Shambala Shenanigans

All too soon it was time for the last festival of the year.  I'd say the summer, but I don't remember there actually being one this year!  We did see a tiny bit of sun at Shambala, but it was short lived between the cloud, more cloud and rain.  But nevertheless, we made the most of a great little weekender, because Shambala is worth making the most of.

It's a great little festival, nestled in a secret location in Northamptonshire, secret because the organisers love the fact that it is an escape from reality, secret because they don't want too many people coming along and spoiling the intimate nature of it all, and secret from the influence of corporations.  A family friendly festival, full of colour, music and fun things to see and do.  If you want big rock bands, then this isn't for you, but if you love the other bits of Glastonbury, the small stages, the circus and cabaret, the healing fields and the eco-friendly, green stuff, then it certainly is!

One of their unique selling points is how they encourage festival goers to be part of the entertainment, to get everyone to join in as much as they can, and they make it very easy to do so.  From craft workshops to yoga, and, most of all, the fancy dress.  Each year they have a theme, and everyone works around the theme, using their imaginations to create some weird, wonderful and downright fantastic costumes, which are all paraded around the site in a big procession on the Saturday evening.

So, on to my weekend...  After staying with friends the night before, we drove down to the site and were ushered into the car park quickly and efficiently, within a very short time we were parked up, unpacked and heading for the gates.  A warm welcome is one of the first things you notice at Shambala, and after the eco friendly, cost effective wristband exchange (you are given a code number and password, no tickets to lose and no unnecessary postage), you are ushered through their welcome marquee and offered sweets and drinks of squash, stickers and cheerful hellos from festival staff in fancy dress.

A short trek later and we were in the campsite, a lush green field with bags of space, and a refreshing change from the usual crammed in jumble of tents that you normally find at festivals.  Saving space for our large gang of friends was a doddle, and before long we were all in situ and ready to play!

As I said earlier, there are many ways of getting involved at Shambala, and the sooner you throw yourself into the spirit, the sooner you'll find yourself having fun.  With so many workshops to choose from, you could never be bored, the biggest problem is choosing what to do first.  We were having a birthday party for two of our friends on the Saturday, complete with posh frocks and suits, so Hapitat looked like a great start, with their handmade fascinators and flowers.  Emma is friendly, and a dab hand with a needle and cotton, so even if you can't do it yourself, she is there to make pretty fabric flowers to match any outfit.  I chose a fascinator, a hairband with a big purple flower, and she did the rest, adding a few co-ordinated feathers to create a gorgeous finishing touch to my outfit for the party.

I headed down to the Healing Field, where I booked myself in for a Reiki session, something I always do for myself at any festival where healing is available.  It's a great way to relax and settle in, something which I often have trouble with on the first couple of days, and a special indulgence that I always enjoy.

Saturday was the day of the party, a surprise organised by us in secret.  We cobbled together a long table with tablecloths, doilies and cucumber sandwiches, and adorned the surrounding tents with balloons and banners.  The party went swimmingly, apart from the dash for cover during yet another heavy shower, with passers-by wondering what was going on with this group of people, dressed in their Sunday best, sipping champagne!  We joked that one of the boys looked like he was ready for a wedding, the next thing we know, one of the other boys had persuaded a bloke in full wedding dress to come up to our camp and we witnessed them get married there and then!  In the evening I went off to see Kid Carpet, who was great fun, playing his inimitable brand of Casio toy pop to a small, but appreciative crowd in the Wandering Word yurt.  Another of the beauties of Shambala is how you can see acts in tiny, intimate venues, up close and personal.

Sunday was my favourite day of the weekend.  We started the afternoon with a Cock Drawing workshop, which was just as it sounds.  We were given newspapers, magazines, paper and pens, and there was a packed tent, full of people drawing cocks on everything, followed by a competition to choose the funniest and most original cock drawing.   I was particularly proud of my Barack Obama artwork, not a political statement by any means, nor a personal slur on the US President, just a childish expression of silliness in the one place where it was actively encouraged.

My final highlight was late on the Sunday night.  I wasn't ready for it all to end just yet, so I headed into the woods.  The woodland is a particularly special part of the festival, beautiful at any time, but fairy lit at night, with sculptures and weird stuff around every turn.  I discovered a strange piano area, covered in fairy lights, with an octopus themed backdrop.  There were people playing and singing drunkenly, and at that moment I lost all my usual shyness and joined in, singing at the top of my voice.  I have no idea what came over me, it's not something I would ever do normally, but there I was, in my flashy hairband, singing Primal Scream's Movin' on Up.  I even heard someone comment that they weren't sure whether I was one of the performers or not!  It was all a bit shambolic as we all forgot the words at the same time, but it was a real smiley end to the festival.