When can I arrive, and when must I depart?

You can arrive any time after noon on Thursday, and we request that everyone except staff be out by 2 pm on Sunday. If you need to arrive Friday or later, please let us know and give us your ETA, and we’ll tell you if it’s manageable. (No arriving at 3 in the morning when no staff is up to meet you.)

What’s the site like?

The Nine Worlds Fall Festival will be gathered at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, MD. This is a large Pagan-friendly campground with cabins and plenty of space for tenting. There are approximately 16-24 twin-size cots in each cabin, and campers have the choice of using cabins or tenting for more privacy. Cabins have lighting, electricity, ceiling fans, bathrooms, and showers; tenters should make alliances with the folks in the nearest cabin for use of those amenities. (Offering to help clean cabins and bathrooms at the end of the event is a good way to start!) All campers must leave their cabins swept and bathrooms cleaned before final exodus at 2 pm on Sunday.

There is a large cafeteria, a gym, barn, and other spaces for classes, and plenty of parking — and at least one tree that has had so many Odin rituals around it that it’s referred to by many Pagans as the Odin Tree. The site is on a hillside and is somewhat spread out, so be prepared to do a bit of walking to get to the various areas.

For more specific information, please see our Campground Information or the Camp Ramblewood Website.

I don’t like cabins or camping. Can I stay offsite?

Yes, if you like. Darlington itself is rural and doesn’t have much in the way of civilization, but nearby Aberdeen (20-30 minutes away) has several hotels of varying costs. So long as you keep your event bracelet, you can come and go as you like.

What’s the meal plan?

The meal plan means that your meals are cooked and served to you in the cafeteria by the Ramblewood camp staff. It is an additional $100 per person for the whole gathering. It includes lunch and dinner for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; breakfast for Friday and Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. You can choose to be on the meal plan or you can cook your own food. For specific information about the meals, or if you have dietary restrictions, please contact Camp Ramblewood directly.

What’s this about volunteer shifts?

All attendees (except for staff and full-time presenters) must do a 2-hour volunteer shift, or take the “Vacation Buyout” option on the registration for an additional $20. If you have special talents or specific disabilities, you can go over that at registration so that people can find you an appropriate task. If you fail to show up for your volunteer shift, the Lokeans will be allowed to publicly ridicule you.

What’s this about public altars?

We will be coordinating the setting up of public altars — some in cabins where there are lots of people dedicated to a particular deity, some in main buildings, some outside. We encourage people to lend appropriate items to these altars for the duration of the weekend, or lay items before them to be blessed. Each altar will have one or more people who are the altar keepers. Altar keepers design the basic setup and make sure that everyone gets their items back at the end of the weekend. These are sacred spaces and people are welcome to pray at them at any time of the day or night. If you would like to be an altar keeper, please email us at info@nineworldsfestival.org.

What’s this about an event choir?

For those who like to sing, can read sheet music, sing parts, and learn things on their own! The even choir will be performing Saturday night. If you’re interested in performing with the choir, email us at info@nineworldsfestival.org and tell us your voice range, and we will send you the sheet music which you can study and learn on your own. We will be actually rehearsing Thursday night at 8 pm, so plan to arrive before that time. The songs are all original Northern Tradition religious music that ranges from lighthearted to serious to worshipful. If you miss singing in the church choir from your youth in another faith, this is your chance!

What if I want to do a class? Or moderate a panel? Or run a ritual?

Email us at programming@nineworldsfestival.org with a description of your class, workshop or ritual. We can take some money off of the site fee for full-time presenters; the amount will depend on how many classes or intensives we take. Unfortunately, we cannot comp the meal plan or the entire site fee for presenters at this time. If you have an idea for a panel and you’re willing to moderate it, email us and we will ask around to see if we can find others for the panel.

What if I want to perform at the event?

If you have music, poetry, or some other sort of performance art that you think is appropriate to this gathering, email us at info@nineworldsfestival.org and tell us about it.

What if I want to be a vendor?

Email us at info@nineworldsfestival.org and tell us. The merchant’s fee is $20 and two items donated for the raffle.

What about kids?

Kids are free to get in, and this is because we have no daycare or kid programming at this time. Kids do require payment for the meal plan. If you bring your kids, you are responsible for them during the length of the event.