WitchsFest USA

WitchsFest USA, also billed as Ye Olde Pagan Faire, is a free, one day outdoor gathering hosted by the NYC Wiccan Family Temple at Astor Place in Manhattan's East Village. Organised since 2011 and run by a network of volunteers stretching from New York to Detroit and Wisconsin, it brings pagans, witches, druids and seekers of varied paths together in a public, family friendly setting rather than a ticketed hall. The day typically opens with a prayer of protection and runs through live DJ sets, dance performances and a rotating slate of tent talks on tarot, candle magick, divination and ritual practice from presenters the organiser lines up each year, spread across several named tents through the afternoon. A Summer Blessing Ritual anchors the day's programming. Because the festival takes place on an open city plaza, there is no admission gate, no indoor hall to navigate and no parking lot to plan around: visitors arrive and leave as they would for any outdoor public space in the East Village, making it one of the more accessible and low-barrier events of its kind in New York City