Managing the environmental impact of festivals

Planting trees, banning single-use plastic bottles — and even ensuring that face glitter is biodegradable — are all part of campaigns to make festivals more green

Electric Picnic’s environmental impact is assessed annually by Julie’s Bicycle, a not-for-profit organisation working on sustainability within the creative industries. Electric Picnic takes place from September 1-3 2023, Stradbally Hall, Co. Laois pictures: facebook.com/Electricpicnic 

On a balmy July weekend, a sea of purple and blue tents stretched across a field in Belgium, providing temporary shelter for nearly 4,000 music lovers from all over the globe. Recycled from abandoned camp gear, the colorful patchwork was part of a push by Tomorrowland, one of Europe’s biggest festivals, to scale back its carbon footprint.

“It’s not only about reducing the huge carbon footprint all at once,” said Lori Maes, a coordinator at Belgium-based Camp2Camp, which provided tents and rented out secondhand sleeping bags, air mattresses and chairs to festival goers. “It’s about making efforts that, combined together, can make a difference.”