Peats Ridge Festival
Peats Ridge Festival was an Australian sustainable arts and music festival, held in Glenworth Valley, Peats Ridge, one hour's drive north of Sydney and a 90-minute drive from Newcastle, New South Wales. Established in 2004, one year after the death of the founder of the Glenworth Valley Horse Riding facility, the Festival was recognised as one of the world's leading sustainability events. It ran for three days around New Year's Eve, from 29 December to 1 January. The event organisers relied heavily on volunteer support, and volunteer service was rewarded with a free ticket. That type of employment strategy was one of many of the sustainable options chosen by the organisers of the festival.
The festival was a camping event and was open to all ages, with free entrance for children under six, and a full program of events and activities for families and children, in addition to family camping areas.
In addition to the music artists, the festival featured an arts program packed with visual and installation arts, performance, comedy, contemporary dance and theatre. Peats Ridge was recognised for discovering and presenting up-and-coming bands and artists, supported by an application process for emerging acts. In 2010 Angus and Julia Stone, previous up-and-coming artists, headlined on the first night of the event, showing the goodwill that the festival fostered between organisers and performers alike.
Shortly after the 2012 festival, the company running it went into liquidation, citing poor ticket sales. However, there were accusations that Matt Grant, the festival organiser, had embezzled $1.3 million dollars and destroyed records. Many creditors, including the John Butler Trio, were owed a total of $1.25 million.
The Peats Ridge Festival was recognised on both a national and international level for its focus and achievement in sustainability. The festival was awarded:
The Peats Ridge Festival was officially acknowledged by the UN for its work in environmental education, and in 2010 was the founding partner of the UN Music and Environmental Initiative.
Glenworth Valley is one hour north of Sydney and 15 minutes from Gosford, located in the hinterland region of the NSW Central Coast. A 90-minute drive along the freeway from Newcastle, the valley features 3,000 acres (12 km2) of wilderness and is situated around the winding Popran Creek, which leads to the Hawkesbury River. The festival site was located in flat green meadows and was surrounded by a wooded escarpment 200 metres high. There were three designated swimming holes, two in the Festival precinct and one alongside the non-vehicle camping area, all of which had lifeguards on duty each day. In addition to the arts, music, workshops and performance programs, The Glenworth Valley Adventure Centre offered a range of activities aimed at helping people enjoy the natural surroundings of the valley.
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