Festival season is here! If you’re anything like us, partying together in a sweaty field is your ultimate idea of fun…but the associated throwaway culture not so much. Showing us how to switch up the status quo, we’ve compiled a list of the best forward-thinking festivals shaking up the stage with their sustainability commitments. Here are the festivals (we think!) should be headlining your wish-list wherever you are in the world in 2023:
Pete the Monkey, France: 13th-15th July
‘One of the best under-the-radar music festivals in Europe’ The Guardian
Picturesque locations are at the beating heart of festival culture, and Pete the Monkey in rural Normandy is no exception. Even better? The festival has outlined its commitments for becoming a kinder place to party, with proceeds from your ticket going towards supporting CIWY, a Bolivian charity fighting deforestation and wild animal trafficking in the Amazon.
Utilising recycled materials for the stage set-up and production, LED lighting and a 12% reduction on fuel consumption powered by generators, the festival is a pioneering force in the music industry’s mission to go green.
Calling all French speakers! Check out this conference from 2021 where Bye Bye Plastic’s co-founder Camille jumped on a call with Rob Dumas (Pete The Monkey) about bridging the gap between the cultural sector and the planet.
The festival takes place in the sleepy coastal fishing village of Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer 13-14-15th July 2023. Limited tickets for Thursday are available here.
2. BOOM, Portugal: 20th-27th July
What do we need to save the world? Radical Love! And that’s precisely the theme for Portugal’s BOOM Fest, taking place 20th-27th July. Situated on Idanha-A-Nova Lake, this psychedelic festival poses human oneness as its superpower. All about embodying our divine connection to the earth and championing sustainable technologies, this festival is the earth-lover’s dream. With a state of the art closed loop water treatment system, abolishing plastic bottles in favour of recyclable aluminium cans and recycling plastic into furniture for the land, BOOM has got all bases covered. Uniting free spirits everywhere, all this oneness is a driving force for change…in BOOM’s words: ‘A contemporary ritual to the rhythmic beats of a timeless drum.’
Tickets for Boom 2023 are sold out, but you can find more info about ticket resale here.
3. House of Yes July events series, NYC, US
House of Yes are proudly paving the way for eco-ravers everywhere. Not only have they upcycled their venue with materials otherwise destined for landfill, they’re also totally plastic-free!
July brings us the Summer of Love festival series, Nasty Wednesdays and Dirty Thursdays. Check out the full event listings here.
This video brought to you by House of Yes says it all: time to party like our planet depends on it!
4. Lausch, Germany: 15th July
This one’s for the techno fans: what’s not to love about an open festival across 3 stages, 30+ artists and more than 24 hours of music? Lausch has earned its green credentials with an impressive set of eco measures: reusable cups, minimal merch and decorations, ashtrays for attendees to minimise littering of cigarette butts and encouraging glass bottles rather than plastic in collaboration with Viva Con Agua. They’re also reinventing plastic confetti with ‘corn-fetti’ - yep, you guessed it, confetti made out of shredded, coloured popcorn kernels! A sustainable wooden stage design and 80% plant-based food offerings top off Lausch’s comprehensive eco commitments. Waou…. that’s the type of mouthful we like to spit out!
All the more reason to grab your tickets while you can - limited tickets are still available if you’re quick.
5. Shambala, UK: 24th-27th August
Get ready for an end-of-summer adventure with Shambala! Creating its own slice of green utopia, Shambala is committed to its environmental goals: reuse initiatives, 100% renewable electricity, and an impressive 90% reduction in its carbon footprint.
Not only has Shambala become meat, fish and dairy-free, it’s also eradicated single-use plastics (Wooo!).
Plus! The festival has gone one step further than most: figuring out how to prevent plastic waste from hygiene and period products on their grounds. Driven by ‘the art of the possible’, the festival is mapping its way to 2025 - and dedicated Shambalans are invited along for the ride.
6. Capalaxy event series, Portugal: 14th & 15th July
If money’s tight, Portugal’s Capalaxy fest is one of the more affordable events this festival season. Back for a special two-day event combining the best of local and international acts notably curated by Dolce Vito (one third of French collective La Mamie’s), get yourself down to the beautiful beach club of Azul in Costa de Caparica for a wavy Beach In Space experience. A must for any eco-conscious surfer, or water-obsessed music lover finding themselves in the South of Europe this Summer.
7. The Conscious Festival, Singapore: October 2023
Remember Bye Bye Plastic at 2022’s Paris edition? This year, the Conscious Festival is headed to Singapore! Celebrating music, art and wellness; this festival is one that’s close to our hearts: seamlessly integrating the worlds of Business, People and Planet.
With immersive workshops and eclectic performers galore, if you’re looking for an eco-conscious festival that ticks all the green boxes, we’d defo recommend this one: the festival is almost zero waste, plant-based and carbon negative. Keep your eyes peeled for ticket updates soon!
8. Splendour in the Grass, Australia: 21st-23rd July
For our festival-lovers down under, Splendour in the Grass has a whole host of green initiatives to dance into: from discounts for carpooling and taking public transport to BYO bottles and reusable cups, this festival is making strides to do better. While single-use plastic bottles are still on sale here at the moment, it’s a frontier we’d be happy to help our Aussie friends overcome! Check out the stellar line-up and secure your tickets here.
Looking for a last minute festival fix?
Free this weekend? If they’re not already on your radar, these European festivals are kicking off plastic-free July with a bang:
9. Love Trails, Gower Peninsula UK: 6th-9th July
The clue’s in the name: combining trail runs and a whole lot of music loving, this Welsh festival is perfect for outdoor adventurers. Situated at the heart of the Gower Peninsula (the UK’s very first designated and protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty!) this festival is committed to preserving its stunning surroundings with its Greener Pledge. Expect your battery to be fully recharged as you reconnect with nature: grab your tickets here.
10. Pohoda Festival, Slovakia: 6th-8th July
Pohoda isn’t messing around when it comes to sustainability, with an array of green solutions to up its eco game: solar lighting of the grounds via a mobile solar power station, water-saving toilets and rigorous waste separation (including reusable cups and onsite composting to cut down their plastic footprint). Pohoda’s progressive social initiatives boost its appeal even further - check it out and buy your tickets here.
11. Øya Festival, Norway: 8th-12th August
If this weekend is too short notice, we’ve got you! Held in beautiful green surroundings, Norway’s Øya Festival strives to be one of the world’s greenest events. Powered by renewable grid energy since 2009 and serving all food and drink in compostable (plastic-free) packaging, the festival is backed by several awards for its sustainability efforts including the International Greener Festival Award and the AGF Circular Festival Award in 2020. Could there be a better way to round off this list for Plastic-Free July? Get your tickets sorted for August here.
Got a festival that you want to see plastic-free? Get inspired by BBP’s plastic-free transitions here!
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