Q. Who can join in The Witches' Ball?
A. You do not have to be Pagan to come to the ball. This is a public event and all are welcome. In past years Pagans and non-Pagans alike have come from all over California as well as from Oregon, Washington and Arizona to dance at our costume events.
Full Circle is involved in community outreach and interfaith work. Our volunteers and attendees include Pagans, Wiccans, Heathens, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, New Age folks, Secular Humanists, Taoists, Hindus and followers of other faiths, including those who belong to no faith at all. All are welcome.
As an organization, Full Circle stands for tolerance, courtesy, inclusion and acceptance.
Q. How old to you have to be to go to the Witches' Ball?
A. All ages are welcome. Parents may bring their children to the ball if they wish.
Please Note: Children will be the sole responsibility of their caregivers. No babysitting will be provided at the ball.
While Witches' Ball is family friendly, it is not family oriented.
Parents who are thinking of bringing their children to the Ball should keep the following in mind:
- Most of our 300 attendees will be adults.
- The ball goes from 6 pm to 11 pm.
- We play loud dance music all night long.
- Some of our adult attendees wear costumes that are sexy and risqué. As a rule, costumes will vary from PG up to R ratings. The idea here is "Naughty, but nice." (X rated costumes are not allowed.)
- We do not have the facilities to offer either a children's room or children's activities at this event.
That said, we do want parents to know that their children will be welcome and safe at the ball. Like all Full Circle Events, the Witches' Ball is an alcohol and drug free event. As always, our Operations Team (30+ experienced staff members) will be on hand to keep the event a safe and pleasant experience for all concerned.
It is important that all our attendees enjoy this evening. Therefore, any parent whose offspring cause problems will be given a friendly warning by our Operations Team. If this warning is not heeded, then they and their children will be asked to leave the event. No refunds will be given in such a case. Having said that, we should note that we have never had a problem with any of our parents managing their young ones at any of our other events and we do not expect that we will have any problems at Witches' Ball.
Tickets for children ages 12 and under, will be $15.00.
Tickets for teens aged 13 - 18 will be the same price as adult admission.
Tickets can be purchased on this website at our TICKETS page.
Q. Do you have a Cloak Room?
A. Yes, we will have a staffed Cloak Room available where you can leave your evening bag, cloak or coat.
PLEASE NOTE: Space in the Cloak Room is limited, so we will only be able to hold your personal items. If you want your purchases held, you will need to make that arrangement with the Vendor(s) in question (please see "What will I do with my items once I've purchased them?")
Q. What sort of music will we dance to?
A. The music selection we offer is always eclectic. We usually play three songs in any one genre and then move on to another sort. So you might be dancing to Celtic music for three songs, then switch to Rock and Roll and then switch again to Techno and then on to Oldies, Hip Hop, R&B or Swing - whatever you want. Our goal is to keep the joint jump'n all night long.
We have a wonderful professional DJ and he has an extensive play list of both Pagan and non-Pagan music that will keep you all moving.
Would you like to suggest some dance tunes? If so, please click on our MUSIC Page and write to our Music Chair.
Q. When is The Witches' Ball?
A. The Witches' Ball will take place on Saturday, October 23rd. The doors open at 6:00 PM. Vendors in the magickal bazaar will sell their goods from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. The Concession stand will be open from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. The dance itself will go from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM.
Q. Whatever shall I wear?
A. The Witches' Ball is a costume event.
Costume links & a long list of advice on what to wear can be found by clicking on our COSTUMES page.
Q. What exactly is The Witches' Ball?
A. The Witches' Ball is a charity Costume Ball to benefit the Humane Society and a Pagan Pride Event. There will be professional photography, face painting, and a unique shopping experience. We also present the Gaia's Guardian Award at this event.
Q. Where does the Ball take place?
A. The 2004 Witches' Ball will take place at the Lucie Stern Center in near downtown Palo Alto, California.
This center is a lovely, 1934 Spanish Mediterranean-style complex. The Ballroom features wood floors, two fireplaces, a wood-beamed cathedral ceiling with six art deco chandeliers and a wall of windows to let in moonlight. You will find that the separate Fireside Room does indeed have a fireplace and opens its glass paned doors onto a gated courtyard. This room will be available for folks who wish to converse or admire one another away from the music.
The Lucie Stern Center is located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto California.
This area is very safe both day and night. There will be plenty of parking for all.
For more information, please go to our LOCATION page.
Q. Can we buy food and drinks at the ball?
A. Yes, you can. The Lucie Stern Center has a kitchen area that will be staffed by volunteers who will sell food and drinks to our attendees.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not sell or serve alcohol at The Witches' Ball.
Some folks have asked if we ever plan to cater the ball and offer food for free. The answer to that is "no" because catering is very expensive. If we catered the ball, the price of tickets would have to be over $100 each. Those of you who have ever paid for a wedding will know whereof we speak.
Some people have offered to donate homemade goodies for us to offer for sale at the Ball. To them we say a sincere "Thank you." However, we are unable to accept their kind offers because Full Circle is not a professional caterer and does not have a food license.
Q. What does all this cost and where does the money come from?
A. The Witches' Ball costs a minimum of $3,000 to put on.
None of us are rich and we're not making any money from this (or any other) Full Circle Event. Our Council Members, Committee Chairs, Artists, Web Builders, Operations Staff and Promotions Staff work hundreds of hours for free in order to make this event happen. We all do this because we feel it's important to give back to the community as a whole.
Our funding comes from ticket sales, sales from ad space on our website and from our various Sponsors.
Q. What is the Gaia's Guardian Award?
A. The Gaia's Guardian Award is an annual award that is presented by Full Circle to a person (or group) who has done work benefiting the earth and her creatures. For more information on the Award, as well as past and present recipients, please click on the AWARD button.
Q. We want to stay overnight in Palo Alto. Where should we go?
A. There are a great many hotels and motels in the Palo Alto (Stanford) area in varying price ranges. We recommend that you check out Silicon Valley City Search. It lists hotels by neighborhood and by price and will have all the information you will need to find a great place to stay in Palo Alto.
These hotels are located within 2 miles of the Lucie Stern Center:
- Westin Hotel - 675 El Camino Real, (650) 321-4422
- Sheraton - 625 El Camino Real, (650) 328-2800
- Best Western Riviera -15 El Camino Real, (650) 321-8772
- Super 8 Motel - 3200 El Camino Real, (650) 493-9085
Other websites to check for lodging:
- Motel 6
- Hotwire.com
Q. I want to dance, as well as shop. What will I do with my items once I've purchased them?
A. If you wish you can leave your purchase items with the Vendor(s) in question and call for them when you leave. Or you can lock your purchases in your car. We will have a large and experienced Operations Staff inside the Center and in the parking lot next door. They will be happy to escort you to and from your car, should you so wish.
Q. How many people come to the Ball?
A. The Lucie Stern Center has a maximum capacity of 300 occupants for an event.
Q. What's a Pagan?
A. There are lots of answers to that question. In general in can be said that Pagans practice Nature Based Spirituality. Each Pagan follows their own unique spiritual path in connection to the Earth, the Elements and the turning of the Seasons. Most witches identify as Pagan but not all Pagans describe themselves as witches. There exist many different Paths and Traditions among modern Pagans and this adds richness and diversity to our spiritual community.
You can find more information on Pagans and Paganism by clicking on the Links Page on the FCE Website.
Q. Why do you donate money to the Humane Society?
A. Most Pagans have pets (all kinds) and we tend to be big animal lovers. A good example of this would be the wonderful page at The Witches' Voice called The Cats of Witchcraft.
Many Pagans in our community do animal rescue work and many more work to protect and heal the environment in some way. We believe that nature is sacred and that it is our duty care for Mother Earth and her creatures.
Full Circle gives money to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley; in particular, because they do such wonderful work in rescuing lost, orphaned or abused pets in our neighborhoods. They also offer low cost spay and neuter clinics as well as vaccinations and testing. They investigate and prosecute cases of animal cruelty and they educate the public on animal care. Best of all, they adopt out thousands of animals each year to good homes.
We hope that events like The Witches' Ball will inform more people about the fact that Pagan people love and protect animals.
Q. Where can we park?
A. Lucie Stern Center has its own parking lot and there is also plenty of street parking in the area.
For the sake of the environment, we ask that you carpool.
After the ball, you'll have plenty of time to visit the wonderful clubs and restaurants in Palo Alto. Most of these are open until late. For your own safety and the safety of others, we ask that you choose a Designated Driver for the evening - Please do not drink and drive.
Q. Can I get my picture taken at the ball?
A. Yes, our popular team of professional photographers will be joining us again this year. They can take a picture of you or your group in front of a beautiful background and then make the photo print for you on the spot.
These photographers also do wonderful fairy photo portraits of children.
You can see samples their work on the Avalon Arts website.
You might wish to bring extra cash or checks along so that you can have your picture taken.
Q. Who puts on The Witches' Ball?
A. The Witches' Ball is organized and hosted by Full Circle Events. FCE is a non-profit Neo-Pagan group that plans events for the Earth Wise Community. Full Circle is staffed entirely by volunteers. For more information on Full Circle please read the FRONT PAGE of the FCE website.
Q. How much do tickets cost?
A. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult Ticket Schedule:
- Until October 22, 2004: $20 adults
- October 23: $25 at the door
Children's Ticket Schedule:
Tickets for children age 12 and under are $15 and will remain so up until the Ball. Tickets for teens aged 13 - 18 will be the same price as adult admission.
Those of you who purchase tickets early in the year will be helping us to fund The Witches' Ball when we need money the most so we offer our Early Birds a lower ticket price as our way of saying "Thank you!"
PLEASE NOTE: We work very hard to keep ticket prices as low as possible so that the majority of those in the Earth Wise Community can attend. As a result, we cannot afford to further lower the price of tickets by offering them on a sliding scale or by offering special deals to certain groups. If you wish to obtain the cheapest price for a ticket to the ball, we recommend buying a ticket early in the year when prices are at their lowest.
HERE'S THE MATH: Putting on events like these is neither easy nor cheap. The rent for just the hall costs over $2,000. Then add in insurance, DJ, advertising, and so on. It costs over $3,000 dollars to put on an event like this one and those who come to our events have found that our ticket prices are extremely reasonable, given what we offer at these events.
Q. How do I get tickets to The Witches' Ball?
A. There are two ways to obtain tickets for the Ball.
- On-line: You can purchase Tickets via our website. We have a Secure Server, and we accept payment by PayPal, credit card, or check. Simply click on the button marked TICKETS and fill out the form. Tickets can be purchased on-line until October 22nd.
- Tickets can be purchased at the door on the night of the ball. We will take cash, checks and credit cards that evening.
Q. We want to eat out before the ball. Where should we go?
A. Downtown Palo Alto has many great restaurants, pubs and diners that offer dinner in a variety of price ranges. To find one, we suggest that you use the Silicon Valley City Search website and take a look at their restaurant guide. This guide lists restaurants by name, neighborhood, cuisine and price. It will have all the information you need to find a great place to eat before the ball.
Q. Will there be a Pagan Ritual performed at the Ball?
A. No. The Witches' Ball is a social, not a sacred event. If you would like information on the various public rituals and events held by the Pagan Community, we suggest that you check out our FCE Calendar.
Q. Why don't you hold the Witches' Ball on Halloween Night?
A. We deliberately schedule the Witches' Ball well before the sacred holiday of Samhain (pronounced "SAW-win") and the secular holiday known as Halloween. We do this so as not to interfere with the various circles, rituals, gatherings or parties that occur on or near October 31st.
If you aren't already familiar with the Pagan holiday of Samhain we recommend you read the You call it Halloween, we call it Samhain article at The Witches' Voice website.
Q. How safe is this site?
A. We have reserved the entire Lucie Stern Center for our own use that day and evening. The Center itself is located in Palo Alto. No one will be able to disturb our revels. We do not anticipate that there will be any problems for our attendees either inside or outside the ball.
Operations for the ball will be handled by FLARE. These are the same folks who guarded and helped us at past Witches' Balls, 2004 Beltane Ball and MUSE Camp. Many of the FLARE members are also on the Operations Staffs at PantheaCon. These men and women are capable, professional, well-trained and polite, not to mention stylish. Please give them your cooperation and support.
Q. I would like to become a Sponsor, what do I need to do and how much does it cost?
A. Our Sponsors pay a monthly fee to post a Banner Ad on the Witches' Ball site. If you don't already have a banner ad, we will be happy to make one for your group or store.
If you wish to make a donation of some kind, please use the same contacts as listed above.
Q. What is the theme of this year’s Witches' Ball?
A. The theme of the Witches' Ball is "Mysteries of the Silk Road." Come and celebrate the mystical wonders of the original information superhighway that brought profit and enlightenment to both Eastern and Western cultures for over eight centuries.
Merchants, entrepreneurs and adventurers of the 7th through 15th centuries sought profit and fortune along The Silk Road -- a network of trade routes that connected China, India, Persia, Tibet, The Middle East and Constantinople.
Demand for the luxurious goods traded along the mysterious route also influenced markets and fashions in Venice and Rome. Silk -- the main commodity traveling east to west -- was traded along with gold, jewels, ivory, glass, metals, furs, ceramics, gun powder, exotic birds and other animals. Travelers, traders and missionaries formed caravans, journeying thousands of miles over dangerous terrain. Some found death instead of glory, but many others thrived to mingle cultures and share new concepts of religion, philosophy and technology.
The Silk Road journey was an adventurous exploration that required courage and risk. Travelers from Asia, Europe and the Middle East often worked together in peaceful interaction, cooperation and open exchange. In that spirit of tolerance and discovery, we seek to celebrate The Silk Road for Witches' Ball 2004.
Costumes may range from 7th – 15th century China, Persia, India, Tibet, The Middle East, Constantinople, Rome and Venice. All manner of traders, dancers, poets, magicians, entertainers, nobles, thieves and warriors will join us to dance, feast and laugh.
Within our halls officers of the Byzantine army mingle with mystical Chinese weavers. Brightly clad Indian princesses whisper to laughing Buddhist monks. The musical cymbals of belly dancers punctuate the air as jugglers dazzle the eyes of Venetian merchants and Viking sailors. Himalayan yogis wander peacefully among fierce Hun warriors. Wise astrologers consult the heavens and nomadic fortunetellers study the palms of veiled Persian ladies. Chinese dragons cavort with mighty griffins, immortal Phoenix and the winged bulls of Assyria.
The costuming possibilities are nearly infinite! Be wondrous. Be creative. But, above all, be tasteful as this is a family-friendly event.
You can view a long list of costuming ideas and some great costuming links at our COSTUMES page.
Q. How do I apply to be a Vendor?
A. Go to our VENDOR page fill out the Vendor Application Form. You will find all the information you need on that page. Vendors will be chosen on a juried basis this year.
Q. Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
A. Yes, however full renovation to make every bathroom and entrance accessible is not yet complete. Please enter and exit the venue through the parking lot entrance. Wheelchair accessible bathroom facilities are located near the front of the facility.
Q. I'd like to help with the Witches' Ball, whom do I contact?
A. If you would like a volunteer to help out before, during or after The Witches' Ball, click on our VOLUNTEER page and fill out our Volunteer Form. Our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you shortly.
Q. Do you offer a Work/Trade Exchange Program for Volunteers?
A. Yes and No. Full Circle is a non-profit group operating on a very lean budget. Therefore, we can only offer a small discount on ticket prices to our volunteers.
If you would like to volunteer for our event, please go to our VOLUNTEER page and fill in the application. Volunteers are chosen on a first come, first served basis. Repeat volunteers receive first choice for volunteer positions.
- General Volunteers: Help during Set Up & Break Down
- Volunteer Staff: Work during the ball at the Ticket Sales Desk, etc.
- Senior Staff: Run the Event
Everyone who works this event works under the guidance of the Director of Charity Events.
Thank you for reading our Witches' Ball FAQ. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
The folks at Full Circle
© 2004 Full Circle Events