Melbourne's Getting an Entirely Solar-Powered, Sustainable Music Festival

Two things we know about Australia: there’s a copious amount of sun on tap and people sure do love a good music festival. Thankfully for us, the freshly announced festival OffTheGrid (OTG) is using both these factors to put together a brand new music festival that’s 100 percent solar powered and waste free.

Launched as a party concept just a few years ago, OffTheGrid is the brainchild of Ross Harding of Finding Infinity and Eyal Halamish of OurSay. The pair threw a string of battery bank operated shindigs around the world and now they’re bringing the experience in Melbourne on the December 22. The first lineup has been announced this week and includes Cut Copy DJs, Banoffee, Sui Zhen, Tornado Wallace, Silent Jay and Jace XL, Average Rap Band, Prequel and Wax’o Paradiso (that’s only the first announcement, dayum).

OTG also does more than pay lip service to sustainability. The team have a comprehensive plan for ensuring the festival is entirely waste-free and powered only by solar energy. Bryce Lawrence, head of production, says sustainability is the future, not just for music festivals (which reap a huge effect of the environments they occupy) but for all industries and individuals.

Power will all come directly from a 7kW solar system on the day, comprised of 28 250 watt PV panels that feed the sun’s energy into a battery pack (and a backup bio-diesel generator which runs off veggie oil). All waste will also be banned and all rubbish that is collected will be made into an art piece. “It’s a day festival in the heart of Melbourne… people shouldn’t be bringing in waste in the first place,” Lawrence notes. They’ve even collaborated with the food and drink vendors to make sure all utensils can be composted offsite and all cups can be reused.

And it’s not a newfangled operation either. All technology and systems being used by OTG are readily available, to emphasise the myriad of solutions that have already been dreamed up and practically demonstrate that a) an environmentally friendly way of life isn’t a distant possibility but a choice you can easily opt into and b) even complex events like music festivals can rock just as hard on solar power. Lawrence says “OFFtheGRID is a celebration of what’s possible right now and also what’s possible into the future.” It’s an exercise in education as well as a dope all-day music festival.

And the best part? All profits will be invested in a local sustainable project so you can buy your ticket knowing that Captain Planet would be incredibly proud.

OffTheGrid is happening December 22 at the ACCA Forecourt. Tickets are available from the festival website.

Image: Dollar Photo Club.