(Photo by Lindsay Donovan)
So everything you’ve just mentioned is pretty ahead of the curve, what are some other strategies that you’ve employed to keep Shambhala one of the leaders in the industry?
Britz: Yeah, with the stages and all that – what we basically do is give the stage directors entire creative control. We’re just like here’s your budget, figure out what you’re doing with it. You know, having that kind of creative control of their own spaces, they really have made cutting edge stages and interactive areas. I think Shambhala is different in that we don’t have a central talent buyer, so all the stages contract out their own talent, so I do think that gives it kind of a unique flavor in comparison to other festivals.
It’s really hard to be a sustainable festival when you are in the middle of nowhere, not anywhere near a city, but we do make efforts towards that as well. Like, we just built an on-site waste treatment facility for all the waste from the port-o-potties, so we’re actually treating our own waste on-site here. We have a water treatment system on-site that is more compliant to the interior health authority standards than some of the water systems for small towns around here. And then we do grow some of the food for our staff kitchen; a lot of the veggies are grown here on site.
We don’t really have the capability to do that for the whole festival, but we are feeding our staff from what we grow on the property. And also, Blaze Burgers, our on-site burger stand; the hamburgers are made from cows that are raised on the property. So, I think that’s pretty cutting edge I suppose! I don’t see any other festivals that are doing it, but we also have the advantage that we own the property. And I think one of the only other events in North America right now that owns the property that they have the festival on is What The Festival, and that’s a very new thing. I think they’re one of the only one’s in the U.S. that owns their own property.
I’m absolutely in love with the name of Shambhala, and it’s the name for a mythical kingdom in Asia that’s as much a spiritual location as it is physical. So after this magical time at the Farm, how can fans bring some of the magic of Shambhala back into their daily lives.
Britz: That’s a good question! I think the experiences people have out here from people being so friendly and open, and just being able to walk past a stranger and talk to them; I think that does kind of spill over into their daily lives especially immediately after the festival. You know, I hear stories of people just stopping at a bus stop and giving people a little gift or something like that.
The gifting culture of Burning Man is really big here, and there’s a little bit of a gifting and trade culture. At Burning Man, you don’t trade anything, it’s about freely giving, but there is a little bit of bartering and things like that that go on out here and I think that does affect people. So, when they go back into the regular world, they do want to continue gifting to people, whether it’s gifting time, or little trinkets, or things like that. I hear all these little stories after the festival and it’s pretty cute. (laughter)
(Photo by Jeff Cruz)
For people that haven’t experienced festivals before, when they have an encounter or interaction with some who has, I think it’s really common to just be blown away by the different attitude that these people hold.
Britz: I remember the first time I came out here. Shambhala was my first festival when I was 17, before we had age restrictions, and I honestly had a really hard time adjusting to the real world again. I was like, what is this place?! (laughter) It can definitely be a bit of a transition back to the real world afterwards, especially if you’ve never been to a festival before.
One last thing, for people who have never experienced Shambhala, what are 3 tips that you’d give them?
Britz: Okay, I would say, especially for people from out East who may not quite understand what mountain weather is like; you guys are used to these super hot sticky summers and it’s just not like that out here. It’s hot during the day and super cool at night. I was just looking at the forecast and it’s supposed to be between 80’s and 90’s during the day, and then down to the low 50’s on some nights. And it’s quite cool and damp at night, so just prepare for the weather. Don’t think that just because it’s super hot during the day that it’ll be like that at night because it won’t. Bring a warm coat.
Second, don’t get too caught up in your own schedule! Don’t be like, “Oh I gotta get from this stage to this stage and see all these DJs.” I mean, that’s good to know what you wanna do, but also allow yourself some time to just go with the flow.
Third point, meet your neighbors! Make friends with your neighbors!
