Croissant Neuf Festival Review - A First Timer's Review
Rain? Mud? Portaloos? More rain? Tents? Cold? Dirt? Even more Rain??
I must confess that is how I viewed festival life before I attended my first one and if that's how you envisage it then think again...
OK, I will admit, I didn't go the whole hog and brave the legendary Glastonbury mud, crowds and portaloos but as Festival Virgins, my 15-year-old daughter and I travelled across the country to meet up with Brigit and friends at the Croissant Neuf Solar Powered Summer Party in Wales.
Now Wales being Wales, it was beautiful. We camped on the side of a hill, overlooking unspoilt countryside. Only 1,500 people are allowed on site which made it a very small and intimate gathering. There were lots of families as well as hardened festival-goers and this all added to the safe, family friendly feel. There was organic food available and the Stagger Inn provided good, cheap beers and local ciders, as well as an excellent pub quiz, in which the BGI team came a very respectable second!
There were 2 performing venues - the Main Tent which saw the likes of 3 Daft Monkeys and the excellent Martha Tilston and the more intimate Café Seren which had smaller bands and open mike sessions, my favourite being Charlotte Strawbridge, but then I am biased! On the Saturday night there was a Masked Ball and on the Sunday evening a lantern parade to the mystical Hill Fort.
There was plenty for younger children to do - circus workshops, face painting, woodcraft workshops... In fact it was very child oriented, although with stalls for shopping, bands to listen to and different food to try, my teenager was more than happy. Her most lasting impression though was how friendly everyone was. You didn't need to be a hard-core greenie or festival goer, everybody was welcoming and the atmosphere was relaxed and fun.
So, on to the important stuff. My daughter coped admirably without her hair straighteners and twenty-four hour access to Facebook but didn't like not being able to wash. As luck would have it Spiral Sun solar showers were there. And I must admit after two days, it was a luxurious treat to indulge in a shower.
Spiral Sun have the lowest carbon footprint of any mobile shower unit and have attended such festivals as Glastonbury, Sunrise and the Big Green Gathering. The tipi-shaped cubicles have two rooms, an outer one with a ladder to hang your clothes on and an inner one to provide a warm and private shower. I am most definitely not a ‘get it all out in public' sort of person and I felt completely safe in the inner shower area. In the early mornings and when there is no sun (heavens forbid!) the showers are backed up by a 
woodburning stove which ensures the water is always hot. Biodegradable soap only is allowed and is provided free of charge. Flowers are hanging in the shower area which was a lovely touch. The showers cost £2.50 per person which after a few days of getting down and dirty and back to nature, is money well spent!
And then...the loos. As there were only 1,500 people on site, the loos provided none of the trauma of larger festivals. They were cleaned early each morning, the loo roll and hand sanitiser lasted well into the day and, most usefully, they were lit up with fairy lights at night so you weren't left struggling with a torch between your teeth...
So if you are tempted to go to a festival to meet up with like-minded green people, please do try it. A small family festival like Croissant Neuf is a wonderful, gentle introduction to this world. You have all winter now to pluck up the courage and book your summer 2009 festival experience!
But as for the rain?? Well, you can't have everything and yes, it bucketed down at times, although it added to the fun atmosphere. How often do you attend a masked ball in face paint, fairy wings, ball dress and wellies?
Jo
17 Sep 08
