The end of our trip!!

Monday 29th August 2022

We slept until about 9.30am. Our shift was due to start at 11.45, so we spent the time having breakfast and chatting to some of the other volunteers. Our neighbours gave us their present for Shambala’s birthday which was very kind of them, and lovely to receive! We began feeling a bit nervous about our shift.

We were on response, so were sent to a few different roles, including a campsite role and on a few vehicle crossings. It got fairly busy during the afternoon when more vehicles came to help with the take down of the marquees/ tents, but by 4.15pm, all stewards were no longer needed, so we were allowed to leave our shift very early!! 

Empty campsites

Finished our last shift of the summer! 

We were very tired by this point, as we haven’t had that much sleep over the last few days, so used the evening to rest. As we were expecting to be working until 8pm, we had asked whether it would be possible to stay one more night. There weren’t many of us left, but the main Oxfam organisers set up a campfire so we went and sat round for a while - a really nice way to finish the festival by chatting to everyone. 

The Oxfield nearly deserted 

Sitting by Marvin - our last night! 😢

Tuesday 30th August 2022

Our journey home! We left around 9am. The journey wasn’t the best, as there were a few low branches that hit the van. We were so pleased to get home and see Dad and Rusty again!!!

And that’s it….. our roadtrip with Marvin 2022 is over!! We have had the most INCREDIBLE time, and have loved it so much!!! We’ve seen some beautiful places all over the UK, lots of different wildlife and had some great experiences!! 

Thank you for following the blog. We wrote it to ensure we had something to look back on - to remember where we went. And hopefully it has been interesting for other people to read too. We will miss van life a lot, but have been so lucky to have had this time to travel. We are sad it has come to an end, but hope to be on the road again one day!!  

Sunday 28th August 2022

Sunday 28th August 2022

We didn’t get to the festival arena until midday. At exactly 12pm, a two minute silence took place across site, where everyone stopped what they were doing to reflect on the past two years. A powerful idea! 

We headed to take part in one of the dance workshops before the Poetry Slam began at 1.15pm. The poetry slam was really interesting to see, and quite different from the one at WOMAD. This time, there were 20 poets in the first round, with three going into the second round. The winner will get to attend Royal Albert Hall to take part in the National Poetry Slam! All the poets were incredibly talented- it was great fun to watch! 

We had some very tasty food whilst watching a Balkan Folk Dance workshop. Someone saw our Vegan Camp Out wristband and came to ask how it was, as she was interested in going. After chatting for a bit, she went off, and Mum decided to go and give her Shambala present to her! The organisers of Shambala came up with the idea of giving a gift to a stranger to celebrate Shambala’s  20th birthday! It should be something that they can use or something meaningful to you that you are happy to pass on. Mum’s gift to the stranger was her nut roast recipe that we use every Christmas. I think the woman was really pleased to receive a surprise gift! 

We listened to some of a debate taking place in the “Chew On This” tent called ‘The Meat Debate: Healing The Division’. We then headed back to get our things to start our second shift. Strange that most people have now finished all three of their shifts while we still have two to go! 

Our shift started at 6.45pm, roaming in the main arena. We were sent to cover break for a venue and for a vehicle crossing before going back to roaming around the main arena. Whilst on shift, we bumped into a couple of other volunteers. One of them had felt a bit down yesterday so we had spent time chatting to her. She came to give us her Shambala present, and I had planned to give her my Pistachio Cake recipe! I received from her a lovely gratitude journal, so shall use it at university! It was nice that we had both thought to gift our present to each other, and I was so pleased with the one I had been given. 

This was the Shambala present I had made

The lovely gift I received! 

Our shift was okay. We missed seeing the Closing Ceremony, but it meant that our area got quite quiet for a time as everyone went to the lake. We could see the fireworks though, apparently there were acrobatics happening- I bet it was amazing to watch! It got busier for the last act on the main stage, and the night time ‘club’ type venues began to open up so people headed to those. We were working until 3am. When 3am came, we were tired! Our shift tomorrow begins at midday. Sad that it is all coming to an end! 

Second shift done!

Saturday 27th August 2022

Saturday 27th August 2022

We got to sleep around 8.30am this morning after our night shift.  By midday we were up and ready to enjoy more of the festival, as the music had already started so it was difficult to sleep! 

Having missed Beans On Toast when he performed at Glastonbury, we went to see him perform on the main stage this afternoon. His lyrics are entertaining and a nice start to our Saturday of Shambala! There weren’t many things that we had scheduled to see so decided to wander around for a while. 

I forgot to mention, but Friday’s theme for the day is to cross dress, while Saturday is known for the carnival. It is common on Friday to see men in dresses (although everyone wears anything they like all weekend long so it’s not limited to just Friday) whilst women tend to draw on beards and moustaches. The carnival on Saturday always has a theme, where festival goers make a costume to wear. This year, the theme is “Game On”. It was such fun to see everyone’s costumes - they were magnificent- so much effort had been put into them!!! Next year, we will try to be more organised as we didn’t bring a costume. 

Whilst wandering around, one group who had dressed for the carnival came as crazy golf! So they offered us a chance to play a quick round. Mum did well, I did not! But we both won a prize anyway, as that’s the kindness of the people at Shambala! What I really love about the festival is that these moments of fun don’t come from paid performers as they would at other festivals, but just members of the public creating some fun! 

Continuing on, there was still a big queue for Ottopia, so we didn’t go in. Apparently it is a scavenger hunt though, so it sounds great! We had some food and watched another event at the Shambolympics. This was such fun to watch - a huge game of Musical Benches where the rounds change, so the participants had to dance round, or go in slow motion etc. There were dance offs for those who didn’t get a seat on the bench to see whether they could reenter the game. Really entertaining to watch. 

We went into Phantom Laundry and ‘The Breath’ were the next band to play. They were hugely popular- the venue was so busy! We then went to Roots Corner to sit for a while to listen to some of the music. 

The Breath

View across the Lake

I had seen the sign for the Waiting Room yesterday, so decided to go in and see what it was all about. You had to queue and barter your way in, so we joined up with the people behind us to pretend we were all together to get faster entry. We became Jeremy and Veronica, and the two women were our parents. Once inside, it was quite strange! It was designed as a family home where the actors would pretend there were ‘family emergencies’. It was fun to explore! 

My name is on the family tree by coincidence!

After having visited the Waiting Room, we spent the rest of the evening wandering around before heading back to the Oxfield. Tomorrow, we start our shift at 18.45, this time in the main arena. 

Friday 26th August 2022

Friday 26th August 2022

There are lots of interesting talks and workshops scheduled for today which we plan to go to! However, as we found out, some of the fun and magic of Shambala is everything you come across that you haven’t planned to see! 

Firstly, whilst whilst walking around to find the various venues, we came across Ubuntu Food giving an open fire cookery demonstration, where they cook a seasonal veg platter whilst explaining how to use an open fire and certain ingredients in the most effective way. Everyone got to taste their food - it was so original and tasted amazing! 

Located near to the Community Garden was the Sustainabubble, with a talk starting at 11am on ‘Fostering Optimism and Agency - Letters from your future self’. This focused on the climate crisis and visualising a better future, to write a letter to our current self explaining how that better future was reached. It definitely gave us a lot of think about, especially as we have had some guilt around thus roadtrip, so will think more in the future about our own actions and the effect they have on the climate. 

Leaving aside these thoughts for now though, we wandered on to Rebel Soul at 12.30pm for a talk on ‘Organising for Collective Joy in the Community’. Shauna Rushton ran a great workshop here, where people had to discuss in smaller groups ideas for communities in how to bring everyone together. It was nice to speak to others at the festival, who live in completely different areas of the UK, to come up with ways to connect to those living nearby. 

Other sights during the day: 

While chatting to another volunteer, everyone danced past us!

Shambala is definitely a festival where ‘audience participation’ is central, but it works so well! This was demonstrated again later on, when we went to watch some of the Shambolympics! This is where teams of 6 ticket holders compete in challenges to try to win their team a ticket to Shambala 2023. The hosts of the Shambolympics were really funny and so were the participants, who had to try and get the most points in challenges like ‘ski jumping’ and ‘diving’. Located opposite to the Shambolympics tent was the dance workshops, where they teach Salsa, Balkan Folk Dance and many more types of dance! This also looked so much fun! 

Shambolympics

Dance workshop 

At 4pm, a wedding took place at the Shambolympics stage, as a couple had pledged their savings in lockdown in order to ensure that Shambala could continue after the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to thank them, Shambala had organised a big wedding celebration for them, as they had met at a previous Shambala festival. There was a huge audience watching!

One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing Simon Armitage performing some of his poems in Phantom Laundry. He was really good and it was very popular! The venue was also beautifully decorated!

Once he had finished, we decided to go back to the van to get a bit of rest before our night shift. Neither of us managed to get any sleep as the music was quite loud, but it was nice just to rest for an hour or so! 

Our shift started at 23.45. We were based on the Woodland Exit for the first two and a half hours, making sure that the one way system was in place and checking wristbands for campsite access, as well as moving the barriers for vehicles. We were then moved to the Woodland DJ Treehouse, where we stood for the last half an hour of the DJ, to make sure everyone in the audience was okay. We stayed near that area for the rest of our shift, opening the gate for crew members.

Taken during our break, after it got quieter once the DJ sets had finished

 When 8am came around, we were tired but pleased that the night shift had gone well! We had thought it could be tricky but mostly all was fine. Bed for a few hours before it all starts again - so much to see during the day that we don’t want to miss too much!! 

Thursday 25th August 2022

Thursday 25th August 2022

We aimed to explore as much as we could of the festival today, as it’s our full day off, and we’d like to get to know where everything is. Unfortunately, the morning was disrupted by some heavy rain, so we didn’t spend as much time in the arena as we’d hoped! We felt sorry for the ticket holders who were all putting up their tents despite the weather! 

 

The campsite getting full!

Sheltering from the rain 

However, by 3pm, the rain had cleared and we went to watch the opening ceremony in the Meadow. Everyone could throw ash into the fire from the fires of previous Shambala festivals, whilst making a wish for the future! They also encouraged people to share a poem or a song with the group, which a few people did. 

After the opening ceremony finished, we continued to find our way around and had a look at the different timetables for various stages. At this point during every festival we have worked at this summer, I always start to get a bit nervous about our shifts and feel a bit down. This feeling soon went though when we looked around The Worst Record Covers In The World - an exhibition displaying a collection of . Everyone visited the tent got to pick their top three worst album covers! It was great fun and something different to spend half an hour looking at. 

The Worst Record Covers In The World

There are so many different venues at Shambala - so much to explore! We spent some of the evening sitting in Roots Corner, listening to some of the music, before listening to a sing-a-long round the campfire! 

Tomorrow, we start our shift at 23.45. We’ll probably have to try and get a few hours rest at one point, but at least we can take part in most of the day entertainment and workshops! It’s a really fun and friendly festival, I’m so pleased we are here!! 

Wednesday 24th August 2022

Wednesday 24th August 2022

We had to do a Covid test this morning, to make sure we were clear for Shambala, as required by the Festival Directors. Luckily we were all clear, so once we were packed up, we drove to Kelmarsh Hall. 

We arrived at the Oxfield (the Oxfam Camping Field) around 12.30. Registration didn’t open until the afternoon, but once it did, we found out our shifts.

Our shifts are:

Friday 23.45-8.00 in the Enchanted Woodland

Sunday 18.45-3.00 in the Main Arena

Monday 11.45-20.00 on Response (meaning we will be sent wherever a steward is needed at that time)

We are heading home after Shambala. However, as we thought we would be too tired to drive after our shifts, we hope to travel home on Tuesday rather than Monday and stay an extra night at the festival just to get a good nights sleep before our journey! It seems our shift times are quite unusual compared to everyone else, but at least we get to spend a lot more daytime enjoying the festival! 

The rest of the day was spent chatting to other volunteers and looking at the site map, before having the briefing with all Oxfam volunteers. This was really helpful and went through key information. As the festival was still being constructed, we could explore the festival site but only if wearing hi-vis jackets. The crew bar was very busy with Oxfam Stewards! We will be able to explore everywhere much more tomorrow. 

Empty camping fields for now!

The Oxfam stewards at the crew bar!