Buddhafield Festival 2012

The 17th Buddhafield Festival takes place from Wednesday 11th until Sunday 15th July 2012 at Culmhead near Taunton in Somerset exploring 'Doorways to Freedom'.

Buddhafield welcomes an intimate gathering of 3,000, for 5 days of open hearted community, amongst the hills of Somerset. Buddhafield invites believers of all traditions, with a focus on Buddhism, for an abundance of family-friendly activities in a drink and drug free environment, which creates a safe, open hearted space where lives are changed, friendships blossom, and children and adults alike can roam free and inspired.

Line-up

Vijay Jagtap, Avalon Roots, Bob Hilary and the Massive Mellow, Undercover Hippy The Turbans, Ajipatibanda, Anima Circusm, Carrie Tree & friends, The Green Angels, Khantara, Julius way, 'Paradox', Carl Davies, Baba Tubab, Samadhana, Susie Ro & The Borrowers and the event's first Ceilidh.

DJs

DJ Giff, DJ Amaqueen, DJ Scott, DJ Martin, DJ Nunnery, DJ Voyager, DJ’s Gabriel & Jane, DJ Mark Dub, & DJ Mystical Voyager.

Tickets

Adult Festival tickets are priced at £110. Concessions £90 received by 30 June.

The ticket price includes camping, access to as many workshops as you can cram in, all kids' activities and entertainment. Tickets are priced at £110, a concession (students, those on benefits) ticket is priced at £90, a Teen (aged 13-16 years) ticket is priced at £40, a child (aged 3-12 years) ticket is priced at £20, and baby (0-2 years) can attend for free. There is also a day ticket option for 15th July only, priced at £20. A car pass (including carbon tax) is priced at £25, and a live in vehicle pass (including carbon Tax) is priced at £30. The carbon tax helps plant trees on some of Buddhafield's 50 acres of land, and pay for the hire of the field.

To buy tickets online, click here.

Workshops

Be inspired, and informed by hundreds of life changing workshops, in over 14 workshop spaces, including 12 different forms of dance, for nearly 12 hours every day. There are workshops for everyone: Ecstatic Dance, 5 Rhythms Dancing, Salsa, Authentic Speaking, Non Violent Communication, Jewels' Tantra and Couples Workshops, Kundalinin Yoga, Shamanic Journeying, T-shirt Stencilling, Games for Adults, Bee Keeping, Spoon Carving, Gaia Theory, Nutrition, Green Politics, Wild Food Foraging, Qigong, Singing with 300 others, Skillful Flirting, Poetry Writing, Permaculture Design and much more. Welcoming Touch&Play for Contact Dance Improvisation this year. For more info and an activities overview click here.

Stages

There are 5 stages including Small World, Lost Horizons, Padma Pancakes, Live Lounge, Coyote Moon plus an impromptu acoustic music space in Buddhafield East in the evenings. The Permaculture and Social Change Garden also run a cinema and acoustic night every evening. There is much sponataneous singing and acoustic music in the cafes throughout the day and night, especially in Pachamama's Tipee with Bhajans around the fire. At 11 o'clock, the sound systems quieten down for the children, but things get cosy, especially in Small World, with their charcoal braziers which keep you warm into the morning light.

Cabaret, Theatre and Spoken Word

2012 sees the second 'Buddhafield's Got Talent' show, under 16's and over 16's, along with their very own 6th 'Poetry Slam' led by Buddhafield Slam Queen and stand up poet, Lizzie McHale. There will be daily Bedtime Hour with Story Telling and Puppet Shows, Karaoke Café where YOU are the STAR!, with evening Cabaret, Comedy & Theatre with Random Acts Theatre Company, Alison Brumfitt, Dave Pepper, Jan E Harriman, Emma Shilltoe, Laura Burrows, Miriam Jangles. Adam Oliver will host the 'Spiritual Games' in Lost Horizons with Phil Burgers, and run the training for the final event on Saturday night.

Dharma Parlour

Buddhist speakers from various traditions debate and give talks throughout the festival in 2 large venues offering thoughts on ethical living, wisdom, beauty, social engagement and many other current topics. There are also daily mindfulness workshops for children. Speakers so far: Christopher TItmus, Yanai Postelnik, Lokabandhu, Khemasuri, Mark Leonard, Kulamitra, Vajrasara, Akasati, Venerable Amaranatho, Dhivan, Padmadharini, Jayaraja, Jutika and more. Most evenings there are large scale ceremonies for all to come together as one diverse community.

Kids area

Majical Youth have run the kids area for the last 17 years. There are a wealth of activities throughout the day, including face painting, bush craft, music making and circus skills workshops, with climbing frames, mobile climbing wall, ropes, swing boats, merry go round, and trampolines, along with plays, parades and spontaneous antics every evening.

Meditation and Healing Garden

Buddhafield now supports over 70 different healing practitioners, at the heart of which is a lovingly created healing garden. There is a 24 hour meditation space, with meditation teaching and hundreds of yoga classes, from 9 different schools, throughout the day. There is also a 12 step dome.

Not For Profit Stalls

The Amida Trust, Network of Engaged Buddhists, Viva, The Vegan Foundation, Radical Routes, Abundance Sheffield, Dartmoor Pony Training Centre, The Bhutan Nun Foundation, EcoDharma, Karuna, Taraki, Centre for Applied Buddhism, Occupy and more.

Ethos

Buddhafield values harmony and transformation in ourselves and the world around us, along with creating a uniquely creative and inclusive atmosphere or forum where anything's possible.

The Buddhafield festival raises funds to support the Buddhafield charity which not only runs an annual festival, but also outdoor Buddhist retreats, an award winning vegan cafe that tours the festival circuit, and maintains 50 acres of land, all of which is made possible by hundreds of hands of generosity.

Green Credentials:

All aspects of Buddhafield aim to tread as lightly on the earth as possible, so everything is powered entirely by renewable energy, from the wind, sun, biodiesel or wood fired hot water systems, (save the gas for cooking in the cafes).

Getting there:

Buddhafield would love their festival goers to be as creative as possible with their travel, and use public transport, or the Freewheelers website which helps travellers offer or share lifts. Alternatively, festival goers could cycle as some hardy folk did last year.

Buddhafield aims to provides a FREE half hourly pick up service from Taunton Railway station throughout the busiest periods of the festival.

Camping

There is ample space for camping, and live in vehicles, with a Camping Area, close to the car park. They offer a spacious camping areas, away from the hustle and bustle, along with women-only camping in the Women's Area.

Facilities on site

Taunton's local wholefood store 'Nurtured By Nature' provides all that you could need on site.

They have wood heated showers, and a number of saunas, including Waterworld, Lost Horizons and Coyote Moon, and compost toilets.

Radical Midwives offer a safe space and well-being advice to all women, mothers and fathers, along with the women's space who run a communal dome, fire and women-only workshops, with daily yoga classes for children.

Recycling

Organisers ask festival goers to think carefully about what they bring to the festival, especially non-compostable nappies or other non recyclable waste. There are full recycling facilities on site.

Dogs

No dogs on site.

More information will be here when available.

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