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Paradise City, Belgium
Earlier this year, the electronic music
gathering — hailed as one of the world’s
greenest festivals — was awarded four stars
(the highest rating) in the A Greener Festival
Awards. A 10-point plan helps the festival
minimise its impact on the environment and
12-century Ribaucourt Castle, in Perk, where it
takes place. Community camping, eco-toilets
and organic and Fairtrade vegetarian food are
just a few of its greener offerings, so you’ll be
able to dance to DJs, including Maribou State
and Shanti Celeste, knowing it won’t cost the
earth. 1-3 July. paradisecity.be
From top: Crowds at Paradise City;
a festivalgoer at Pol’and’Rock
FESTIVALS
FACE THE MUSIC
Shake up your summer with a string of festivals driving
social and environmental change
Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík
Held in the world’s northernmost capital at
the darkest time of year, Iceland Airwaves
provides a festival experience like no other.
Staged across a multitude of venues and
featuring hundreds of acts — including Arlo
Parks, Metronomy and Amyl & the Sniffers this
year — it’s been likened to a musical treasure
hunt. The event also has a longstanding
commitment to gender equality. In 20 18, it
became the first major music festival to deliver
a bill consisting of over 50% female acts. Since
then, closing the gender gap has remained a
top priority for the organisers. 2-5 November.
icelandairwaves.is
LISA HENDERSON
Exit, Serbia
Launched two decades ago as a student
movement against President Milošević, the
Novi Sad-based event is said to be the first
place that youth from all former Yugoslav
republics gathered after a decade of civil
wars. The festival is working with the Serbian
government and the United Nations on projects
to combat the hunger crisis, deforestation and
climate change, with partnerships woven into
the fabric of the event, where festivalgoers
can see some of the world’s leading speakers,
artists, scientists, entrepreneurs and activists
take to the stage alongside music titans such as
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Calvin Harris and
Iggy Azalea. 7-10 July. exitfest.org
Pol’and’Rock, Poland
Formerly known as Woodstock Festival
Poland, the event, held in the town of Płoty,
has been running for more than 25 years and
typically attracts hundreds of thousands
of revellers, making it the largest free
festival in Europe. It’s also an advocate of
LGBTQ+ rights in Poland and a highlight is
the Academy of the Finest Arts tent, where
hundreds of different NGOs, associations
and organisations including Greenpeace
and Amnesty International host workshops,
debates and presentations. 4 -6 August.
enpolandrockfestival.pl
Let’s Get Fr.ee, New York
Launching this summer in Queens, the
Let’s Get Fr.ee festival will celebrate artists
of colour. It comes from Afropunk founder
Matthew Morgan, whose aim is “to close the
equity gap for underrepresented people in
the entertainment industry”. To implement
this, the festival is vowing to only work with
companies who commit to long-term systemic
change, with acts such as Missy Elliott,
Kali Uchis and Anderson .Paak & the Free
Nationals. They’ll perform in the historic
Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 20 -2 1 August.
letsgetfr.ee
JUL/AUG 2022 25
SMART TRAVELLER
