Splashy Fen celebrates its 21st festival this Easter and with the coming of age, comes greater awareness and responsibility.  With this in mind, the organisers of South Africa’s longest-running annual music festival have joined forces with The Green Depot and the Corner Café in Durban to create an eco village that will give festival-goers an opportunity to see green initiatives in action and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.

Powered solely by wind, water and solar energy, the village will offer zero-waste, eco-friendly camping, product displays, an environmental film festival, as well as the cool cuisine and fabulous coffee of the Corner Café eco-restaurant.

All food prepared by the Corner Café will be purchased from farmers in the community and eaten using 100% biodegradable utensils.  Organic waste will be fed into a giant worm farm, while other recyclable matter will be disposed of by YES (Your Environment Spotless), a waste collection and recycling company that aims to create a culture of environmentally responsible South Africans.

“We’re very excited at the prospect of having an eco village at Splashy, where people can either camp or come in as day visitors to experience practical, everyday ways of protecting the environment,” says Andrew Payne of The Green Depot.

“We’re also fortunate to have the support of suppliers and sponsors like Freight Max, which has kindly provided an 8-ton truck to transport the wind turbines and other equipment to the festival in one load, as opposed to many smaller vehicles doing multiple trips.  This will help reduce our carbon footprint.”

Payne is quick to point out that while environmental issues are serious business, the eco village promises to be hip and happening, with live music, a wine bar and a host of other activities.  For those willing to try something a little different, there’ll even be daily scuba workshops down at the river, presented by UKZN Underwater Club.

People wishing to camp in the eco village (situated on the riverbank, below the main festival site) can contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or buy their tickets directly from the Corner Café at 197 Brand Road, Glenwood.  The cost is R425 per person, which includes your Splashy Fen entrance ticket.

Alternatively, day visitor tickets will be available at the festival for only R10, which also secures you entry into a daily draw to win a range of great prizes like free coffee for a year and trips to eco-friendly holiday destinations.

For more information about the eco village or if you’d like to get involved in the project, contact Andrew Payne at 083 263 3382.

Supported by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the Splashy Fen Music Festival is held on a farm near Underberg in the southern Drakensberg and runs from April 1-5.  It offers a four-day line-up of some of the country’s hottest acts, as well as fun outdoor activities for the whole family, arts and crafts, a wide variety of food and drink outlets and various camping and accommodation options.  Artists confirmed so far include the likes of Prime Circle, Hot Water, Fokofpolisiekar, Plush, Tidal Waves, Ard Matthews, the Albert Frost Trio, Haggis and Bong, New Holland and Syd Kitchen.  More details at www.splashyfen.co.za.