Over 10,230 people flocked to Battersea Park over the weekend of 8-9 September to enjoy London’s first ever GO! Organic Festival. Celebrating all things organic and sustainable, the family-friendly event had the crowds buzzing with excitement thanks to its fantastic line-up of great food, live music, celebrity talks, chef demos, and vibrant organic marketplace, plus free fairground rides, activities and entertainment for all ages.
One of the year’s most hotly-anticipated new festivals, it proved a big hit with visitors and has been hailed as an incredible success by its organiser, Diversified Communications.
Festival highlights included: 115-stall marketplace showcasing a delicious array of organic food and drink and the latest must-have lifestyle brands; GO! Organic Beer Tent hosted by Stroud Brewery; Meet the Farmer supported by Waitrose; Honest Family Eco Art Camp and PYO farm; Clearspring Japanese Tea Garden, with zen chill-out zone, tea ceremonies and tasting; Abel & Cole picnic area; Yoga Classes with Freedom Brewery; wine and beer tastings, roaming circus acts; and a children’s mini farm.
Free face painting, apple pressing, bug hunting, fruit picking, bubble-popping, pig petting, potato printing, storytelling and merry-go-rounding kept the kids busy. While live performances from CBeebies stars Andy & The Odd Socks and Mr. Bloom got the good vibes flowing and everybody dancing and singing along.
Music lovers had a pick of top tunes, with an eclectic selection from up-and-coming bands and local singer-songwriters, plus ‘earworm’ favourites from The Hoosiers and The Magic Numbers on the Main Stage.
For foodies, it was a feast for the senses with sampling opportunities galore. From tasty street food to grocery essentials, from sumptuous delicacies to paleo treats, to unique organic British beers, Prosecco, iced coffee and soft drinks – there was something here to keep everyone refreshed, refueled and ready for more.
The non-stop action also included a packed line-up of Organic Kitchen demos featuring acclaimed chefs and leading food writers sharing their pro kitchen tips and top organic recipes: Theo Randall, Melissa Hemsley, Chetna Makan, Rosie Birkett, Emily Watkins, Arthur Potts Dawson, Angela Malik and Jay Morjaria were among the big name draws. While over in the Natural Theatre it was standing room only for insightful and inspiring talks by BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby, Soil Association chief Helen Browning OBE, organic beauty pioneer Tabitha James Kraan, Garden Organic’s Chris Collins, wildlife photographer Simon King, and environmental campaigner Natalie Fee.
A perfect day out
“Hats off to you all for making such a fun, interactive and interesting festival! No one would have bet it was the first one,” says Melissa Hemsley.
‘Fantastic’, ‘engaging’, ‘amazing’, ‘a perfect day out’, and ‘jam packed with fun’ – are just some of ways that visitors have described the launch event, with many Londoners commenting that they’re already looking forward to coming back next year.
“Everyone was so welcoming and fun, we learnt a lot, got hands on with everything on offer and sampled so many new products. We will definitely be returning again next year,” says Chantelle from Mitcham, London.
“An incredible day out for adults, children and the whole family – filled with fun, fantastic information and products, as well as great organic food and drink while surrounded by friendly and like-minded individuals,” says John from Southfields, London.
“It was a fantastic day out with the whole family. Lots of entertainment, delicious food and interesting talks. See you next year for sure!” says Melissa from Battersea, London.
Inspiring thousands to GO! Organic has never been more fun. Organiser Carsten Holm, Diversified Communications UK’s MD, explains: “Wow! The success of GO! Organic went beyond our wildest dreams. We knew we had a good idea and that there was a gap for an event like this, but the way both industry and the general public responded has been quite incredible. We set out with a vision to create a festival, which would mix a serious campaigning message and educational element, with lots of interactive activities, features, and, above all, fun. The end result was a truly unique combination of exhibition, conversation, debate, and festival atmosphere all taking place in a magical space where, whatever your age, and whatever your background, everyone came together to have a great time.
“To get over 100 sponsors and exhibitors in the first year, and to attract 10,236 people, was an incredible result and everyone we spoke to had an amazing time. It was a hugely ambitious undertaking but I really feel we have the foundations for something, which will not only become a hugely important marketing platform for the organic sector, but which can become a truly iconic event in its own right.
“We set out to create London’s best day out and from the hundreds of people I spoke to at GO! Organic, I have no doubt that we achieved that aim. We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters, sponsors, exhibitors and visitors for trusting us and for getting behind this in such a big way. We look forward to working with everyone to stage an even bigger GO! Organic Festival next summer.”
Aileen Nicol, campaign director of Organic UK (OTB), comments: “We had a fantastic time at the GO! Organic Festival sharing the joy of organic food and drink and engaging people with our Organic – Feed Your Happy campaign. The two days were a real celebration of organic, a fun and engaging experience for everyone attending and showed the diversity of what’s available and how accessible organic is. And being able to share the experience with so many of our members was the icing on the cake!”
Check out the online photo gallery here: https://goorganicfestival.co.uk/go-gallery
See you next year!
GO! Organic Festival will return next year. To register an interest in attending (and keep up-to-date with all the latest festival news and ticket information), please visit: https://goorganicfestival.co.uk/go-organic-festival-2019-interest-form.
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Media enquiries & photo requests:
Emma-Louise Jones, Head of PR
t: +44 (0)1273 645134
e: [email protected]
Website: www.goorganicfestival.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Go_Organic_Fest
Sharna Waid, PR Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645144
e: [email protected]
Advertising & media partnership enquiries:
Katie Thomson, Marketing Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 944458
e: [email protected]
Sales, sponsorship and speaker enquiries:
Amanda Thackray, Sales Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645135
e: [email protected]
Notes:
Featured image (more available on request):
https://goorganicfestival.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GO_Organic_montage_v2.jpg
Diversified Communications UK Ltd (Diversified UK) is a fast growing event organiser and publisher based in Brighton, Peterborough, Nailsworth and London. Diversified UK’s portfolio includes GO! Organic Festival; Natural & Organic Products Europe; Natural & Organic Awards; Natural Products Scandinavia & Nordic Organic Food Fair in Malmö, Sweden; Organic Food Iberia & Eco Living Iberia in Madrid, Spain (new for 2019); Natural Products News; Natural Products Global; lunch!; Casual Dining; Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards; Commercial Kitchen; British Tourism & Travel Show; SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; Accountex; Accountex Summit North; GEO Business; Ocean Business; MARELEC; Euro Bus Expo; Coach & Bus UK; and London Design Fair. For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.
Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including: food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.