The Conscious Festival: Where sustainability and conviviality meet

AS WE head into the last quarter of the year, thoughts of indulgent parties and frantic festive shopping are not far away. But before you get sucked into the annual consumerism fever, you might want to first put sustainability front and centre.

A good place to start could be The Conscious Festival, a three-day eco-lifestyle event that champions sustainable living through talks, workshops, music, art, fun activities and even a boot camp for conscious leaders. Happening this weekend (Oct 13 to 15) at South Beach, it includes a marketplace where more than 60 conscious brands will offer F&B, handcrafted goods and other products covering fashion, beauty, technology, lifestyle and well-being.

Kids are welcome to join in the learning and the fun.

“There is enough doom and gloom in the world, we want to create a space for positivity, impact and inspired action, as well as push the boundaries with conversation and learning,” says Stephanie Dickson, founder of festival organiser Green Is The New Black (GITNB) and The Conscious Festival. GITNB is a lifestyle platform for conscious content and experiences, with “a mission to make sustainability mainstream”.

For the first time, the festival experience here will be gamified.

The more the attendees engage, interact and learn at the festival, the more “tree points” they will earn. Working with Cloud Forest and its impact partner, Rainforest Trust, a non-profit conservation organisation, each “tree point” represents a real tree being protected against deforestation. Those who grow the biggest “forests” will win prizes, including stays at the Parkroyal Collection Pickering and the private Cempedak Island.

“This is something new that we are excited to roll out to reward attendees for their participation while also raising awareness of the importance of conservation efforts and the protection of trees against deforestation,” says Dickson. “Sustainability and taking action should be fun and an adventure.”

This weekend’s event is the festival’s seventh edition in Singapore, with the first having been held in 2015. Back then, there were only 600 attendees at the venue, a co-working space. The number grew to 4,500 in 2019, the last time it appeared in Singapore in a physical format. GITNB hopes to surpass the figure this year.

Although it started in the Republic, the festival has been held in Hong Kong and Paris, with a mini pop-up in London. There are plans to return to these cities and expand to Lisbon.

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“This is really a wellness festival and platform in all aspects,” says Dickson. “From a fully plant-based menu to workshops that have sound healing and breath work, finding meaning in your job and how to raise the future generations in the face of climate change.”

Here are some of the festival’s activities. (Note that entry to the Marketplace is free; for access to all talks and workshops on both Oct 14 and Oct 15, tickets are priced at S$20. Those under 18 and students can enter for free. Visit https://theconsciousfestival.com/ for more information.)

Leadership boot camp

This boot camp on Oct 13 brings together entrepreneurs, business leaders and change makers to explore the business aspects of a sustainable future. 

Delve into topics such as innovating a sustainable future for luxury, using artificial intelligence (AI) to solve sustainability issues, regenerative designs for liveable cities, navigating greenwashing and exploring a green transportation ecosystem. This event is ticketed separately at S$250.

Talks

Explore topics of the moment, such as whether AI can save the world, using technology to solve global problems, changing the narrative on climate futures, and why regenerating soil is one of the most important actions to be taken in the face of climate change.

Workshops

Take a deep dive through transformative workshops covering diverse themes. You can learn to reconnect with nature in the heart of Singapore, pick up tips on conscious parenting in a world facing climate challenges, explore the interconnectedness of food with the environment, humanity and culture, and understand the role and impact of consumption.

Marketplace

Delicious and healthy eats, as well as organic drinks, are on the menu. So are interactive art, purposeful games and of course, artisanal products.

Participating brands include sustainable food and wine labels, Sustenir and Through The Grapevine, slow fashion brand OliveAnkara, recycled tyre sandals maker Indosole, sustainable luxury athleisure brand, Wild About, and plant-powered, powder-to-foam The Powder Shampoo.

Attendees can also pitch in for a live trash art, participate in a plastic sorting game, enjoy live local music, check out the pre-loved corner, learn about composting and take their dogs to a photo booth.