New Fire, a zero-waste festival

A zero-waste festival full of music, art, dance, food, craft, yoga, play and overnight camping is coming to St Joseph this weekend as the New Fire Festival opens its camping grounds on Friday at Ortinola Estate.

Kevon Foderingham, marketing manager for New Fire, describes the festival as a transformative one that's a warm and inclusive space where people can learn how they could be a catalyst for change while enjoying local talents.

"It is a zero-waste transformational festival. We are inviting people to experience three days of creativity, community, beauty and mindful living. By coming to the festival, we are trying to encourage you to live a more sustainable life," Foderingham said.

This is the fourth year of the New Fire Festival. The first year it was in Couva. The second year it was in Santa Cruz. This will be the second year it will be in Ortinola Estate, a great cocoa house.

New Fire is the flagship initiative of the TT Bridge Initiative which is an NGO that attempts to develop arts, culture and local creative products through a sustainable manner.

"We are using the arts and culture as a tool for a sustainable life," Foderingham said.

New Fire Festival has different entry passes. There are one-day, two-day, three-day and concert passes. Only the three-day passes allows access to the camping grounds.

The festival opens at 5 pm on Friday for three-day pass holders where the campers can set up in the campers' village.

"Campers come from Friday. There will be a special camping zone where the campers can access. There will also be a special family zone separate from the music area so that families with children can camp comfortably," Foderingham said.

For those who are uncertain about camping, Foderingham says it is the best part of the festival as people get to bond with each other, often having jam sessions and late night discussions.

"The camping experience is the most enjoyable. It creates a sense of unity and community and togetherness. It is like Carnival without the bacchanal," he said.

There is a full washing up area for campers. There will be composting toilets that do not flush, but use sawdust to mash down the smell. However, for those not brave enough to use the compostable toilets, regular ones would be on the site as well."

For those who are not familiar with camping, Foderingham says, "If you are camping you should know it gets very cold at night. Bring camping gear, tents, bedding to put down on the ground such as memory foam, blankets and sleeping bags. Ortinola is outdoors so wear sneakers and closed-toe shoes."

While there will be charging stations for people to charge their phones, he still suggests people walk with a portable charger to do so.

There will be an artisan market and food cart at New Fire. However, festival-goers are asked to bring their own cups, plates and cutlery.

People should also pack snacks as well, especially if they have a special diet, because there may not be enough food to accommodate everyone.

Foderingham assures that the festival is safe for all who attend.

"The festival remains very safe. Security will be on site throughout the festival. There will be a Safer Spaces Zone for any time someone feels like they are in crisis, they have these people on site," he said.

New Fire's ceremonial opening and bonfire will be on Friday at 6 pm followed by a sacred cacao ceremony and five element dance.

The first concert called Electronic Music Experience will start at 10 pm with a line up of DJs such as Jacob Cino, Suspktz, Tiefhead, Nick Farah and Lbee.

On Saturday, the gates open at 9 am for the two-day and one-day pass holders who can experience the green business expo, artisan market, acoustic music performances, and a number of workshops.

Some of the workshops include a qigong and mindfulness medication practice, essential oil experience and moving meditation, mask making, mural painting, food as medicine, belly dancing, equine therapy, composting for results, rhythmic gymnastics, fabric collage: personal stories through art therapy, contact improvisational dancing, indigenous way of life, decolonising chocolate and much more.

Saturday night's concert will have live performances from David Rudder, Isasha, Freetown Collective, Nickolai Salcedo with Gyazette, Soloman, Nex Chapta, Caleb Hart, Jivanna, Chinaka, Dayo Bejide Organic Music Movement and Vizion Music Entertainment.

On Sunday, there will be workshops on morning mindful meditation, traditional mas showcase, intuitive drawing and painting, climate change and survival, dance, movement and drama therapy, Buddhist mindfulness and yin yoga, an introduction to Bollywood dance, aerial yoga, planting for adults, capoeira, laughter yoga, the feminine beauty ideals and its negative effects on women's body image, reggae flow yoga, empowered women and sexuality, reflexology and more.

There will be a Children's Zone as well as activities for children for the two days. These activities include an upcycling station, art with intent, finding our green thumb, the animal inside you, the buzz about bees, painting with natural ingredients, and litter hunters.

Foderingham said it is important to have activities for children so they could learn and adopt from young the ways to live a sustainable lifestyle.

"If we are trying to promote a message of living a sustainable life, we have to start from young cause they are the ones we are leaving all this for. That is why we have our own activities throughout the day," he said.

There will be three workshop areas, Dream, Explore and Transform.

"If you are coming to do workshops, stay in that one area," he said.

New Fire is a waste-free zone. Recycling will be going on throughout the festival. They asked all festival-goers to bring their own plates, cups and cutlery. Styrofoam containers and single-use plastics are strictly banned. Free filtered water would be available all weekend, just bring a container.

"Down to the vendors and partners are asked not to bring any single-use materials on site. We want to be a zero-waste festival. Leave the space clean. We don't want to have any bags of rubbish," he said.