Here is my take on various kink friendly events
All these events are ok to attend as a single and many singles do attend. There are lots of workshops and rituals you can attend either single or partnered at all of them. I would guess about 50% of attendees are single.
Here are some comparisons - I am interested in what others think too
| Event | Size | When | Cost | Ages | Kinks | Who | Notes | |
| DOWF | 1000 | 20-80 | BDSM, Poly, Trans, pagan - all kinks represented and respected | Friendly, welcoming to newbies | Greg | |||
| DOSC | 500 | 20-80 | BDSM, Poly, Trans, pagan - all kinks represented and respected | " | Greg | |||
| Beltane | 400? | 20-80 | Pagan centered, sex positive with BDSM and poly on the side | Friend, free form | Cat and FSA | |||
| Fires Venus | 300 | 20-80 | Ritual centered, tantric plus what you get at Beltane | Structured groups make making friends easy | Cat | |||
| NFNC Network for New Culture. |
80 | Weekend event during year. Summer Camps in July and August | So including all meals, a weekend events are usually $50-$150 (sliding scale), a 10 day event is $500-$1000 (sliding scale), and for those who cannot afford even that, scholarships are usually generous and easily available. | 20-80 | Poly, sex positive | Very supportive, expects you to grow and supports you when buttons are pushed | Michael and Sarah |
NFNC stands for the Network For a New Culture, a grassroots non-organization devoted to personal growth, social change, and intimate community (www.nfnc.org). New Culture hosts a variety of events, as well as creating an ongoing community of folks who value transparency, sex-positivity, personal choice and freedom, sustainability, intimacy, and more (http://cfnc.us/newculture.html). There is a strong sense of extended family, or “tribe”, among folks who have participated in New Culture events. Strong friendship networks and intimate connections often form during events, and these connections are nurtured in a variety of ways so that they become part of a person’s everyday life.
The events are all-volunteer, and costs are kept as low as possible; while there are transformative workshops and powerful experiences at these events, they are meant to be part of a new way of living, loving and celebrating, not just isolated “escapes” from regular life.
New Culture Summer Camp East will be July 8-17, 2011 (www.cfnc.us).
New Culture weekends occur frequently; here are the dates and locations of the ones that are already set for 2011:
January 7-9 in Arlington VA February 25-27 in Plainfield MA March 25-27 in Kinnelon NJ (near NYC)
There are a variety of other evening, day-long, and weekend New Culture events throughout the year. We have an announcements list for these events that anyone interested in New Culture events can be added to; just send the request to [email protected].
There are many New Culture groups around the US and Canada, including Boston, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Seattle, Eugene OR, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and San Diego. Some of the major events are:
Spring Camp in Santa Cruz in April (4 days) Summer Camp West in southern Oregon in August (10 days) http://www.nfnc.org/sc/ Fall Camp near Seattle in September (8 days) |
story time. People could either bring something they had written, or pick something that appealed to them. (It was very interesting how differently men and women choose what turns them on.)"
Nancy Smeltzer is a co-developer of the energy healing technique, Renaissance of the Heart.
Rukmini Diane Bongiorn is a Feng Shui consultant, energy healer, and tarot reader. She studied for several years with Grandmaster Thomas Lin Yun, who brought Feng Shui to America. She is also a student of Eileen Conti Weklar, a senior student of Grandmaster's for decades. dbongiorni (at) hotmail.com or 202-744-3698
Sandra Solomon, Teacher, Channel/Conduit of Energetic Healing & Transformational Consultant. She is a gifted and accomplished healer who works on both an individual, group and planetary level. Her practice utilizes a wide range of energy modalities including, Quantum Healing which includes Reconnective Healing and Matrix Energetics. She attunes Reiki Masters to six levels beyond Master Level through the Lightarian Institute™. Sandra is also trained in Shamballa Healing.
Randy Goldberg has immersed himself in Jungian psychology for the past ten years, taking most of the courses offered at the Jung Society of Washington. Randy is a former Yoga monk, a Craniosacral therapist, a world famous astrologer interviewed by the Washington Post and by CNN. He facilitates Family Constellation therapy for individuals and groups.
Miah Kim is certified by the Caduceus Institute of classical homeopathy, a professional-level training program in homeopathy.