La Luminata sent roving music reporter Chrissy Carr to the Big Chill Music Festival to check out their eco practises, art and creativity. Here's what she got up to...
I've been to my fair share of festivals over the years, Glastonbury three times, Reading three times and the now defunct Pheonix Festival and many local ones too. In other words - I love them. So I was intrigued to find out how the Big Chill would differ from the rest and how it would score on it's ecological points.
The first thing that grabs you when you get to the site of Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury in the West Midlands, is the natural beauty and brimming wildlife which inhabits the setting. The second are the harmonious decorations which adorn the fields and lakes. There were white dresses hanging from trees, which if you peddled hard enough on the static bikes, would light up.
The Big Chill's festival 'motto' so to speak, is LEAVE NO TRACE, which may sound like a serial killer's mantra but was in fact a constant reminder to everyone to keep the place nice and tidy. If anyone knows me, they will know how happy that made me feel!
Memories of crunching a carpet of plastic cups under my feet at Reading are long gone at the Big Chill. This is a place where the festival goers and organisers do their utmost to keep the site litter free. This was made easy for everyone by having regularly cleaned out bins littering the site (did you see what I did there?). Each set of six bins was brightly and clearly labeled, so even if you had had a tipple too many, it was simple to dispose of your rubbish in the right place.
The quality of the food stalls at the Big Chill has to be commended highly. Each meal I had was delicious. I very much enjoyed the slap up meal from the Thali tent by a bunch of hardworking guys making vegetarian Indian food.
Music-wise I'd say that Basement Jaxx were the best band of the festival as they played with such exuberance and put on such a fantastic show. I also loved poets John Cooper Clarke and John Hegley - both were very funny and original.
What I took most from my weekend at the Big Chill (now this might sound a bit hippyish, but who cares) was a feeling of being in a very peaceful and relaxing environment surrounded by amazing Oak trees. Everyone who I talked to appreciated the natural beauty of Eastnor Castle and exuded loveliness.
by Chrissy Carr
Hi! The white dresses and LED leave no trace sign we installed by electricpedals.com.. thanks!!