Winter Solstice Festival

17 June 2017

With the Autumn Equinox upon us, we are now in full swing getting the Winter Solstice Festival organised. In less than three months, we will be celebrating the shortest day of the year with an abundant education program, loads of great activities for the kids, a new program just for teens and a great ceremony and music program to connect and entertain you. We know we have a diverse community, that’s what makes the farm special, so we’re pulling together an abundant and varied program to cater to you all, and to perhaps give you an opportunity to expose yourself to some new ideas

Program

Our education program this year will see talks and workshops happening in three different tents throughout the afternoon, covering topics relevant to the three ethics of Permaculture, which are Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. We feel it is important to explore the bigger picture of what true sustainability entails. Earth care is obviously essential, however without people care and nurturing healthy, sustainable relating, the task of coming together and working as a community can be greatly hindered. Finally, if attention and conscious intention isn’t given to the economic sustainability of communities, and the distribution of resources isn’t managed in a self-sustaining model, then a community may struggle to be truly sustainable in the long term. Our program will focus on these three aspects of sustainable living, bringing together first-class educators and presenters in their fields of expertise to share their knowledge with you.

Our kids program is always really popular, so we are pulling together a mix of old favourites and newcomers to inspire, educate and entertain your children. We are also exploring the idea of offering a Creche service in the kids’ area, so that parents can attend the adult program and pay attention, whilst knowing that their children are safe and happy enjoying their own kids program. Plus, this year for the first time, we will have a teens program with activities specifically targeted to their specific interests and learning styles. We want to provide something for everyone in the family this year, so you can all come along and enjoy the winter solstice together.

Finally, our music program is coming together nicely, with a great line-up of artists, including several popular acts who performed at Woodford Folk Festival recently. The afternoon’s music program will help you chill and relax out on the green, before we have you coming together in song and ceremony, and then dancing around the bonfire to the beat of the drum. After the ceremony and bonfire, you can choose to get your groove on and dance the night away with a great band on the mainstage. Or join a more intimate affair, where the entertainment on the chalkboard stage will be provided by you and your fellow community members who wish to get up and share your musical talents with an encouraging audience. Whichever you choose, I’m sure it will be a night to remember.

Getting Involved in the Winter Solstice Festival

Please follow us on Facebook, so you can keep up-to-date with our full program as we release it in the lead up to the Winter Solstice festival.

Also, if you would like to be involved in the lead up and set up of the festival, or on the day, you can get in touch with me about becoming a volunteer. And if you can commit just 3 hours of your time, we will give you free entry to the event in exchange, making this great event accessible to everyone. I’m happy to chat with you about what you can contribute. Please email me via events@nscf.org.au with “Volunteering” as your subject line. Make sure you tell me a little about yourself, what experience, skills and passions you have and what role/s you feel you could be involved with. Possibilities include helping with marketing, putting up fencing and marquees prior to the event, stage management, security, child care (blue card required), or parking attendant on the day. We need a wide range of people and skills, so get in touch and become a part of this great event.

I look forward to hearing from you and to co-creating this wonderful event for our community with you.

To everyone else, see you at the Solstice Festival on June 17^th !

Georgia

March 2017