Walking into Greenbelt is a breath, like one you won’t take anywhere else. (I think it’s got its own smell which is super comforting)
This year was exciting; I haven’t been able to attend greenbelt for a few years, to do with the pandemic, of course, and other reasons; Greenbelt has had a super upgrade, in my opinion, with new stages, new scenes and maybe a bit of a different dynamic. I feel the younger/youth Greenbelters took the majority, and that’s a really nice feeling to have more younger people and to have them cared for so well by the festival.
I loved that the theme and focus were on the climate emergency. Not that it’s great that we need to focus on that, just that it should and needs to be our focus. It was a welcome space to sit, think and challenge my mind, to think about solutions and what I can be doing more of to make a difference. And to learn more about the climate emergency as well as other things, though I did mostly spend my time making sure I attended the conversation panels and talks about the climate, my mind spins a bit with all that has been jammed into it this weekend.
As well as the challenging and tricky things to ponder, there was immense opportunity for release. Mostly through throwing my body about dancing to beautiful, powerful and utterly joyous music, as well as laughing till tears at the comedy, in all of the forms it takes at Greenbelt. You won’t know poetry, maybe you will, but I certainly could never think of poetry as anything other than the most eclectic art form. I can literally have tears streaming down my face for three minutes off one poem and laugh out loud to the next; it’s one of my favourite things to experience at Greenbelt.
In the meantime, when you’re not trying to fit as much of the program into your day as you can, just enjoying many coffees and beers in good company with my family and all the other lovely Greenbelt people, the people that we mostly only ever see at Greenbelt, is a very lovely thing. I also love all the random loo queue chats and people who turn to chat to you in the crowd, the people I just have to say something to if they’re wearing something amazing or for any reason really. There’s absolutely no doubt that anyone wouldn’t be happy to talk to you. It feels so big-family.
Altogether my Greenbelt experience is the biggest and one of the only places I’m drawn into questioning my beliefs and routines. I find Greenbelt to be a super holy place, it’s big love and safety, it is pure happiness.
I leave with intentions to change my routines, start writing more, document the beautiful things in life that I overlook and hold space to let beautiful things happen.
By Bethia Stacey