature that underlies our queerness. European faerie gatherings began in the mid 90s, and the Albionfaeries have been active since 2005, with several gatherings held each year. Faeries have always celebrated gender-(and species)-fluidity, and the tribe is now made up of queers of all kinds.
In 2015 Al and Shokti felt the call again – and felt Spirit was saying NOW! So they teamed up with good friend Miqhael Kannemeyer, a South African born healer who came to the UK in his childhood, a community builder, gay rights and ecological activist since the 1970s, and a founding director of the Helios Centre in London; and Andrew Heritage (aka Buzzy), tech wizard and founder of Quintasensual Festival, a queer, tantric-focussed, healing gathering that met for some years in Somerset.
Summer 2016 all the root strands came together in the wondrous experience that was the first Queer Spirit, at Thoulstone Park in Wiltshire. 400 people came, and although the weather could have been better we had such an amazing time there was clamour all round for us to return the following summer. The second festival in 2017 was an even more exhilarating ride, and even had a documentary made at it - commissioned by Czech TV - available HERE on You Tube.
We then took a year off and returned in 2019 at a different venue – the third Queer Spirit Festival took place at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire. Here we had a great big field to stretch out and play in, but no trees on it! And we had to cope with the sound of Grand Prix practice every day next door at Silverstone Racecourse! Although the festival was hugely popular, with 500 attending, the team resolved to find a more magical spot for future events!
In Bridwell Park we found it! This piece of land has been lovingly cared for over centuries, we get to share it with the beautiful 800 year old oak trees, a lake, woodland, and a herd of deer! 600 came along to the 4th Queer Spirit in August 2023, and there's plenty of room for more! The welcome that has come to us from the landowners – Lord Ivar Mountbatten and his husband James Coyle – has been utterly amazing. To be working with a gay couple who are as excited about Queer Spirit as we all are, is a huge blessing from the Universe. As is to be on land bearing the name of the ancient British Goddess Bridie, or Brigit – the Maiden aspect of the Goddess celebrated in the calendar at Imbolc (February 1st). The springs, where once people would have gone for healing waters, to make prayers and receive blessings, are still active on the land. A perfect setting for us queer spirits to reclaim our ancient associations with the Goddess, with the spirit, with water, air, fire and with the land, the earth.
Queer Spirit remains a grassroots emanation. We have received no corporate sponsorship, no funding grants – The festival is volunteer led and is now organised by a large team of over 20 people, with each section of the festival having its own group to run it. Our aim is that the organising team should reflect the diversity of the festival attendees, and we invite anybody who has enjoyed the festival and would like to help out in some way to get involved. Spreading the word around to more groups and communities is a great way to help us!
We are happy to offer discount tickets to community groups, and we are proud that through ticket sales and donations we have successfully met the costs of staging the festival, despite that cost more than doubling between 2019 and 2023. Queer Spirit has been set up as a non-profit Community Interest Company, and any surplus income after production costs will be used to make the festival bigger and better.
If you would like to donate to support the festival, you can do so here
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- Details
- Written by: Queer Spirit
- Category: About
- Read Time: 5 mins
