The entire music festival scene is growing, maturing and learning how to create a community and something more than just a “big party.” Across the world, smaller more intimate events are focused on not just music, but art, community, activism, sustainability, agriculture, and well-being. From early morning yoga, to afternoon panel discussions – the festival scene has ripened beautifully, and last weekend at the fourth Envision Festival, I saw a global convergence of people looking for that enriched experience. With my Minolta, I took pictures of some of my favorite parts of the festival with a good old roll of 35mm film. I thought this would help capture this event truly as what it was – a work of art.
As of Thursday afternoon, the little beach town of Uvita, Costa Rica, was beginning to pack in full of eager Envision attendees. From the two friends I met in the airport in San Salvador, to my bus seat buddy, I could feel the positivity almost pouring out of everyone’s fingertips. This wasn’t a place for shaking hands however, introductions and goodbyes were full of warm hugs and embrace from complete strangers from all walks of life.
The event itself was in a beautiful location, all the structures were built by hand (mostly bamboo) and the food was absolutely excellent. The beach was a short 2-minute walk down a gorgeous, lush jungle path, and was rich with plenty of swimming, surfing, dancing, and drum circles every evening at sunset. The stages were handmade works of art; and the food was organic, local and nourishing (with almost no meat, other than fish from the ocean down the path).
This was only my second transformation festival, Symbiosis 2013 being my first, but I’ve been to my fair share of traditional festivals – some fantastic, some not so much. Symbiosis was an incredible experience (although I was slightly unprepared for the chilly northern California evenings). Now with Envision on my wrist as a reminder, I feel so much hope for the festival scene and the potential for progress, networking and community involvement with these events. The transformational scene goes so far beyond just the exchanging glance or trading kandi (not to say those instances aren’t beautiful)– it’s the exchange of ideas and the desire to make positive change in the world through self-expression and dance.
I absolutely love music festivals. They should provide the type of environment where you can get outside of your comfort zone and let loose – positive reinforcement, new experiences and all your close friends. I attended Envision with my best friend, my sister, and a couple other people, but I spent a lot of the time wandering around alone which allowed me to meet so many new people full of life and just as enamored with all the positive energy.
Musicians were out and about, dancing with everyone. Even with the scorching, somewhat dizzying heat, I didn’t see one angry or sad person all weekend. I left Envision completely fulfilled– like after a meal, but for the soul– without the need or desire to attend any other festival for a very long time. Instead I felt fully motivated and ready to conquer all the goals I had set for myself when I returned. Every exchange all weekend was a pleasant one, from vendors to attendees.
Article and Photos by Kyle Calian