PorcFest, ‘largest gathering of libertarians in the world,’ to meet in NH (June 19-26)

[jct74]

PorcFest, ‘largest gathering of libertarians in the world,’ to meet in New Hampshire

By Jennifer Harper
June 11, 2016

While Democrats and Republicans are busy planning their national conventions in July, Libertarians have the upcoming Porcupine Freedom Festival — or “PorcFest” — next week.

Staged in the piney woods of northern New Hampshire, this political and cultural gathering is described by organizers as the “the libertarian version of Burning Man,” and “the largest gathering of libertarians in the world.” They expect about 1,700 attendees.

The prickly porcupine is the official emblem, “Don’t tread on anyone” is the motto. Now in its 13th year, the event has been organized by The Free State Project, a liberty-minded non-profit seeking to inspire like-minded folk to make their homes in the Granite State.

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There will be meet-ups for dogs, drum circles, much music, multiple family outings, a costumed gala, plus classes in bonfire making, 401K tax traps, fiber arts, homeschooling and “gun etiquette.” Organizations such as the Americans for Prosperity, the CATO Institute, The Atlas Society, the Charles Koch Institute, Students for Liberty and the National Rifle Association are represented at the event.

PorcFest’s lineup of speakers includes author and Fox News contributor Kristin Tate, Atlas Society founder David Kelley, George Mason University economist Christopher Koopman, Reason magazine editor-in-chief Matt Welch and several state lawmakers.

The event begins June 19, at a campground about two hours north of Manchester. Find the PorcFest here.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...rians-in-the-/

[Ronin Truth]

About how many are expected to attend, to the ~nearest thousand or so?

[jct74]

some news coverage

In New Hampshire, living for a week in libertarian paradise

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE
Jun. 24, 2016 2:25 PM EDT

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) — T-shirts promoting "Bitcoins not Bombs." An ice cream stand selling cones of "Bananarchy." A refurbished school bus housing young men debating the presidential candidacy of Gary Johnson.

Welcome to PorcFest, a weeklong camping festival billed as a libertarian utopia of sorts in the mountains of New Hampshire. Run by the Free State Project, the annual festival attracts 1,500 people from across the nation, who started trickling in Sunday.

Called "porcupines," the animal that serves as a logo for libertarians, they come to share ideas and be among others who dream of a small government society where taxes are limited, trade is free and people are allowed to eat, imbibe and inhale whatever they please. The festival, officially called the Porcupine Freedom Festival, offers a glimpse into the kind of libertarian paradise Free State Project leaders hope to one day create statewide.

"I always kind of keep an eye out for jobs in New Hampshire," said Kyle O'Donnell, a 26-year-old PorcFest attendee who knits socks for a living in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Hopefully, one day in the future I can join the rest of them here as we assemble, like, a critical mass of libertarians to affect state policy."

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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9a427...arian-paradise

Libertarian lifestyle embraced at Porcfest

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Friday, June 24, 2016

Imagine a place where people use silver to pay for goods instead of dollars, taxes don’t exist and anyone can carry a gun in public without judgment.

That’s what the New Hampshire Free State Project hopes will one day exist in the Granite State. And while they admit it probably won’t happen any time soon, Free Staters and Libertarians like them can now live the dream, at least for one week a year at the Porcupine Freedom Festival in Lancaster.

Also known as Porcfest, named for the symbol of Libertarianism, the weeklong Porcupine Freedom Festival is in its 13th year. It started unofficially in 2002, when the infant Free State Project was trying to find a state that would act as its headquarters. Back then, there were only a couple hundred attendees, but in 2016, officials anticipate that more than 1,500 people will come from across the United States, and as far as Canada and Russia, to attend lectures on Libertarian feminism, take firearms etiquette classes and eat “Bananarchy” ice cream.

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http://www.concordmonitor.com/Lancas...rcFest-3046168

PorcFest draws freedom lovers to North Country

By JOHN KOZIOL
June 25. 2016 8:14PM

LANCASTER - Some 1,500 freedom-loving folks from all over the U.S. - and as far away as Australia and Russia - descended on Roger's Campground this past week to celebrate a milestone for the Free State Project and to ponder the possibility of a Libertarian U.S. president.

Known as the Libertarian version of "Burning Man," PorcFest is billed as "the largest annual gathering of Libertarians in the world."

The 13th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival, or PorcFest, began a week ago Sunday and is sponsored by the Free State Project, a nonprofit group whose aim is to diminish, if not fully eliminate the role of government in the lives of most Americans. One of the group's first benchmarks was achieved this winter.

On Feb. 3, the 20,000th person committed to coming to the Granite State within five years, said Matt Philips, the president of the Free State Project, and 2,000 people have already made the move.

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http://www.unionleader.com/PorcFest-...-North-Country