St John’s Festival

Tue June 24, 2025

Classes 1 – 12 come together around the School Lawn on Friday to celebrate the Midsummer festival. In recent years there have been different ways of marking this festival, either by going on a midsummer walk or by having a celebration around a midsummer bonfire. Many pupils also choose to wear fiery colours to mark the day.

Fires are used for many transformations: to cook our food, to process gold and silver; to warm us in the wintery months. In the month of June this fire comes from the sun.

At the height of midsummer, we celebrate the festival of St John on Tuesdayday, 24th June. The sun is at its highest, the days are at their longest and it is the time when inner work is most difficult. We celebrate the outer light and the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ and the voice of conscience.

Children write something that they’d like to let go of or change onto a piece of paper. These are collated in a paper boat; which will be burned on the bonfire.

The whole school then jumps (cartwheels, rolls, skips and even backflips) through a ‘fiery hoop’  – present Class 12 buddying with their Class 1 pupil.