So, I was at a festival last weekend and a big issue at festivals nowadays is sustainability. Might not be the most sexy subject or your cup of tea, but you just can’t avoid it. It’s here and it’s here to stay. A lot of festivals are already working on sustainability with some of them looking at creative approaches for more than a decade.
But, there I was, at the festival. I drank my water from a reuseable bottle, charged my phone at a solar park, used toilets that don’t flush water and a million other things to save the earth. And it’s important that we find more ways to do so! I just don’t get it that the most obvious way to improve sustainability is never mentioned.
Building a festival is like building a small city, right? A small city for three days. Just three days! Why would you stop the machine when it has just been oiled? To make festivals more sustainable, you need to extend them! Festivals should last at least two or three weeks. Look at the benefits: you’re using the infrastructure more efficiently, you’re reducing travel and the bands can play on weekdays as well. There’s more time to rest between building and breaking the festival and if it’s bringing joy, why should you stop? I can only see the benefits, so if you want to save the planet give us long-lasting festivals please!

p.s.

Yesterday, the three day music festival ‘The Big Climate Thing’ in NYC was cancelled. The festival was cancelled because they couldn’t produce the event in a way that met the high standards for sustainability. Maybe they should have added more dates…