It’s no secret: music festivals have historically been an environmental catastrophe.
If you’re a regular festivalgoer, you’ve probably got a mental slideshow of Day Four disasters – trash-strewn campsites, half-collapsed tents, and a once-green field trampled into a muddy wasteland.
But the damage isn’t just visible; it runs much deeper. Beyond litter and stage lights, the loud music can cause bats to abandon their young. Discarded nangs (nitrous oxide canisters) can maim grazing cattle.
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Dancing crowds’ compact soil, disrupting plant growth. And let’s not forget the touring DJs—flying so much they emit up to 17 times the recommended annual carbon limit. Even your festival outfit might wind up in the trash by the end of the weekend.
Despite this grim track record, many Australian music festivals are stepping up their sustainability game.
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“Two of the biggest issues impacting the environmental sustainability of music festivals are audience emissions and throwaway culture generating single-use waste,” says Berish Bilander, CEO of Green Music Australia, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainability in the music industry.
Here’s a harsh truth: half the waste at music festivals comes from campsites. In response, festivals like Beyond the Valley have started calling out attendees, even posting a bold message on Instagram urging patrons to clean up their act.
Granted — after three days of dancing in the dirt, no one wants to take home their broken tent on the bus home or to touch the rotten food left in the sun. But it’s got to be done – so pick up your trash and reduce your use of single-use items.
Still, it’s not just about shaming attendees. Festivals can—and should—make it easier to minimise waste and improve sustainability. According to Green Music, Strawberry Fields Music Festival lays the gold standard for an environmentally friendly festival.
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Strawberry Fields Music Festival’s ‘Rewash Revolution’ system eliminates disposable plates and cutlery by providing reusable alternatives. Attendees borrow and return them for cleaning—a straightforward solution to a major waste issue.
And they don’t just tell people to clean up — they incentivise it. Patrons can compete for the cleanest, most sustainable campsite to win passes to future Strawberry Fields Festivals.
They also use carbon offsetting. (If you haven’t heard about it before, it’s when carbon dioxide is emitted by a person or company, and they “offset” it by funding projects that reduce the same amount of CO₂ elsewhere).
Strawberry Fields is partnered with TreeCreds, a carbon-offset solution focussed on forestry projects. TreeCreds uses funds for projects like the Tasmanian Native Forest Protection Project, which preserves land in the Tasmanian Central Highlands from logging.
Australia isn’t alone in reimagining music festivals. Overseas, innovations like Pavegen flooring—technology that converts footsteps into renewable energy—are making waves. At Liverpool’s Act 1.5, a three-night event powered entirely by renewable energy, 30,000 attendees danced without sacrificing sustainability.
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Meanwhile, Coachella offered an unexpected sustainability lesson this year. The Galilee Centre, a nonprofit aiding disadvantaged community, salvaged 80,000 pounds of abandoned items—pillows, mattresses, and sleeping bags—left behind by festivalgoers. Instead of adding to landfill, these donations went to those in need.
Sustainability at music festivals is more than a trend—it’s a necessity. Festivals like Strawberry Fields show us that small changes, like reusable cutlery or composting toilets, can ripple into big impacts.
“Through solutions like reusable crockery systems, expanded camp gear hiring availability, and increasing bus and shuttle options, we are starting to see the sector move towards a more environmentally conscious one,” says Bilander.
So next time you’re heading to a festival, think about the environmental footprint you are leaving behind. After all, the music is only as good as the planet it plays on.
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