Wow, what a fantastic day our Music Festival was. Camphill really rocked! Some of our residents danced to the music all afternoon, so full of energy and great moves, and others sat back and enjoyed the vibe, which was relaxed and happy. The day was cloudy but apart from one very short shower we kept dry and the breeze kept away the insects, so everybody was able to set up picnics around the stage and chill.

The market stalls sold a fabulous array of treats, snacks and lunches, from Camphill's cakes, boerewors rolls and panini to our regular market traders' samosas, burgers, pancakes, spring rolls and more. Then kids old and young had fun getting feathers in their hair, face paint and flower garlands in true festival spirit. Volunteers from sponsors Itron, gave a hand all over the festival; from food stalls to parking.






The music flowed non-stop from 1pm onwards, opening with a rousing chorus from the Camphill choir and a solo from Bart followed by the professionals, starting with Bart's brother Greg Kentgens. MC Alvon Collison kept everything running smoothly and filled in the time while the next band was setting up with a song, a joke or awarding a prize of a bottle of wine to lucky member of the audience.



Ras Kerry's Cheety took to the stage with his accomplished reggae, followed by SillyBoi, Tasha, Che-V and CeeJ all talented musicians from an empowerment program facilitated by Vision Records in Atlantis. Then The Bootleggers Blues Band got the dancing going with some old blues favourites and new. No Pressure from Riebeek Kasteel played their own songs next, and then it was time for Valiant Swart to come on stage and gather the audience closer with his well known modern Afrikaans ballads.



The light was fading as it was time for the final headlining act, Freshlyground. Picnics and food stalls were abandoned as everyone gathered around the stage and enjoyed the dynamic sounds and energetic stage act. There was much dancing and singing along and Freshlyground weren't allowed to go without an encore, so it was 7pm by the time the music faded out and we all gathered up picnic blankets and baskets, with the beats still echoing in our hearts.

For more about the event read this lovely festival blog post by Rene Maritz of Soul Sessions

Thanks go to so many people who made this wonderful celebration of Camphill's 50th anniversary possible:

Itron for all their generous support
Tentation for lending us their Bedouin tents
Ska Clothing for lending us an extra tent.
Big Shot Media for filming the event
AV Kilowatt for perfect sound and lighting
GL Events for their expert advice in putting it all together
Econoloo for enough portable loos
Cape Skip for three skips to assist with Waste Management

Thanks to all the bands and musicians mentioned above who gave their time and music with generous hearts.
 To Alvon Collison who was a lively MC of the event.
And to Liny Kruger for her music PR expertise and help .

Thanks to Vondeling Wine Farm, Diemersfontein and la Bri who all donated their fantastic products to help us raise funds. Malmesbury Superspar for assisting with our license and alcoholic beverages.

To Philadelphia Police, the Traffic Department, the City of Cape Town and the Fire Brigade, who all shared their advice and expertise in managing the largest event we've put on at Camphill Village.

And last but not least thanks to everyone in Camphill Village who put so much time and effort into all the details: the Bakery team, the Farm who prepared the grounds ..... the Maintenance team who built the stage.... and every single co-worker and resident who all played their parts.