Or, Noisily as a metaphor for hope

What a year 2020 has been.

For me the year began with my horrible bicycle accident. The accident left me with a terrible arm injury; I was laid up in pain for months.

Things did not get any better as the year went on either; as we all well know. And this year has ended with us in yet another lockdown due to this horrific worldwide pandemic.

There has not been much to celebrate this year; lets face it, 2020 has been a right-off.

I, like many others, have been through a range of emotions during this crisis: depression, frustration, lethargy, anger, aggression and a feeling of imprisonment.

Everything in my life has been put on hold; my travels, my book coming out, my hippie clothing business opening for business, its maddening.

I have ended this year by falling very unwell. A strange illness of fatigue and loss of senses. Of headaches and feverish sweats. I have never experienced symptoms as strange as I have during this bout of illness.

My first Covid-19 test was negative, the second, when my symptoms got worse has yet to come back, but others have had a much more severe time. Hospital admissions and sadly thousands, if not millions dead around the world.

What a year 2020 has been.

But then, in late November and early December we hear news of successful vaccine trials and subsequently medical approval for many vaccines against Covid-19; a light at the end of the tunnel at last.

In the UK the first stocks of the vaccines have arrived and the first inoculations will be given as soon as next week (December 7th).

We can finally start making plans for next year! 2021 & 22 are looking a lot brighter and our Hippie Kushi lives can be lived to the full once again!

The first action I took after hearing the vaccine news had a massive effect on my mood and outlook.

I put a deposit on Noisily festival for July 2021. Having done this I realised for the first time in 12 months I had something to look forward to.

I have a festival to go to next year and that’s given me a reason to feel excited and alive again. I cannot recommend it more; put a deposit on a festival for next year and you will suddenly feel a feeling of hope and anticipation and that’s something we all need.

For me, having a festival to look forward to has made me feel like I’m finally able to move forward again. But what else can we start planning and looking forward too next year as we all start slowly getting vaccinated?

Well, for me, as well as the excitement of eventually being able to attend pubs, clubs and parties again, I am happy in the knowledge that we can do it in the way we are used to; especially us hippie lot. When we meet we can kiss and hug our friends again and that will be wonderful. There will be people we have not seen in the flesh for months and we can catch up and look forward to the future together

The next big thing for me will be the opening of my Hippie Utsaah clothing and accessories business with my business partner David. We have had many delays due to things like export problems because of lockdown restrictions abroad as well as being locked-down ourselves in the UK.

Now things are going to start settling down we should be opening before Easter and I cannot wait to share our wonderful items with you soon.

The next exciting thing will be the publication of my book: Hippie Kushi Waking up to Life; Book One. It should also be out around Easter.

It is a book about change and becoming the person you were always meant to be. It also tells the story of my life, my extensive travels around the world, and the early days of Whirl-y-Gig and much, much more; watch this space.

Book two will follow shortly afterwards.

I think a big thing for many of us will be the time when we are allowed to go clubbing again. I know its a great love of many of my friends (of all ages). It will be fantastic to dance all night to Psytrance in places like Psymera again; I cannot wait.

I am personally looking forward to live gigs again too. I love watching live music; music is the soundtrack to our lives.

But the big thing, the thing that brings all us hippies together are the festivals and they are something we can pay for and book right now. I am so excited about attending Whirl-y-Fayre next year but I’m equally pumped up about Noisily.

I have heard a lot about it, the crowd is my crowd, the setting is my setting, the music is my music; bring it on NOISILY:

ETHOS

Noisily is a festival that celebrates the individual, cultivates understanding in the collective, and explores what it means to be human in today’s World.

Grounded in 5 core pillars, we strive to stand on the edge of knowledge, and to share that knowledge and information with the intelligent, open minded people who come to the Coney Woods each July and join our festival family.

Inclusion:
Diversity is inviting people to the party, inclusion is getting them on the dance floor. We want everyone to feel welcome at Noisily irrespective of gender, ethnicity and/or sexual preference.
The Environment:
Noisily commits to protect and conserve the local environment, setting an example in order to inspire our community to live consciously year round.
Wellness and Education:
We are dedicated to acting as a leading light in the UK’s festival wellness scene; an alternative learning centre rooted in holistic and spiritual practices.
Community:
We are more than just 6,000 people in the woods for 4 days, we are a family. We will support and guide our community to a better future.
Creativity:
Noisily is a platform for music, arts, psychedelic culture and creativity.

Whilst rooted in the electronic music scenes, Noisily is a holistic environment which feeds the mind, body and soul. It’s a celebration of psychedelic art and culture in a society which is increasingly looking within for happiness and fulfilment in the non-material.

Vibe

Set in the heart of the beautiful Leicestershire countryside, not only does this event feature a selection of the finest electronic DJs and producers from across the globe covering the full spectrum of dance music, but it also features a fantastic arts programme, stunning décor, production, comedy and much more.

Stages and other entertainment

The two stages are called The Tipi and The Tree House, there is also a comedy stage new for 2013.

Although its heart is set in the pulsing rhythms of dance music, Noisily is also a place of artwork, performance and participation. We invite attendees to get involved – we want you to be part of Noisily, whether it be just by dazzling the crowds with your finest dance moves or designing and building an interactive art installation.

And then of course there will be the magnificent Whirl-y-Fayre!!

Source: www.whirl-y-fayre.co.uk

Whirl-y-Fayre 2021 will take place from 6th – 8th August on a new picture perfect field not far away from our last site but this time close to High Ham village, near Langport, Somerset.
Following the postponement of our 2020 event due to the Corona crisis, we have had even more time to prepare the finest Whirl-y-Fayre to date. We have been able to carry forward the entire roster of artists, bands, DJs and contributors from 2020 to 2021. We are now planning this new site which promises to have the best features from all our past locations. With stunning views toward Glastonbury Tor and town plus Wells cathedral beyond, the field is as lush as it’s velvety soft grass!

Whirl-y-Fayre is more than just a small festival and more than just a dance event.
From beyond the realms of ordinary reality it connects with the sublime, with each other and with the magic of life. Whirl-y-Fayre is a beautiful gem, a global dance event with humanity at heart, where people of all ages and places can make discoveries and share experience, where we can be free!
Whirl-y-Fayre is like no other, the biggest and best little festival where every element blends perfectly together to create a unique vibration sustained by love, laughter and one sound 24 hour music programming. At every moment artists contribute to one flowing trip, perfect in time and situation, musicians of all ages and places.
At Whirl-y-Fayre, that special ‘something in the air’ is tangible and felt by all, and it binds everything together to produce a complete experience for everyone. Happy happenings also include the Krafty Kids Tent, Robbie’s Psy Art and the expanded Goddess Temple workshops and healing garden. You can rely on Glenda’s bender in our 24 hour Café together with Peter’s bar open from mid-day until 2am. Within the magic realm you will also find a story-telling Tipi, the Energy Collective and of course the never fading fire pit.
Voted ‘Best Family Festival’ by readers of Green Parent magazine and finalist in the NOEA Small Event of the Year Awards, Whirl-y-Fayre is recognised as a heart-warming joyful community where close friendships blossom, where we feel intimacy with earth, sun, moon and each other.
It is an event difficult to describe and a moment impossible to miss.

“I have to say, that being more of a larger festival goer, I felt unsure what I had let myself in for. However, nothing could prepare me for one of the most mind-blowing events of my life. ”
(Steve Tremmel)

All I can say is you do not want to miss this incredible event: bring it on 2021!!

I know that many of us were devastated not to be going to Goa this year. Well from November 2021 to April 2022, the season is back on. The Goa tribe will return and heaven on Earth will be ours again; see you on the beaches.

Goa is my happy place.

Things are finally looking up. Don’t be an idiot guys, take the vaccine! Lets get back on our groove and bring peace and love to 2021-22. Lets make next year a year to remember.

Not long now and we will be back.

Hippie Kushi, Wake up to life!!!