The 2026 GSW Conclave!

This October, The Grey School of Wizardry will gather once more at Highspire Manor for the Sixth Annual GSW Conclave, held from October 9th through October 13th, 2026. For the first time, Conclave moves fully into the fall season, and that alone changes the feeling of the thing. The days will be cooler and the woods around Highspire will already turning as the whole place settles into the steady rhythm of Autumn.

Conclave has always been the time when the School becomes physically present to itself. People who usually know one another through lessons, vGSW, Discord, and late-night messages find themselves in the same place, sharing meals, doing work side by side, and spending time together.

“This is the part of the year where the School really gets to breathe together,” Headmaster Kingsley said when asked about this year’s gathering. “Online study gives us reach and flexibility, and that is of course a wonderful thing! But Conclave, it gives us... lets call it texture. It reminds us that wizardry isn’t just something you think about. It’s something you do, and something you practice alongside other people.”

This year, that sense of practice sits at the heart of the Conclave’s theme. Fall has always been a season of preparation, of final checks before the long winter, and GSW has chosen to lean into that autumnal cadence by pairing it with the wizard’s call to Service.

“We talk about service often, and this will be our first term with a community service requirement for graduates,” Headmaster Kingsley explained. “With this Conclave, I wanted us to do some of that service together. Not symbolically mind you, but in real places, doing real work, and then sitting down afterward to talk about and explored what that service actually asked of, and offered, us as students of our Trade.”

Throughout the Conclave, attendees will take part in hands-on service both beyond the School grounds and within them. That includes work at Skene Manor, time spent caring for a local public park, and attention given to Highspire itself. Those shared experiences then carry forward into the learning itself as Pupils will be invited to reflect on what they’ve observed and practiced. Afterword they'll shape those reflections into short lessons of their own. Toward the close of the Conclave, they’ll teach those lessons to one another.

“That piece is something I’m particularly excited about,” the Headmaster said. “There’s something different that happens when you ask pupils not just what they learned, but what they’d offer back to the community afterward. It changes how you pay attention while you’re there.”

As in previous years, Conclave will still make room for wandering and breathing. Faculty presentations are planned across the middle days of the gathering, along with guided conversations, fireside evenings, shared meals, and long walks through the Highspirian woods. There’s structure to the days, but it’s there to support what’s happening, not to box it in.

“Things have their time and place, after all Conclave isn’t a festival...Though, it’s not exactly a conference either,” The Headmaster reflected. “It’s… hmm. In a way, it’s School lite, in the best sense. If you attended Outdoor School in the US during middle School you'll have a good idea of that to expect I'd say. We won't cut a good conversation short just to keep to the things on the list, and I understand that may frustrate some, but that is a part of the wonder of being here at Highspire! You’re learning because you’re present. Because you’re paying attention to what’s happening around you. And, of course, Because you’re doing it together with your peers.”

For the first time, attendance at the Fall Conclave will be ticketed. This allows the School to continue hosting in-person gatherings at Highspire while keeping tuition accessible and avoiding the need to shift the costs of events like Conclave back onto the broader pupil body. General Admission tickets are available, along with a limited number of Supporter Tickets that include reserved bunks and Grey School keepsakes.

“As a School, we made a conscious choice to lower tuition, and that was the right move,” Headmaster Kingsley explained. “But it also means we need to be thoughtful about how we support traditions like Conclave going forward. Ticketing lets us do that responsibly and helps us plan! It also, and lets be honest here, helps us cover real costs, which means we can keep building gatherings like this without putting that weight on something like higher general tuition.”

Whether this will be your first time walking the grounds at Highspire or a return to familiar paths, this year’s Conclave offers a chance to experience the Grey School as a living community doing the work together and taking the time to notice what that means.

Full details, including the complete schedule, accommodation notes, and expectations for the gathering are now available and space is limited. Those who are planning to attend are strongly encouraged to secure their tickets as soon as they’re able. Doing so not only reserves your place at Conclave, but also helps the School plan responsibly for meals, lodging, and activities in the weeks ahead. A link to the event’s ticket page is included at the bottom of this post.

“We don’t get many chances like this,” Headmaster Kingsley Remarked. “A few days where the School is more tangible, more real perhaps, where we can slow down just enough to notice what we’re building together. As always, I’m very much looking forward to it!” For those who aren’t able to attend Conclave in person this year but still feel called to support these kinds of gatherings, there’s another way to take part. We warmly welcome donations in support of Conclave and the School’s in-person work at Highspire. Contributions go directly toward making gatherings like this possible and improving what we’re able to offer year after year.

Quite Simply, The More Support We Receive, The Better Conclave Can Be For Everyone Involved!

Get your Tickets for the 2026 GSW Conclave!

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