Collingwood-based charity Elephant Thoughts will be hosting Freedom Fest 2022 at their Riverstone campus in Durham, Ont.
If you’re looking for a unique experience that’s family-friendly to round out your summer, a festival running in Durham on Labour Day weekend might be just the ticket.
Collingwood-based charity Elephant Thoughts is hosting its first-ever Freedom Fest from Sept. 2-4 at their Riverstone campus in Durham, Ont. The three-day festival is planned to be fun for the whole family with music, camping options, workshops and activities to help connect participants with nature and well-being.
Sam Pollock, director of international programs with Elephant Thoughts, is one of the organizers of the event, which she says follows other, more smaller-scale events put on by the organization to help raise funds for various causes.
“Our festivals are always related to our core values: sustainability, diversity, education and global citizenship,” said Pollock. The Freedom Fest will be raising money specifically for communities impacted by the current drought in Somolia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
“Elephant Thoughts has amazing resources, and one of them happens to be beautiful spaces where we can gather and celebrate,” said Pollock. “We want to be able to share that with as many people as possible.”
The Riverstone Campus is located on a 136-acre property with diverse forests, hiking trails, agricultural lands and several indoor and outdoor facilities for events, overnight accommodations, retreats and educational experiences.
“It’s a really stunning property and anyone who comes for the day or weekend has access to all of it,” she said.
The musical lineup for the festival includes acts with Collingwood links such as The Ontarians and Queen M, who will play alongside Juno-winning and nominated artists Donné Roberts and Alysha Brilla.
Workshops and activities geared to adults and children include an Indigenous Sweat Lodge, beekeeping and candlemaking, drumming circles, African dance, Acupuncture in the Forest, gardening, yoga, cooking classes and fly fishing.
“It’s an entire cultural, immersive (experience). There’s so much going on,” said Pollock.
Pollock says the Collingwood Youth Centre will also be participating in the festival, with artistic work by Collingwood youth being featured at the festival while others run some of the workshops.
Three-day camping passes are available, as well as day passes and prices range from $85 to $175. Children under 13 years old are free to attend. Tickets are limited to between 300 and 500 to be sold in total, depending on how many weekend passes are sold.
For more information on Freedom Fest 2022 or to purchase tickets, click here.
