WEIRDIGANS
ORGANIC TRAVELLING CAFE COLLECTIVE
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WEIRDIGANS
ORGANIC TRAVELLING CAFE COLLECTIVE
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| Newsflashes |
The Green Gathering 2011: 'Skill up for Power Down' - REVIEW   Narrowly pipping
Alchemy, BeatHerder and Solfest to be our best gig of 2011, TGG was a
joy.
This is what festivals should be like. We felt as though we'd arrived home. Everyone - crew, traders, performers, organisers, 'punters' - were on the same side, supporting and appreciating each other, working and playing alongside each other, simultaneously creating and treasuring the magic of the land and the event and each other. Breath-taking views, woodland, lush rolling meadows and a dilapidated manor house set the scene. Gardens, grottoes and site art enhanced what was already one of the most gorgeous festival sites imaginable. Skill-shares, workshops and a Speakers' Forum provided information and advice on green technologies, traditional crafts, permaculture, Transition, herbal medicine, nomadic living and more. Stages, cafes and bars were small, intimate and non-commercial. Our Ideal Dome Exhibition had its first outing and was much-loved. Dave Weirdigan explained and advised on the latest LED technology while my geodesic dome twinkled and shone, a show-case of solar-powered, energy-efficient lighting. Weirdigans chai, cake and carpets were appreciated as ever. It was hot and sunny. SAMs wood-fired sauna and showers kept everyone clean. Hare Krishnas danced, chanted and gave away food. There was a solar-powered internet cafe; a huge kids' area with climbing wall and hand-powered carousel; massage for donations in the Healing Field. Tarantism were our musical highlight... but this was about so much more than music, so much more than the sum of the festival's individual parts. TGG was gently anarchic, genuinely friendly, relaxing, informative and fun. It restored our faith in festivals, fed our souls, fired our enthusiasm for continuing the struggle against greed and corruption. The Green Gatherings are back, small yet powerful, unstoppable, unsquashable... this year's Gathering was a stepping stone: roll on 2012! (Tickets will be available soon)   |