The organizers of Earth Garden have released an official statement, declaring that the Earth Garden Festival will go ahead as planned despite the fact that the date of the general election called last Monday by the government clashes with this year’s edition of the popular festival.
“It’s definitely business as usual for us. We're not going to lie - we were taken aback by the announcement of the general election as we've been working extremely hard on this year’s edition for over 9 months", the organizers said in their statement. . "This year is also our biggest year, in terms of artists and footprint. The scale of the event is definitely one of the reasons why cancelling or postponing was never an option".
This year's edition will involve over 100 artists flying in, all with binding contracts and other related factors already in place, which makes it logistically impossible to postpone. Further to this, the statement also mentions that there will be around 500 people working onsite and an average attendance of more than 20 thousand people. "We also have a unique identity made up of genuine people and music lovers which is really worth fighting for”.
Earth Garden has in fact been voted as one of the Top 15 festivals in Europe, which further encouraged the organizers to launch the home-grown festival internationally. “ We fully understand that an election brings along some tension, but we want to offer a different perspective, where we one can still have a principle and/or political opinion without it becoming an obsession."
The festival has always embraced and promoted the concept of unity, bringing people together from all walks of life, nationality, beliefs, and gender ever since its first edition 11 years ago. "In this respect, we will not tolerate any disrespectful or any partisan behavior. No political associated material or items will be permitted within the Festival grounds”, the statement emphasizes.
This year’s edition will be the biggest footprint ever for Earth Garden, with a 30% increase that includes 4 music areas, an additional camping site, newly-located Electronic Sphere and Healing Fields, music playground, jamming, an Ethnic Market, Fun Park and a food court.
Often referred to as Malta’s mini- Glastonbury, Earth Garden has also been an advocate for a greener environment, fully aware that eco-social responsibilities are rarely at the forefront of commercial agendas. The festival is committed to further create awareness and invest further in its waste management. Last year alone the festival saved over 7000 kg of resources through its waste and recycled management, and this year they will be introducing a mandatory one-cup policy, which is a first on the island.
The 2017 edition of Earth Garden Festival will be held from June 1-4 at the National Park, Ta’ Qali. Doors open on Thursday, June 1 at 6pm. Tickets at €25 each for a 4-day pass for Earth Garden Festival 2017 are available for sale from ticketline.com.mt or from selected outlets.
Children under 12 accompanied by an adult will be allowed to enter the festival for free.
Dogs are very welcome but need to be kept on a leash and owners must always clean after.
Download the full programme here.