The first Golden Dawn Conference, held at London in 1987, was described by the editor of Gnosis magazine as an "eagerly awaited event." The two day conference was coordinated by Adam Mclean, editor of the Hermetic Journal, and R. A. Gilbert, author and pre-eminent Golden Dawn historian.

Several students of magic showed up to hear such speakers as Ellic Howe, Francis King, Timothy d' Arch Smith and Stephen Skinner.

The event was primarily a celebration of the Centenary of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and was particularly concerned with the history of the Order and its influence on art, literature, and society.