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Hooray for Hillside!

July 28th, 2008     by Stacey May Fowles     Comments

Yesterday I was at The Hillside Music Festival, “a celebration of music and community” that happens annually at Guelph Lake conservation area on an “island” connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Hillside is a not-for-profit corporation, administered by a board of directors, a small year-round staff, and more than 1,000 volunteers, and it is unlike other music festivals because it doesn’t focus on corporate advertising in order to sustain itself. And speaking of sustainability, Hillside focuses heavily on reducing the impact of the event on the environment by doing things like reusing cups and plates, and incorporating solar power.

Did I mention that the music is fantastic? This year’s headliners included my teenage crush Hayden, The Cowboy Junkies, Hawksley Workman, The Sadies, and Broken Social Scene (I thought this song was an appropriate one to post):

Anyone who has ever attended the festival will attest to the fact that it is a haven far from commercialism, consumerism, waste, and, well, jerks. The entire event is a real testament to the fact that something can be (easily) done to protect and preserve and enjoy the world around us. We may have gotten rained on, but it was the good time I look forward to every year. I just wanted to shout out to any Shameless readers in attendance. See you again next year!

The upside to rain at Hillside.

Tags: eco speak, playlist

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