Creating a truly sustainable festival may seem challenging at first, but even a few focused changes can make a big difference. Whether you’re planning your first green event or looking to upgrade your sustainability strategy, these five practical tips—plus real-world success stories—will help you host a festival that’s memorable, responsible, and loved by both your audience and the planet.
1. Start with a Clear Green Vision
Every successful sustainability initiative begins with a well-defined plan and a shared sense of purpose. Before diving into logistics, take the time to outline what sustainability means for your festival and set measurable goals.
Real-World Inspiration:
Shambala Festival provides a great template. They’ve set public, quantifiable goals around waste reduction, food sustainability, and energy usage—publishing an annual impact report for total transparency. This clarity helps bring the whole team, suppliers, and audience on board.
Here’s how to lay a strong foundation:
- Define your sustainability mission—like committing to fossil fuel-free energy or zero single-use plastics.
- Set measurable targets, as Shambala does; e.g., “reduce landfill waste by 50%” or “run all main stages on green energy.”
- Involve your whole team: Hold kick-off meetings and designate Sustainability Champions.
- Create a clear sustainability policy—and share it widely.
A strong, shared vision gets everyone invested in your green journey.
2. Maximize Waste Reduction
Festivals can generate tons of waste in a short time, but you have the power to change that narrative. An effective waste management plan is both good for the environment and makes for a cleaner, more enjoyable event space.
Real-World Inspiration
Glastonbury Festival banned single-use plastic bottles from 2019 and launched a “Love the Farm, Leave No Trace” campaign, which motivated almost all attendees to take their tents home—resulting in over 98% of tents being removed by their owners in 2019.
Green Man Festival requires all food traders to use compostable packaging and provides color-coded waste bags, making recycling and composting easy for everyone.
Focus on these actions:
- Ban single-use plastics and swap for reusables, just like Glastonbury did with their reusable cups and cups you can take home.
- In addition, consider our eco-friendly reusable festival drink holder to avoid cardboard cup holder waste.
- Set up well-labeled, color-coded waste stations—mirroring Green Man’s success with attendee-facing waste sorting.
- Empower a “Green Team” of volunteers to guide guests and keep waste areas running smoothly.
- Tackle food waste: Composting and surplus food donations cut landfill and support local needs (as seen at Burning Man’s Camp IDEATE, which composted 5,000 gallons of food waste in 2023).
A little planning goes a long way in building a culture of responsibility and keeping your site clean.
3. Choose Responsible Vendors & Sourcing
The sustainability of your festival is shaped by your partnerships. Choosing vendors who prioritize the planet reduces your event’s impact and amplifies green values across your supply chain.
Real-World Inspiration:
Glastonbury highlights local vendors and insists all catering packaging is compostable or easily recyclable.
Green Man bans polystyrene and encourages a spotlight on local food and drink—serving up locally brewed beers, Welsh ciders, and organic produce.
Here’s what to focus on:
- Prioritize local suppliers to shrink transportation emissions and support community businesses.
- Encourage plant-forward menus: Shambala’s switch to an all-vegetarian offering dropped their meal-related emissions to just 0.45 kg CO₂ per plate (versus the UK 2 kg average).
- Set and communicate clear sustainability guidelines: Create a vendor agreement outlining sourcing, packaging, and waste rules.
- Reward standout vendors—showcase them on festival channels or offer green awards.
Intentional choices—like Shambala’s and Green Man’s—help your event stand out as a responsible, future-focused leader.
4. Embrace Green Energy and Conserve Water
How you power your festival and provide water to guests can dramatically reduce your environmental impact. Smart upgrades can also save you money and visibly showcase your dedication to sustainability.
Real-World Inspiration:
Glastonbury and Shambala both run on 100% renewable energy—using a mix of grid-connected renewables and sustainable biofuels like Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) from waste cooking oil.
Green Man powers entire stages with solar energy and hydrogen fuel cells. Burning Man installs solar and battery-powered microgrids to run key art and infrastructure during even the toughest conditions.
Best practices include:
- Invest in renewables: Partner with local green energy providers, rent solar generators, or try HVO.
- Upgrade lighting and equipment to LEDs and smart controls to cut unnecessary consumption.
- Promote water conservation: Install refill stations and switch to water-saving toilets and taps, just like these festivals do.
Visible investment in green infrastructure motivates guests and partners to join in—and can add to your unique festival story.
5. Support Sustainable Travel and Accommodation
Travel is often the single largest piece of your festival’s carbon footprint. Helping your attendees and crew make greener choices cuts emissions and can even enhance their experience.
Real-World Inspiration:
Glastonbury and Green Man both work closely with transit authorities to offer coach packages and free shuttle buses from nearby train stations, moving tens of thousands of attendees sustainably each year.
Shambala saw over a third of guests arrive by subsidized coach or train.
Burning Man incentivizes the use of electric and human-powered vehicles for on-site travel.
Actions to try:
- Bundle tickets with green travel options—discounted coach routes, bike parking, and free shuttles.
- Spotlight eco-certified accommodations and sustainable camping gear.
- Offset unavoidable travel emissions—invite guests to participate and share progress afterwards.
- Communicate early: Make green travel details visible at every stage of ticketing.
Remove barriers, showcase sustainable options, and celebrate the choices that reduce your festival’s travel impact. Your attendees will thank you—and so will the planet.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Making your festival more sustainable is about progress, not perfection. Start with these actionable ideas, learn from leading festivals, and adapt their successes to fit your event. Every step you take makes a difference—and inspires your community, partners, and audience to do more.
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