Concept
Festivals of all kinds have offered people in every part of the planet great opportunity to unite, wildly celebrate, grow, move toward understanding more about the people we are as individuals, and to understand more deeply about our roles in the amazing worldwide community surrounding us. Maitreya Festival was born out of the will to encourage in the wonderful people who attend, the celebration of life, self expression and freedom. All who participate in gatherings of this kind take away a sense of togetherness with those who they dance and celebrate with, and a reconnection with the wonderful nature and art they experience. This is of real value to the world! All of these elements have inspired us to come together and create Maitreya Festival, with no other purpose but to continue this tradition, offering the collective experience of the past to inspire a collective future like no other! Need to know
So your sold on coming and have got your ticket (maybe thinking about something cool to create for the event), here's some other really important things you need to know. - Please attend the event with a positive intent! From the moment you arrive you are part of the energy and collective vibe of the festival. - Try to meet at least one new person over the weekend and be kind to all who you interact with. Learn something from somebody! - Keep track of your garbage. Be responsible, there are plenty of bins around for normal rubbish and recycling, please use them! Respect nature at all times and please always use the toilets provided. - Look out for yourself and your mates! Lend a hand to someone in need, and take the time to make sure everyone is ok!
Festival Site
We love many parts of our beautiful state, and its varying landscapes and features. In 2012 we will be returning to the community of Carisbrook-Maryborough, 2 hours north west of Melbourne. Camping will be available from midday Friday 9th March, and all patrons are welcome to camp until Tuesday 13th March. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: A train and bus service is operated by VLine to Maryborough the service runs Monday to Sunday. You can book tickets and check times online here. MAITREYA FESTIVAL EXPRESS: Buy a ticket, take the ride... from Melbourne to the festival on the Maitreya Express. Pick up will be from Spencer Street in the CBD and you will be dropped off at the festival site. tickets on the Bus trip of a lifetime are $50 (return). The bus leaves Melbourne on Friday 4pm and leaves Monday night 7pm. To buy your ticket to ride click here. DRIVING FROM MELBOURNE: Take Calder Fwy towards Bendigo, Go past Kyneton, Turn off at B180 to Elphinstone / Castlemaine / Maryborough. Continue though Castlemaine towards Marybourough. At the town of Carisbrook slow down and collect any supplies you need. Follow the highway towards Maryborough and look out for the signs to turn off to the festival site. If you reach Maryborough you have gone too far. Please drive safely on the roads around the festival site. See you there! DRIVING FROM SYDNEY: Take the Hume Hwy towards Melbourne, turn off towards Yarrawonga and the Murray Valley Hwy. Turn onto the Northern Hwy towards Bendigo (B75), continue through Bendigo toward Melbourne on the Calder Fwy Turn off to the Midland Hwy (A300) towards Harcourt, Castlemaine. At Castlemaine turn onto the Pyrenees Hwy toward Marybourough. At the town of Carisbrook slow down and collect any supplies you need. Follow the highway towards Maryborough and look out for the signs to turn off to the festival site. If you reach Maryborough you have gone too far. Please drive safely on the roads around the festival site. See you there! Info TentThe Info Tent is the gravity point of the festival, drawing all the important festival information, lost property, and a place to leave messages for your mates to the center of the event. Spooky! You can get an answer for just about anything you would ever want to know from the friendly staff, maybe a joke or two, and if you need some help, a kind hand and the know how to get you where you need to be. Camping
Onsite camping is available at the event from midday Friday till midday Tuesday and is all included in the price of your ticket. Creative camping can be fun, we'd love to see you all trying to snazz up your campsites with a bit of creative touch and turn the camp area into a circus of colour and tarpaulin! Make friends with your neighbour's, they could save your life when you need a bottle opener or lighter late at night (or early in the morning)! Remember you will be at the will of the elements so please try to bring some cover/shade for your camp in case of extreme weather. Please do not leave your tent, tarp, or couch behind at the festival. Every year many people leave these things when they leave and they become one extra piece of rubbish which cannot be recycled, so please take them with you or drop them off at the local op shop in town! Markets
The markets are a place to re-energize, connect, explore, and relax. There will be a variety of stalls from locally made wares, art, food and drink. It's one of the best areas to be during the festival to catch up with people, make new friends and place that has everything you could ever need to be well fed, clothed & rejuvenated. If you would like to be involved in having a market stall at the festival please get in contact with us. Festival Guidelines
NO BYOSorry we can't allow you to bring your own alcohol on site. We will be selling alcohol on site, and at very reasonable prices. Were not into making massive profits from your hip pocket and it's the rules of our liquor license that we must not let you bring your own. NO FIRES!Due to the extremely dry conditions and high fire risk at this time of year it is totally forbidden to make fires at Maitreya Festival or use gas stoves or lights. So please take responsibility for yourself and your mates and don't light fires for anything including food or light. RubbishWhen you enter the event you will receive garbage bags for use around your camps. Please clean up after yourselves and try to take as much of your garbage home as you can. Better yet, please try to minimize the garbage you will create by not bringing it at all. As your packing to come to the festival please take the time to discard any unnecessary packaging! It's much harder to recycle rubbish at the event than at home, and any leftover rubbish that blows around the site can harm native animals and the environment. It would also really help us if during the event you do see any rubbish laying around, please pick it up and put it in the bin. Cigarette buttsCigarette butts are horrible things and they don't make mother earth very happy. Help protect the environment and native animals by disposing of your butts properly. Become aware of your littering patterns! There's no need to just drop a butt, find a bin, or get a small canister from the gate or Info Tent at any time to dispose of your butts. Please become aware of the problem, cigarette butts cause massive environmental damage around the globe, and we spend days on our hands and knees around the site picking them up after the event. With conscious intent in this area we can create an example that will lead others to also take care of their rubbish and create a cleaner place for all on this planet. Look out for your mates in the sun! DRINK WATER!Being in the summer sun is a national pastime, but it also causes people a lot of headaches and sometimes worse. While at the festival please take care to consume at least 2 liters of water every day, even if you don't feel thirsty please drink some water at regular intervals. Free drinking water is available at the event, and there is also sunscreen available free at the Info Tent.. Look out for your mates; a sun burnt dehydrated friend is not a happy one. |
