Earthbeat 2021

Driving the 3 1/2 hour pilgrimage in a convoy with family and friends to the incredible 5-day Earthbeat Festival 2021 in Kaipara we were rewarded with memories we will cherish forever. 

Living up to its promo on their website as Aotearoa’s most innovative and earth-friendly music and arts festival, we were deeply nourished on all levels.

From the amazing aesthetics it was obvious an incredibly hard-working team had been working months to put this together. The array of vegan food was insane (avocado and coconut ice blocks covered in carob!), spectacular performances by artists and musicians, informative talks from passionate speakers centred around intentional communities, living a low toxicity lifestyle, food sovereignty and the myriad of ways we can all create a more beautiful world. 

One workshop was titled “Why things are screwed, and how we can make them better.”

Sunrise yoga, Qigong, Pranadance, acroyoga, African dance, the list goes on – only a handful of the beautiful body/mind activities on offer. The healing tents took up a massive space, offering everything from Traditional Māori mirimiri massage, evolutionary astrology, sound healing and reflexology complete with a herbal first aid tent (there was even a hair brushing circle!). A highlight was waking up to the haunting sound of the conch shell being blown to mark the end of a sweat lodge round.

One thing that stood out for me is that this was a zero-waste festival – we all bought our own plates/cups/utensils or we could pay $1 and borrow from the stall holder and get a refund when returned. No rubbish bins supplied, compost stations for our scraps were dotted around and stations were set up for us to clean our dishes. It was amazing the difference it made not seeing the usual overflowing bins, empty cans and debris you would see at a large gathering. 

I had the honour of playing a crystal bowl sound session in the Barn and watching my daughter’s band Samsara Dhi play to a very appreciative crowd. Definitely going back next year.

– Gail McJorrow

Subscribe

* indicates required
Email Format