A music festival in the middle of a poplar forest without portable toilets or beer brands

GironaSummer is the time for big music festivals. During June, July and August, after the Primavera Sound, he DreamCabró Rock or Cruïlla, the round of mass musical events across the country begins, most with a lineup of more or less similar famous artists. However, outside this circuit, unique and alternative proposals are also emerging that firmly commit to a small-format model, away from giant stages and beer brand sponsorships. This is the case of Rizomes, at Cellera de Ter (Selva), a festival created by a group of Barcelona friends specializing in music management and architecture, who in 2018 devised a sustainable and environmentally conscious proposal. It is celebrated every summer solstice in a poplar forest, removed from the hustle and bustle of urban centers, in an atmosphere of seclusion, peace, and respect for nature. This year's edition, which will take place from June 20th to 22nd, will bring together around fifty artists, with notable names such as Alondra, Rita Payés, and Tarta Relena.

"We're the antithesis of big festivals. In fact, we didn't start out wanting to do a festival, but rather a party with friends, but the project gradually took shape and became more professional. It's a decentralized cultural initiative that has made us realize that we are nature lovers," explains Guillermo de Pouplana, architect. Katarina Grbic, producer and founding partner, adds: "It's the festival we would have liked to attend as spectators. We want to take great care of the audience, offering an amazing experience. That's what we miss from macro festivals: the concerts can be good, but the experience is often overwhelming, full of queues, logos."

Beyond the greenwashing

At its core, Rizomes is born from a philosophy of life that breaks with the capitalist logic of large event-organizing companies. The goal is to place a cultural event in the middle of the forest, and while it is being carried out, not only does it not negatively impact the environment, but also has positive repercussions. Thus, the more than 1,000 visitors who come to the concerts—who can stay overnight in tents in the forest if they wish—do not harm the poplar plantation, owned by the family of one of the founders, but quite the opposite: they help to regenerate it. "The location forces us to think from the perspective of real sustainability, not just the greenwashing"We consider how natural flows work and how to respect them. It's a way of integrating ecology into the entire process," explains Pouplana.

For example, there are no portable toilets. and spectator feces are composted, the shower water comes from the river, the plates and cutlery are biodegradable, and the stages are built with bamboo structures, also sourced from the farm, rather than the typical prefabricated metal scaffolding. In addition, this year they will distribute fifty kilos of seeds to all attendees so that new poplar trees will sprout when they walk through the forest. "We use techniques inspired by extensive livestock farming, which move the herd through the territory with respect and leave a positive impact," Pouplana maintains.

All of this imbues the weekend experience, with a lineup of musicians and visual artists perfectly in tune with the message and a staging that also aims to envelop the attendee in this energy. "I especially recommend Saturday afternoon, with Rita Payés, and when it gets dark, the light show by Andreu Fàbregas, one of the most powerful lighting designers in the country, which will give way to Tarta Relena's performance on Saturday afternoon. It will be magical," concludes Katarina Grbic.