Sunrise Celebration 2012
Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th June 2012Gilcombe Farm, near Bruton, South Somerset, England MAP
early bird £122 for the weekend
Daily capacity: 5,000
We arrived Friday evening to a sea of mud after a two day down pour, incoming vehicles were being redirected to firmer, flatter ground. Having pitched our tent and settled ourselves in we headed to the main site, armed with wellies and waterproofs. The festival was in full swing, nothing dampened the spirits of the merry makers.
This is what music is really all about, one big jam session, what a perfect way to start our weekend. Mud skating through the ubiquitous festi stalls of trinkets, crazy clothes, coffee and food vendors and generally brightly coloured stuff, for a quick boogie in the Dragon of Love dance tent and Earth Heart Cafe, before heading to the main outdoor stage. The lower field, with the Carnival stage (main stage), was a wash out.
Great audio-visual entertainment, nice one guys. One last early morning boogie in the dance tent before heading to bed to prepare for a fun packed Saturday.
Saturday saw the sun tentatively sneak through the clouds and with a pleasant wind the mud began to dry a little, into a sticky glue consistency. There was plenty of activities to engage children of all ages; slate carving, metal working, wood turning on traditional pole lathes, face painting, leather working, rocket stove making and much more. Plus talks and demonstrations from wild food gathering to Sufi dancing. The Healing field provided a variety of relaxing treatments for the city weary and weather weary soul.
Followed up by skanking reggae from Laid Black and more wicked dance tunes from Mungos Hi Fi. Throughout these sets I had the pleasure of dancing with a very pregnant young lady who informed me that her waters had broken. Having been there myself three times, I can't think of a better way to go through labour, and what a beautiful way to bring a being into this world.
It was an honour to watch this wonderful lady dancing her baby into life. I hope the birthing went well and you are in possession of a beautiful, healthy baby. We all wish you and your baby a life well loved. Coda brought up the tail of the night, trombone, guitar, bass and drums, with an excellent rendition of Prodigy's 'Twisted Fire Starter'. Last stop before bed was Benji Vaughan who lit up the dance tent at 3am.
Sunrise is one of the final bastions of a real festival, it has kept the faith without being swallowed by commercialism and major league TV and Radio stations. Well organised and sensitively run. Litter was collected regularly, recycling stations were copious, compost toilets were kept clean and well managed. The atmosphere of the whole festival was peaceful, fun-filled and had a mindful community spirit.
review by: Louisa Shorney
photos by: Federica Pacifico
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