London’s biggest and best known free green festival wins Best Event at the National Climate Week awards

The awards are intended acknowledge those who are leading the way in tackling climate change through education and innovation, and the London Green Fair was chosen as the leading festival above some stiff competition.

DSC_0932 Sinclair Eiloart, Festival Director, said, “It’s a great honour to accept this award on behalf of all the volunteers who work year round to make the festival a reality. Bring on 2012.”

The free festival returns to Regents Park, celebrating its 20th anniversary on the 9th and 10th June this year.

It’s the second award the event has won – in 2007 it was awarded the prestigious Greener festival award for its commitment to environmental excellence. The event has also been shortlisted in the People and Environment Awards for the ‘Community Interest’ category.

Innovative and exciting, yet remaining true to its roots, and still completely free to attend, this year’s show will boast some great new additions as well as the regular features that make the festival so popular. Featuring world music and festival tunes across two stages this year, including the Global-Local stage plus the PEA POD sessions stage (curated by GREEN magazine), plus the speakers and conference arena (with very special guest speakers - last year included Ken Livingston and Jenny Jones!) and a great children’s area containing loads for all ages including free dance classes, free music lessons, storytelling, performance, plus space to chill out and relax.

DSC_0772 The BikeFest (a festival of all things bike within a festival) goes electric with support from BEBA (the British Electric Bike Association) and provides an opportunity to test ride and find out all about the latest electric bikes.

Another highlight will be the performance of an 80-piece orchestra from Holland, on both days, in a natural amphitheatre on site, with the perfect backdrop of lush Regent’s Park. Not to be missed. Plus a unique outdoor theatre performance scheduled daily.

Importantly the event provides a platform for over 100 different community and campaigning groups to reach tens of thousands of people over two days.

It also features a unique selection of green and fair-trade market stalls, providing visitors with a range of products that are not only environmentally sound, but also rarely found in mainstream shops.

The event is organised by dedicated volunteers, supported by a small delivery team, and is set up as a not-for-profit social enterprise. It relies on the support of many local businesses and organisations, community groups and campaigning organisations.

Sinclair Eiloart added “In these difficult times, and in the face of mass commercialization of events, we are delighted to be able to produce this free festival celebrating all that is good and green about London and the UK. Dedicated to access, diversity and inclusion - it’s a unique environmental event, with lots of fantastic things planned to entertain and inspire the whole family.”

The community organisation behind the London Green Fair is still looking for sponsorship – in order to keep the event free to attend for all. Any interested companies can contact the festival director via their website, and stand to benefit from association with London’s leading green event.

The London Green Fair is London’s largest free green event anticipating over 20,000 attendees across two days.

· Venue: The Regent’s Park

· Date: Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 June 2012

· Time: 12noon – 7.30pm

· Cost of entry: FREE

· Audience: Very mixed audience of committed greenies, passers-by, music fans and festival goers; massive appeal to families (excellent free event content and falls on the last weekend of the school half term break); Camden Residents make up around 25%, with the remaining visitor numbers coming from other London boroughs and outside London / tourists

· Supporters: Currently include LCRN, PaperRound, GREEN magazine, Camden Council, The Ecologist, Global-Local, DeepGreen, DaisyGreen, MyGreen Directory, BEBA, Inspired Times

Some Facts:

· The Green Fair has a 19-year history, and has always been held on the first Sunday in June, except for this year, 2012, owing to the Queen’s Jubilee.

· It is London’s largest, highest profile, and best-known environmental fair.

· Its aim is to communicate green issues and inspire behaviour change.

· It attracts upwards of 20,000 people, including a large number of families.

· It is held in The Regent’s Park – one of London’s most prestigious outdoor venues.

· It coincides closely with World Environment Day, and to many, it announces the beginning of summer festival season.

· Organised by committed volunteers supported by a professional delivery team, it receives considerable support from key partners and sponsors, and local businesses, plus grant funding.

· It provides a platform for over 150 local and national campaigning organisations, showcases exciting and innovative green technologies, and works year round to recruit local and national artists and participants to provide a range of relevant educational and entertaining content.

· It is entirely powered by renewable forms of energy including hydrogen, wind and solar.

· In 2008 the event was given one of only three prestigious international ‘greenest festival’ awards, recognising our outstanding commitment to delivering environmental excellence.

· In 2010 67% of visitors said they had learned something new, proving the event does much more than ‘preach to the converted’!

· Last year they gave away over 500 trees to our visitors to help offset the carbon used in the delivery of the event infrastructure – the aim is to double that in 2012.

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