Dear Breakero,
Greetings from BC HQ on this Solstice day, where we are busily preparing for the festive period and looking back over 2024.
As a biennial conference, 2024 was a gap year for us, but we couldn't go a year without gathering at least once. In April we held Here & Now at Conway Hall in London. At this event we investigated the cultural, philosophical and sociological side of psychedelia, focusing on what's happening "right here, right now".
We then found ourselves at the beautiful Wasing Estate for Equinox festival, hosting a panel on psychedelics and climate change, where we heard some thought-provoking insights from Paul Stamets, Darren Le Baron, Sam Gandy, and Neil Woods.
Both of these gatherings were refreshing as there is often an over-concentration on the clinical at psychedelic events, whilst the majority of people come to psychedelics through recreation. Psychedelics with friends, house parties, music festivals, or in nature, often accompanied with dancing, profound introspection and epiphanies about oneself, the world and the nature of existence. We like to remember this and keep it at the heart of Breaking Convention as an organisation and aim to bring this to each of our events, understanding the importance of congregating and conferring at large gatherings.
That's why we're really excited for our next event in April 2025! We are back again with our signature conference at The University of Exeter, with a jam packed 3 days of talks, workshops, a cinema programme, art exhibition and evening entertainments each night, finishing with a big afterparty on the last night.
Tickets are selling fast, so if you're stuck for gift ideas, who could think of a better present than a ticket to our conference?! Treat a loved one... or treat yourself! Head to the ticket link for more information and registration. Psychedelic Santa is waiting to deliver your tickets!
On this, the shortest day for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we would like to extend festive cheer to our subscribers and attendees. The days get longer from now on, and we're counting down until we get to see you all in-person this coming April.
To love, dancing, and profound epiphanies,
Aimee
on behalf of the BC Team