This year's Splashy Fen Music Festival, supported by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and to be held on the Splashy Fen farm near Underberg in the southern Drakensberg, from April 1 to 5, will be doing its bit for the environment as well as satisfying the ears and the soul.
The big event will be celebrating its 21st year this Easter, and with the coming of age, comes greater awareness and responsibility.
With this in mind, the organisers of South Africa's longest-running annual music festival have joined forces with Durban's The Green Depot and the Corner Café in Glenwood, to create an eco village that will give festival-goers an opportunity to see green initiatives in action and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.
Powered solely by wind, water and solar energy, the eco village will offer zero-waste, eco-friendly camping, product displays, an environmental film festival, as well as the cool cuisine and coffee of the Corner Café eco-restaurant.
All food prepared will be bought from farmers in the community and eaten using 100 percent biodegradable utensils.
Organic waste will be fed into a giant worm farm, while other recyclable matter will be disposed of by Your Environment Spotless (Yes), a waste collection and recycling company that aims to create a culture of environmentally responsible South Africans.
"We're very excited at the prospect of having an eco village at Splashy, where people can either camp or come in as day visitors to experience practical, everyday ways of protecting the environment," says Andrew Payne of The Green Depot.
"We're also fortunate to have the support of suppliers and sponsors like Freight Max, which has kindly provided an eight-ton truck to transport the wind turbines and other equipment to the festival in one load, as opposed to many smaller vehicles doing multiple trips. This will help us to reduce our carbon footprint."
Payne is quick to point out that while environmental issues are serious business, the eco village promises to be hip and happening, with live music, a wine bar and a host of other activities.
For those willing to try something a little different, there'll even be daily scuba workshops down at the river, presented by the UKZN Underwater Club.
Anyone wishing to camp in the eco village (on the riverbank, below the main festival site) can contact sales@thegreendepot.co.za or buy tickets directly from the Corner Café at 197 Brand Road, Glenwood.
The cost is R425 a head, which includes the Splashy Fen entrance ticket.
Alternatively, day visitor tickets will be available at the festival for only R10, which also secure entry into a daily draw to win a range of prizes, such as free coffee for a year and trips to eco-friendly holiday destinations.
For more information about the eco village, or if you'd like to get involved in the project, contact Payne at 083 263 3382.
The festival offers a four-day line-up of some of the country's hottest acts, as well as fun outdoor activities for the whole family, arts and crafts, a wide variety of food and drink outlets, and various camping and accommodation options.
The full programme for 2010 is to be announced soon, but acts already confirmed include Fokofpolisiekar, Syd Kitchen, the Albert Frost Trio, Hot Water, New Holland, Tidal Waves, Ard Matthews (of Just Jinjer), Dimeshift and Haggis and Bong.
From its early beginnings in 1990, Splashy Fen has evolved into one of SA's premier music festivals which sees thousands of people making the pilgrimage to Underberg for what is regarded as the ultimate outdoor experience.
Over the years, this much-loved music festival has built a strong reputation as being a financially viable, responsible and well-organised event that continues to reinvent itself so as to stay relevant.
Although continuously adapting to changing trends, Splashy Fen has, according to its official website, still managed to retain its unique character and appeal; that special "something" - the people, the vibe, the sense of family - which has allowed it to endure for two decades to become the longest-running music festival in the country.
