Island Vibe Festival is creating its own, little slice of paradise by bringing a sustainable, inclusive cultural, music and arts experience to North Stradbroke Island (SE QLD).
The beauty of the festival lies in the fact that it is so much more than just a festival; it will include an art exhibition, cabaret, eco-food and craft markets.
It is infused with the wind-down atmosphere of its venue, and is just as much a creation of its surroundings as a stand-alone festival.
Held from 25-28 October, the beachfront festival coincides with the last few weeks of the whale migration season, making a truly beautiful location just that little bit more special.
What makes Island Vibe Festival truly stand out is the commitment it makes to sustainability and cultural awareness in all aspects.
Festival organisers have worked closely with Indigenous Quandamooka elders, and have set up bio-fuel generators and a solar-powered stage. They are encouraging patrons to bring reusable bottles and have made water refill stations available.
Aware of the fight on plastic waste, organisers have not only banned single-use plastic cups, straws, bags and tableware, but also made the decision not to sell single-use water bottles anywhere inside the festival.
They have even gone one step beyond, and partnered with the Brisbane Tool Library to allow campers to borrow gear, rather than purchase it, and therefore reduce material consumption.
There will also be sustainability talks and workshops as well as a beach clean-up programme. Bikes will be available for hire and a recycling station has been set up.
In the lead-up to the festival, 12 lucky participants will get the rare opportunity to walk and talk with local permaculturists and traditional owners over 5 days, exploring the history of food sovereignty on the island.
Once again, the Island Vibe festival shows that it is so much more than just a festival; it is one of the often-touted-but-seldom-true immersive experiences. The experience will cover permaculture ethics and principles, solar passive design, urban permaculture design, bush tucker and a Quandamooka Kulcha Experience.
The crew at Island Vibe have also teamed up with the Quandamooka community to collect unused instruments (guitars, keyboards, drums – anything that makes a noise) to equip a youth accessible space on the island. They are also looking to expand the project to include tuition workshops.
Island Vibe is, of course, family friendly – and there is plenty for young'uns to enjoy, with roving performers and special kids activities making it a magical experience even for the smallest of humans.
The common thread of inclusiveness and social consciousness follows right through to the Island Vibe line-up, which features artists from an array of genres and countries coming together.
Sitting at 70-strong, the line-up features French reggae legend Naaman, Poland's Radikal Guru and PNG powerhouse Kaiit. Soul, funk, reggae and dub are all represented, with stand-out names including prolific New Zealand reggae act Katchafire, Guyanese-British dub pioneer Mad Professor and electronic trio The Bird.
Island Vibe will also feature up-and-coming home-grown acts, such as Northern Rivers first nations youth supergroup Indiginoise and Brisbane's own rock'n'reggae-ers Darky Roots.
There are six campgrounds on the island and two more beach camps ready to host eager festival-goers.
So get your ticket, get your towel and, most importantly, get ready for some fun (and social consciousness) in the sun.
