The inaugural Goodness Me Festival will be a two-day beacon of inspiration offering a stack of live music, alongside dancing, yoga, and meditation workshops.
Situated just 45 minutes from Adelaide's CBD at Riverdell Spiritual Centre surrounded by ancient red gums, the music line-up at Goodness is headlined by Kim Churchill and Michael Dunstan; while there's plenty of local talent to acquaint yourself with: Erin Buku, Tim Moore, Veray Music, Vinay Desai Santoor, Rhee Armfield and Kirtan with Shantarasa.Those looking to embark on journeys into spirituality and wellness for the first time will have a raft of options to indulge.
Enjoy workshops encouraging new experiences, learning and discovery at the World, Mind and Body stages. Discover the techniques of meditation, NLP and reiki, and enjoy sound and energy healing, cacao ceremonies, and group yoga.
"We have been holding the vision of this festival for several years and finally, the elements are lined up to make it a reality," Riverdell Spiritual Centre Business Manager and Director of Goodness Me, Justin Martin says.
"After all of the disruption and difficulties of the last few years, we can't wait to see all the smiling faces at Goodness Me Festival learning new ways to express and grow, reminding each other that life is for sharing and living."
Adds Riverdell's Events Manager, Jasmine Hornby: "The Riverdell team and I have finally sprouted the seeds that have been planted for quite some time now. I am so excited to see this baby come into full bloom. A weekend of community, connection, self-exploration and enjoyment. I can't wait!"
Basically, there's something for everyone, whether you're exploring spirituality and wellness for the first time, have solid practices in place, or are just looking for a fun weekend of goodness.
Here, we sit down with Justin for an in-depth chat about Goodness Me.
Themed around community, connection, self-exploration and enjoyment, what's the festival's mission statement? Is the plan to stage the event annually?
The purpose of the event is to bring people together and remind them that life is for sharing.
We felt that after all the commotion of the last few years, putting on an event that combined live music and dance together with a wide range of healing modalities, mindfulness practices and movement practices would create an atmosphere of celebration and self-care.
We are limiting the numbers to around 500 attendees each day to ensure there remains a balance of energy and relaxation. If everything goes to plan, we will be offering this event on an annual basis.
Given the increased awareness in mental well-being in recent years, how do you envisage Goodness Me Festival adding to that conversation?
We hope that the Goodness Me Festival will help anyone looking to expand their understanding of mindfulness and movement traditions, and alternative therapies to approach them in a welcoming and friendly space.
Being able to listen to highly experienced practitioners talk about their practices in a group setting, may make it more approachable than having to front up to a small group or one-on-one setting.
We also hope that it will allow interested people to see that they are not alone in their curiosity, and that they will discover new friends and networks that otherwise might not have been available to them.
For those music lovers who have never tried yoga or meditation, what do you say to them about why they should attend Goodness Me?
I must admit, we did get a little carried away from our original vision. Initially, the musical content was intended to be a supplement to the other experiences on offer.
Once we started to get responses from interested artists however, our enthusiasm to ensure a first-class musical line-up took over. We are proud of the artists we have gathered to entertain at Goodness Me Festival and believe that even if you were only interested in chilling in the shade and listening to the musicians, you wouldn't be disappointed.
But once you are here, why not at least give some yoga a go, and for those that would like to combine the two, our deep house yoga sessions will be a fun way to get involved.
Perhaps you have heard about the health and well-being benefits associated with mindfulness practices but never knew how to get started, well at Goodness Me Festival you will have the opportunity to try before you buy so to speak. Test out a few different approaches such as reiki or qigong and decide for yourself what feels right for you.
Don't forget about our Healing Village too, where you can get a relaxing massage or one-on-one treatments.
The planning and organisation of the festival; what and who has been involved to get the festival to its inaugural event?
The vision and planning of the event have primarily been held by myself and Jasmine Hornby, Riverdell Spiritual Centre's Events Manager. For a few years, we have been building the momentum, carefully planning, and now finally launching the event.
Our Marketing Coordinator, Paula McMahon, has played an integral role in getting the message of the event out to the people that matter the most and of course we have a significant number of volunteers that are offering their skills and energy to turn this dream into a reality.
There really are too many people to mention by name, but everyone's contributions are highly appreciated.
The music line-up is headlined by Kim Churchill and Michael Dunstan, plus a host of locals; there'll also be an assortment of food vendors; what can punters expect from the Market Village?
The Market Village will be full of the usual curiosities that you can expect at such an event. There will be several food outlets offering scrumptious food, all of which will be vegetarian with vegan and gluten-free options available.
Yes, the music will be headlined by Kim Churchill on Sunday evening and Michael Dunstan on the Saturday who will play just before we kick of the Silent Disco vibes to keep the good times rolling into the evening.
We have an eclectic mix of performers including local hip hop, soul singer Erin Buku, award-winning singer-songwriter Tim Moore. African drumming and dance sensation Bortier will get the energy pumping, as well as the incredible Vinay Desai Santoor performing classical Indian raga music. Check out the website for a full line-up over the three areas and then buy yourself a ticket before it's too late.
Tell us about the venue and surrounding areas?
The venue for the event is the grounds of the Riverdell Spiritual Centre, situated in Hillier, SA. Most weekends, Riverdell is home to a range of retreat activities and during the week offers yoga and meditation daily.
The grounds themselves feature native gardens and spectacular giant River Redgums that will set the stage for a wonderful weekend, just what is needed after the intensity of Mad March in Adelaide.
What do you hope those who attend Goodness Me gain from their experiences?
We hope that attendees of Goodness Me Festival experience a sense of rejuvenation and possibility, as they discover for themselves that life is for sharing.
Goodness Me Festival takes place at Riverdell Spiritual Centre (Adelaide) 18-19 March. Tickets limited to around 500 patrons each day.
