Greenfest

By: Tess Curran
Article published: 2nd Jun 09

What:
Greenfest

When:
Starting World Environment Day Fri 5th June, 12pm-10pm. Continues Sat 6th - Sun 7th June, 10am - 10pm.

Where:
City Botanic Gardens, Alice St, City.

How Much:
Free!

Damn hippies with their damn festival. Try to drag me along and make me buy tye-dyed headbands and packets of incense, and reject the wearing of shoes as some sort of political statement to free my spirit from the capitalist devil, while I make loafers out of hemp and offer tofu prayers to the earth goddess...

Unfortunately, this is still the usual, visceral reaction from most of us when words like ‘Greenfest' are mentioned. To be honest, even I was apprehensive at first (not that I have any grounds to such prejudices, given I am a lover of tofu, grew up with the hippies in the back hills of Byron, and - though compulsorarily I might add - tye-dyed my own school uniform up until Grade 5). Fortunately, much like my uniform, things have changed a lot. It's 2009! Green is supreme, eco is chic-o! (And bad puns, not hippies, now rule the sustainability world).

This weekend's Greenfest, now in its second proud year and new Botanic Gardens home, runs from Friday to Sunday with a packed program of FREE films, music, entertainment, workshops, food, markets and fun to be had. The band line up is impressive in itself, including Little Scout, Tame Impala, Hungry Kids of Hungary, The Boat People, The Rocketsmiths and many more.

So boots on and prejudices off as you make time for some green ‘funducation' (that's education AND fun) this weekend. Eco-babe Summer Rayne Oakes (pictured) will even be there!

Yep, these days green never looked so good...