How 'bout a "confabulation" or "confab" for short?

Or, a "passle" of folkies; a council (sounds too official!); a convergence ( as in harmonic convergence, remember?);

my Thesaurus has an old colloquial term of "gemot or gemote";

a conventicle sounds cool;

a troop; a covey; a string of folkies; a corps; a legion; mob; host; horde; rabble; heap.

What fun! Thanks!

kat