3 Reasons to Have a Community Booth at Pagan Pride Day

Reasons Why Your Group/Coven Should Have a Booth at Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day 2017

1. New members for your group:Â More and more, long-time beginners are looking for groups to join and young people are being introduced to paganism every day. They want a safe place to learn. They need it. When you have a booth at your local Pagan Pride event, you can offer them a safe place to learn and grow your own group.

Here are some statistics on pagan* growth:

There are over 700,000 websites for Wicca
Roughly 10 million Wiccan-related books were sold in 2000 (up from 4.5 million in 1990)
In 1999, the Covenant of the Goddess reported 600,000 initiated witches
The number of self-identified pagans doubles every 18-30 months
Don Lewisâ€™ Witch School has over 250,000 students on the internet

2. Meet the Other Communities:Â Not every pagan wants to practice the way you and your group does. They may want something a little more collegiate, a little more laid back, or a little less â€œpaganâ€. Getting to know the other types of pagan groups in your community allows you to know where to send these fledgling seekers. In southern Nevada alone, there are many forms of Paganism** (and these are just the ones that we are aware of):

Hellenismos
Druid Fellowship
Traditional Wicca
Eclectic Wicca
Alchemists
Faerie Wicca
Unitarian Universalist Pagans
Themelites
Goddess worship
Shamanic Wicca
Santeria

3. It’s free (or just $35):Â A booth at Las Vegas Pagan Pride is free. If you would like to sell items at your community booth to raise money for upcoming events or for charity, then itâ€™s only $35. Booth space is limited, so reserve your spot early.

Here are some tips for having a great community booth:

Display an altar or shrine to exhibit your worship style; include literature a visitor can take

Bring a pop-up or two for shade
Bring extra chairs for visitors to come into your booth and talk
Bring extra members who can talk to visitors as well or so you can take turns without leaving your booth unattended
Set up an altar/shrine or a visual example of how you worshipÂ â€“ Make sure the items you utilize for your altar/shrine can be touched by others. People love picking things up
Have a small brochure about your group that people can take with them. Make it visually pleasing. Include contact information and your social media
Offer water or refreshments
Consider having a crafting event or doing a lecture for the event you can advertise at the booth
If you plan on doing more of these events in the future, consider making a sign or getting a banner with your groupâ€™s logo on it to hang at the front or back of the booth

Be sure to bring extra chairs so you can talk with your booth’s visitors

Make your booth space warm, friendly, and inviting

Pagan* – the statistics found were about Wicca, not paganism as a whole
Paganism** – may or may not self-identify as â€œPaganâ€, using the â€˜non-Â Abrahamicâ€™ meaning

Sources:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/aidankelly/2012/06/why-wicca-is-a-major-world-religion/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopaganism_in_the_United_States
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_nbr1.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_nbr3.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/us/16wiccan.html?_r=0
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/real-witches-practice-samhain-wicca-rise-us/story?id=8957950