Huge thanks to Bristol24/7 for this delightful review of Shambala 2023…
Click here to read the whole review, or check out some of our favourite quotes below…
“…..And the programme is second-to-none. Hedonists are happy here, coexisting chaotically with those poring over the expansive talks programme and the crafty crew getting hands-on with cottagecore, cuttlefish jewellery, ceramics, wood carving and blacksmithing.
The best thing about Shambala, of course, is that it knows how to have a good time. There’s no evident worthiness sometimes found at earth-first events. And with a whole bunch of Bristol artists performing, this musician and climate editor feels very at home in that field.
From quality punk and psych of Menstrual Cramps, Dog Daughter, and My Octopus Mind; to Snazzback’s whacked out nu-jazz and Jamu’s hip hop collective; party starters Dr Meaker and avant garde bass-heavy electronica from Tikoda and Grove, the city is represented by its best of every genre.
Chuck in some DnB yoga, a spot of shambolympics, a giant toothpaste tube walking arm-in-arm with a glittery standard lamp and fully functional set of curtains, a few thousand fake moustaches and an enchanted forest, and it’s easy to see why Shambala is regarded as the (oat) cream of the crop.
Gatherings allowing an escape from everyday lives are vital, especially in this era of relentless doom and gloom news and climate anxiety. We need spaces to feel free, explore creativity and new cultural ideas, eat naughty foods and dance til we fall over.
With Shambala we can do all this while worrying less about the dent we’re leaving on the world. We can get our sparkle on and go wild for the weekend, then head home knowing we’ve contributed to something positive – a spread of ideas and ways of living that will help to create a kinder, more nature-friendly world. Festivals old and new could learn a lot from the Shambala family.”
Big thanks to Bristol247 for the kind words – and to everybody who came, sang, danced, shimmied and explored this year.
Big love x