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The ultimate eco-festivalguide 2017

pebblemag.com

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Smoked & Uncut

Fforest Gather

The Big Retreat Festival

Hay Festival

Also Festival

Green Man

Shambala

Nozstock

Wilderness

Veggieworld

Valley Fest

In The Woods

Good Life Experience

Restival

Meadows In The Mountains

We Love Green

Obonjan

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Small but stand tall

Expand your mind

Rave on regardless

Foodie feasts

Country pursuits

All abroad

BULGARIA

CROATIA

ARIZONA

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Small but stand tallThese tiny festivals pack a real punch. From new wellness and workshop festivals to little shindigs in country house grounds, the summer doesn’t have to involve any mile long hikes through mud if you don’t want it to.

Smoked & Uncut

Fforest Gather

The Big Retreat

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Smoked & Uncut

Hampshire-Somerset-Dorset

10-11 June, 8-9 July, 22-23 July, 19-20 August, 9 September

£47.50 day | £72.50 weekend

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Smoked & Uncut

Turning the various PIG hotels (and Lime Wood) into a mini festival for a weekend each, Smoked & Uncut play to those who want something a little more refined (cocktails not cider) and a little less, well crowded. Opening up the fabulous grounds of the hotels is a clever move but each year the festivals have grown in confidence and charm.

Keep it green: Smoked & Uncut have a policy where all food comes from within 25 miles and everything on site is recycled as much as possible. The PIG hotels are known for supporting local communities and farmers and the festival weekends are no different.

S M A L L B U T S T A N D T A L L

smokedanduncut.com

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Fforest Gather

Cwmplysgog, Cilgerran, Wales

14-27 August

£150 per adult

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Fforest Gather

Half festival, half family adventure, Fforest Gather is a two-week event that’s full of culture, creating and crafts. Learn something new while exploring the 500 acres this hip glamping location has on its doorstep. Gather is limited to 300 places per week and is perfect for families looking for a cool back to nature break – there will be talks and tree climbing, workshops and wood whittling and by the end of it – everyone’s family. Oh and there’s a tiny pub for lock ins.

Keep it green: Fforest is a lesson in what ethical country living can look like. From food grown metres away cooked on charcoal made by the family to creating a supportive community. Waste is sustainably managed, there’s a wildlife reserve, we could go on. Simply it’s about being a friend to the land.

fforestgather.co.uk

S M A L L B U T S T A N D T A L L

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The Big Retreat Festival

Lawrenny, Wales

26-29 May

£165 weekend

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The Big Retreat Festival

One of the best views in Pembrokeshire will play host to the Big Retreat for the first time. Small in number but mighty in scope, it will soothe the soul, move the mind and make your heart sing. There’s yoga, foraging, crafting, kayaking, wild swimming, woodwork, writing workshops, massage, music and plenty of gin. If this isn’t a list of your favourite things we’re not sure what’s wrong with you.

Keep it green: Set on an organic farm, The Big Retreat’s first year looks set to set the standard for a wellness festival. It’s using all local food suppliers and most of the experts and organisations that are collaborating are also from within a stone’s throw of the festival.

Sustainability is high up the priority list as the land backs onto National Trust trails and the ethos is about connecting to nature, enjoying the outdoors and looking after it.

thebigretreatwales.co.uk

S M A L L B U T S T A N D T A L L

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Expand your mindOut in the fields is where some of the most exciting speakers, poets, lecturers and doers will be gathering this summer. Kick back in the sun and listen to famous authors or be inspired to change your career, pick up a new passion or just learn a thing or two about our planet.

Hay Festival

Also Festival

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Hay Festival

Hay on Wye, Wales

27 May – 2 June

Tickets vary by event

PHOTOGRAPHY

AMY KERRIDGE

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Hay Festival

For the last 30 years the self-styled town of books has been welcoming thinkers, doers and writers to discuss, debate and deliver the kind of hour long talks that TED’s now famous for. While anyone can wander in and around, events are ticketed and sell out – each year surprises with the authors and change makers who really makes waves. Watch out for Letters Live too, where an all star cast read out letters of note.

Keep it green: Sustainability has its own strand of events called Hay on Earth, and the festival leads the green charge on negating the impact on the environment a festival has. They recycle 75% of waste, increase public transport on offer and bring in the biggest green champions of the world to speak.

E X P A N D Y O U R M I N D

hayfestival.com

PHOTOGRAPHY | ELISABETH BRUEKAERT

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Also Festival

Park Farm, Compton Verney, Warwick

30 June – 2 July

£65 day | £120 weekend

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Also Festival

It’s all about the ideas and inspiration at Also, a small new festival from Salon London. Billed as ‘TED talks in a field’, they’ve gathered together some of the world’s leading speakers on today’s hot issues from mindfulness to could you live like a badger? (We probably could). Plus, there’s tons to do like making your own perfume, singing in a choir, taking lip synch battles far too seriously, local food and fields to explore. You’re in a Capability Brown designed landscape don’t you know.

Keep it green: Also keep things local with all the produce for the dining tent and foodie experiences sourced from nearby. Festival structures are retained and reused each year and the disco’s been constructed from straw bales which will be returned after the weekend.

All paper cups are biodegradable and all the festival’s rubbish is sorted for recycling.

also-festival.com

E X P A N D Y O U R M I N D

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Rave on regardlessBeing sustainable doesn’t mean you can’t sequin it up all summer long. These festivals know how to throw a party (fancy dress, glitter, booze, more fancy dress, more glitter, more booze) but they know how to clear it up afterwards. It’s all about balance, man.

Green Man Festival

Shambala

Nozstock

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Green Man

Brecon Beacons, Wales

15-20 August

£180 weekend

PHOTOGRAPHY

JENNA FOXTON

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Green Man

The Green Man has brought bounty to the Brecon Beacons for years. It’s holistic, shamanic, insightful and decadent. Listen to lectures under the trees in Einstein’s Garden, discover a Gothic stable block come bar and a wooded valley full of art installations. Meet mad cap burlesque troops in the Far Out area, lose an afternoon in the mystical walled garden or hole up in Nature Nuture for hot-tub high jinks and yoga for the morning after.

Keep it green: All food is Fairtrade and comes with compostable containers and cutlery. All the beer and cider comes from twenty local Welsh breweries. Revellers are encouraged to recycle their rubbish for a small prize and the festival supports local creative projects in Wales and develops training opportunities for artists.

R A V E O N R E G A R D L E S S

greenman.netD O W N L O A D T H E G R E E N M A N S P O T I F Y P L A Y L I S T

PHOTOGRAPHY | GILES SMITH

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SAMANTHA MILIGAN

Shambala

Market Harborugh, Leicestershire

24- 27 August

£169 weekend

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Shambala

Proving that you can go all out carnival and still be a conscious consumer, Shambala has been having green parties for donkeys years.It’s laidback and less pretentious than newer gatherings and has never shaken off the truly hippy heartbeat at its core. Go wild with the Cloud Cuckoo Land theme, disco-trip in the woods, learn permaculture skills, dine at supper clubs and dance to cutting edge beats at Chai Wallahs.

Keep it green: Pioneering Shambala has won awards for its eco-approach and the festival’s reigned in the carbon footprint by a whopping 81%. It’s all renewably powered and as of last year is meat and fish free. No plastic water bottles (or straws, cutlery or containers) are allowed and last year food waste dropped by over 60%. And they’ll subsidise your transport if it’s public. This is a lesson in how you get things right.

shambalafestival.org

R A V E O N R E G A R D L E S S

W A T C H L A S T Y E A R ’ S A D V E N T U R E SPHOTOGRAPHY | LOUISE ROBERTS

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CHLOE SOFFE

Nozstock

Bromyard, Herefordshire

21-23 July

£109 weekend

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Nozstock

With more nominations for awards than any other festival last year, Nostock celebrates its 19th year of decadence in style this year – the theme’s Keepin’ It Surreal. The first wave of acts to be announced includes Seasick Steve, Krafty Kuts, Beans on Toast but they’re just part of the story. Expect street art, circus and cabaret, pop ups... and insane amount of things to do really for only 5,000 people. Nostock acts like it’s a mega festival but it’s small enough to not be overwhelming and perfect for families dipping a toe back into the festival scene.

Keep it green: Nostock won the Improvers Award at A Greener Festival award last year. There’s an eco-bond, which is returned when you hand in a bag full of rubbish. Anything left that’s usable goes to People in Motion, a charity that helps refugees, there’s also car-sharing programmes, green workshops and tree planting every year.

nozstock.com

R A V E O N R E G A R D L E S S

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Foodie feastsFood’s come a long way at a festival. No more dodgy burgers or living off a packet of cereal bars for an entire weekend. Food is part of the main attraction now, rather than a forgotten after thought and these festivals know that the way to our heart is through our stomach.

Wilderness

Veggieworld

Valley Fest

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Wilderness

Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

3-6 August

£168.50

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Wilderness

Taking the posh-o-metre up a few levels has been Wilderness, which brings Michelin star chefs to the muddy fields. Dramatic, decadent and endlessly entertaining, Wilderness is like living in an interactive theatre production of a festival in a festival. Fine dining feasts, hot tubs by the lake, performances and world class DJs where everything is delivered with panache, passion and plenty of dressing up. It’s a forest fantasy-land for a few days.

Keep it green: Wilderness is committed to lowering its carbon footprint this year. Food waste will be compacted or sent to Oxford Food Bank, 80% of all drinks vessels are biodegradable or recyclable. As much waste is recycled as possible and more eco friendly lights, cabins and more efficient generators will be used this year to bring down emissions.

F O O D I E F E A S T S

wildernessfestival.com

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Veggieworld

Kensington London

8-9 April

£8 day

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Veggieworld

A foodie feast for all things vegan and eco, or for anyone one who is vegan-curious this two day event packs in so much more than just tofu. With street food from some of the world’s most exciting vegan pop ups (hello Dutch Weed Burger and Conscious Chocolate) to plant based chefs sharing their skills, lifestyle experts hosting workshops and looking at all things health and holistic.

Keep it green: While the debate over whether veganism is better for the environment rolls on, what is clear is that more people than ever are interested in putting plants front and centre in their diet. As much as possible, everything from the event is recycled.

veggieworld.de

F O O D I E F E A S T S

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Valley Fest

Chew Magna, Bristol

4-6 August

£40 day | £100 weekend camping

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Valley Fest

Three years in and Luke Hasell’s tribute to his farmer parents has become a summer staple for Bristol’s festival goers and foodies. The Community Farm where it’s held is a social enterprise in its own right, but for one weekend it becomes a small but mighty festival where you can enjoy DJs in the yard, midnight feast picnics provided by the farm and kids will love workshops in everything from looking after farm animals to DJing. Very much a family friendly vibe, Valley Fest proves what you can do with a field, some friends and some inspired programming.

Keep it green: The whole festival has emerged out of a working organic farm so expect the food to be super fresh and healthy. This year it’s 100% organic.The festival uses only biodegradable containers, reusable glasses and they sort, crush and recycle all the waste onsite.

valleyfest.co.uk

F O O D I E F E A S T S

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Country pursuitsOnce you’ve seen one field you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong. These festivals go above and beyond to make use of their natural domains and alongside the music and merriment they make room for workshops and experiences that help you to reconnect to the countryside. Now who’s for a permaculture lesson?

In The Woods

Good Life Experience

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In The Woods

Somewhere secret in Kent

1-2 September

£130 weekend

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In The Woods

Equally balanced between music, art and spoken word the eleventh incarnation of In The Woods promises to be the best yet. The festival’s managed to stay relatively under the radar (and under the branches) in Kent and combines a magical mystery tour of live musical experiences with yoga classes, poetry battles and other offbeat delights. Discover tomorrow’s big acts on a tiny stage in a wood and come across moonlit cinema screenings and silent discos in the forest. There’s only space for 1,000 revellers and the line up’s only announced a week before the event which only adds to the magic.

Keep it green: This tiny festival packs a big eco punch - it’s made all eating containers and cups on site biodegradable, all the toilets are compost jobbies and all waste is recycled. The organisers also help with the woodland management of the site and all the food is super local - some is from the field opposite the festival.

C O U N T R Y P U R S U I T S

inthewoodsfestival.co.uk

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RACHEL KAY

Good Life Experience

Hawarden, Flintshire

15-17 September

£117 weekend including camping

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Good Life Experience

Cerys Matthews brings her brand of creativity to life with a festival that focuses as much on doing and making as it does dancing and music. From axe throwing and book-binding to a free vintage fairground and pottery classes, guests might just find a new passion in life as well as getting pissed and partying in a field. It’s an all round good for the soul weekend. And with Matthews involved the line up ain’t half bad either.

Keep it green: Almost all of the waste at Good Life Experience is reused or recycled. Food and drink are sourced locally and the campsite lights are powered by a solar powered fire engine. The festival leaves no trace on the land, with campers handing in bags of rubbish.

thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk

C O U N T R Y P U R S U I T S

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All abroadWhile the UK arguably has the most festivals every summer, there are times when you want to expand your festival repertoire a little. From Arizona’s sweat lodges to the parklands of Paris, a green focuses festival can pop up anywhere. What’s encouraging is so many people are thinking alike - let’s dance, reconnect with nature and save the planet.

Restival

Meadows In The Mountains

We Love Green

Obonjan

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Restival

Flagstaff, Arizona, US

14-19 September

£1200 including food, accommodation and experiences

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Restival

The clue’s in the title. This is a digi detox that harnesses the wellness practices of the Navajo Indians in the Arizona desert to reset your mind and body. Get it all out in a sweat lodge, meditate in drumming circles, drink organic elixirs and bask in ancient lunar ceremonies – this is hedonism of a different kind, more of a retreat than a full on festival and even more otherworldly than either.

Keep it green: This is a small affair, with eco-bell tents, organic food and it’s founded by the guys behind the US’s only off-grid educational facility.

A L L A B R O A D

restivalglobal.com

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Meadows In The Mountains

Rhodopes mountains, Bulgaria

9-11 June

£110 weekend

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Meadows In The Mountains

Fancy seeing the sunrise from the top of a mountain in Bulgaria? Course you do. Meadows in the Mountains has been attracting those festival goers in the know for the last six years with a mix of hedonistic treats, an uber-friendly vibe and respect for one of the most beautiful festival sites on earth. It’s you, 900 other people and a traditional village that’s turned into an ethereal utopia for three days.

Keep it green: All structures and installations are made using local, sustainably sourced wood. Disposable cups are banned (so bring a reusable one), showers are solar and loos are the composting type. The festival is also supporting local food growing and eco technology projects and working with local creative to keep some of the magic going all year round.

meadowsinthemountains.com

A L L A B R O A D

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We Love Green

Plaine de la Etoille, Paris, France

10-11 June

£70 day - no camping

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We Love Green

As if you need any more reasons to love Paris, We Love Green comes along. It uses this music and arts festival to raise awareness about what we can achieve together. It’s a two day party but with a purpose. If dressing like Barbarella or tangoing in unicorn covered lycra at 10am isn’t your bag, then this is a cool, urban take on the more socially conscious side of festival fever.

Keep it green: We Love Green put their money where their mouth is with an impressive array of eco-initiatives. From being powered by solar to offering reduced public transport, booking musicians who are nearby or travelling past Paris to responsible water programmes and being paper free.

welovegreen.fr

A L L A B R O A D

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Obonjan

Sibenik, Croatia

23 June-3 September

Price dependent on length of stay

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Obonjan

Taking what a festival means to the next level is Obonjan, the Croatian island that opened last year. For three months, guests can stay as long as they like to take advantage of what’s going on – from nightly raves under the stars and lectures from TED talk gurus to nine yoga classes a day, natural running tracks and a range of healers and therapists – the island is somewhere between a party, a retreat and paradise.

Keep it green: The island has invested in a far reaching environmental management plan and aim to use it as a research intiative into environmental sensitive tourism development. The island’s working with WasteAidUK and the Carbon Free Group amongst others.

obonjan-island.com

A L L A B R O A D

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