Tickets for Beltane go on sale today. The annual Fire Festival draws crowds in their hundreds to Calton Hill on the night of 30th April, brewing up an intoxicating blend of thumping beats, fiery and physical theatre and paganistic spectacle.
The annual event is volunteer-driven, with participants broken into different groups with names like Luan-Lus, Goblin Tails Trails, and Beastie Drummers. They'll be gathering for practice sessions and costume-making in these weeks leading up to the main event, celebrating the arrival of Spring.
At the centre of the event, drawing on Iron Age lore, are the two main characters in the story - the Green Man and the May Queen, representing world and self, body and spirit.
"This year’s Beltane asks us to remember what happens when those forces drift out of alignment," say organisers.
"The May Queen is the world spirit, present in all things, illuminating and connecting. The Green Man is the living earth: the air, the water, the fire, the energy that binds us. They are inseparable, yet in a world of constant distraction, extraction, and division, we can forget this truth, losing our sense of agency and connection."
They add: "Through fire and performance, we explore what it means to realign, to listen again, to act from love and solidarity, and to remember that change is possible when we stand together."
This year's Green Man is the aptly name Rob Greenwood. He describes his approach to the role in this year's Beltane as thus:
"Having heeded our May Queen’s words, I have sought my own internal May Queen and she reminds me of what I have already learned, that shadow can be faced and change made possible when one leans on true connection. She tells me: Look past yourself. Seek help."
This year's May Queen, Màiri says of her part: "The May Queen is many things to many people. In the past she was a child adorned in flowers, paraded through villages. In Beltane Fire Society’s tradition she is our goddess. To me, the May Queen represents that which is fundamental: our shared, incorruptible spirit."
Tickets are available from Citizen Ticket via the event website.