Weirdigans Organic Cafe

Cafe... Vegetarian with vegan options; exclusively organic; fairtrade or local produce where possible.
Savoury snacks are freshly prepared to order and we bake our famous cakes on-site. Hot drinks are served in real mugs, our chai is regularly voted 'best on site' and our cakes are 'to die for'. More infom

Venue... Weirdigans inhabits a cluster of green, recycled-canvas, fire-resistant tents.
Our Bedouin Living Room has a sunshine-yellow tent lining and is carpeted with colourful rugs.
Here we create a mud-free, shoes-off safe haven; a cosy space for resting, relaxing, chatting, meeting new friends, reading, feeding, doing the crossword or grabbing a quick doze. Adjoining tents often host music sessions, workshops, dancing and a full field-kitchen.
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"An oasis of carpet in the muddy desert...The most chilled vibe in the festival is here."
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Energy... Lit by extremely energy-efficient, cutting edge LED lighting - custom-designed by Dave Weirdigan and powered by our own solar panels - Weirdigans is a beautiful and functional showcase for sustainable technology. At night we're a festival landmark, glowing and twinkling with LED faerie lights.

"A lovely space that lights the nights and brightens the days."
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Music... In the evenings acoustic musicians gather to practice and entertain. Folky sessions are interspersed with diverse and feisty performances; it's all totally unplugged and spontaneous.
Later, if the mood is right, we play happy/funky/soulful tunes on our teeny-weeny eco sound-system.
LEDisco is an extension of this: solar-powered; no throbbing bass; no angry neighbours; dancing essential.

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"Weirdigans is the best venue on site... it's more fun in here than at any of the stages!"

Education... Skill-shares take place when we bring along our Ideal Dome Exhibition.
This gives us more chance to showcase and share our knowledge of: low-energy LED lighting and solar technology; 12-volt electrics; geodesic domes; herbal medicine; organic food and sustainability.
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"I want to do something like this when I grow up." "We're taking away so much, mainly Enlightenment..."

Ethics... Weirdigans is a non-profit-making (ad)venture. We do what we do because we enjoy being part of the festival fabric and are inspired by festival-goers' appreciation. We aim to provide a fantastic venue and service while treading as lightly on the earth as we can. Our ethical policy.

"Weirdigans is the festival teddy-bear - friendly, comforting, grounding and totally accepting. Thankyou."

The Crew... includes a qualified teacher; a Greenpeace activist; an LED expert; a medical herbalist; artists, performers, musicians, cooks, therapists, environmentalists, djs, students, travellers and people of all ages who've stepped out of the mainstream to pursue a more ethical, egalitarian and creative way of life. Gallery

Background... Weirdigans was created in 2004 since when it has grown organically, encompassing the things we're passionate about and responding to festival-goers' needs, interests and requests. Blog

Practicalities... The whole caboodle including solar panels, vans and guy ropes takes up a space 60'x60' / 18m x 18m.
We can bring less tat and tentage and so create a smaller venue if space is at a premium.
We're fully certificated. Health & Safety and Environmental Health inspectors love our attention to detail.

Our Other Hats:
LEDfantastic: For more about LED lighting.

Mama Weirdigan's: When we're not at festivals you can often find us playing host at Mama's
(aka Hebden Bridge Hostel); providing quirky, affordable accommodation for independent travellers, walkers, backpackers and Weirdigan regulars in this unique South Pennine town.

Any problems with this website - broken or out-of-date links etc - please let the web-elf know: elf@weirdigans.co.uk