Community

We're pleased with our Starwood Village and Community that have grown throughout the years, and we hope you are too! We engage all guests on some level or another - from the little ones and the not-so-little ones to teens and the young at heart to adults and the seniors among us. Magicians, Druids, Drummers, Hippies, Freemasons, Dancers, Witches, Yeti, Technopagans, and the Free at Heart all find something to do and love at Starwood.

This is a year of rebuilding. Now that we have established ourselves in our new home, Wisteria, we can take the time to re-energize some of the communities that have helped make Starwood the life-changing and life-affirming experience it is. We welcome our brethren back into the fold, and encourage those new communities like the Space Rangers to join the CAWmunity, the Didge Players, the Druids, Babylon, Faerie, OTO, Fire Tribe, Parents & Kids, and other unique and special communities. There are plans to create a new Didge structure, an ADF Nemeton, and some surprises along the way. We hope to bring in speakers and entertainers you like, provide a stage or venue for you to share your offerings with us all, and help you create homes within the festival all your own.

Folks are friendly here, so keep an open mind and an open heart. We invite you to attend various Rituals, stroll the Starwood Village and chat, eat, shop, or refresh yourself with the sight of the young people at play.

In order for our little Utopian Brigadoon to work, we need to be mindful of a few things:

1. Rules. Sorry folks, this little Temporary Autonomous Zone does have rules designed to enhance your experience. Please be aware of them and follow them.
2. The nightly Paw Paw and other fires are an integral part of many peoples Starwood experience. In order for these community gathering places to exist, we need to show respect for these fires and those that host them.
3. Trash and recyclables can really accumulate. We're begging everyone to Pack Green and reduce your packaging and consumable waste, recycle as best you can and take away everything else.
4. We ask everyone to volunteer 2 hours of their time to help set up, maintain or take down the festival. It'll be over before you know it.
5. Please be smart about your belongings, know your neighbors, wear your ID, and report any suspicious activity to the Safety Watch. Your co-attendees are relying on you. Embrace your rights and your responsibilities.

Virtual Communities

Jumpstart your Starwood experience by participating in any of several Starwood e-mail lists. Each has it's own function and protocol for participation.

StarwoodFestival Yahoo!group - With over 1000 members, this is the best place on the 'net to discuss Starwood.

OT-Starwood Yahoo!group - A more freewheeling list designed for posts considered 'off topic' on the main list.

StarwoodRides Yahoo!group - Need a ride? Wanting passengers? This is the place...

Starwood on Facebook - The Facebook Home of the Starwood Festival

The Starwood Facebook Open Group - Keep informed and be part of the process.

The Facebook 2012 Starwood Festival Event Page - Tell us you're coming this year!

Bonfire

It's big. It's hot. It's the culmination of hundreds of person-hours of labor, preparation and practice, and it's the climax of the festival experience. The Woodbusters that make up the Fire Tribe are among the longest-standing communities at Starwood, and they not only create this fantastic structure, they build and supply wood for ritual fires all around the site, all week long. Join in the building, the procession, the dance. Join the Starwood Community in one of the largest magical rituals in North America!