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Tuesday 1 May 2018

Glitter is Litter: Over 60 music festivals have just banned glitter as part of a #DrasticOnPlastic pledge

Turns out, despite its status as a festival fashion stalwart, glitter is actually really bad for the environment.
Plastic pollution has become a burning issue in recent months. Like those plastic microbeads that have been banned from your shower gel, glitter is a microplastic. Worse, it’s often coated with metal.
Like microbeads, glitter tends to end up in our rivers and oceans, usually following showering or washing clothes.
It doesn’t biodegrade either, so can pollute the soil of a festival site for decades, or until it gets eaten by wildlife or livestock, which again is far from ideal.
Festivals love to cite their eco-credentials, so this year, expect to see plastic glitter prohibited from many festivals across the country. Several festivals have already explicitly banned glitter, some going back as early as 2016.
Joining them are the 61 festivals that make up the Association of Independent Festivals, or AIF. The association confirmed this week that all of its members have signed a pledge to ban glitter from their events.
Thankfully, a ‘ BioGlitter‘ alternative is being pushed, made from wood fibres. Festivals including Shambala that haveprohibited traditional glitter this year have encouraged their traders to stock this eco-friendly alternative.
This stuff is just like regular chunky glitter, and whilst makeup companies will happily sell it for like £8 a tub, you can get a re-fillable bag on eBay for under £3.
The #DrasticOnPlastic pledge signed by over 60 independent festivals, including Shambala and Boomtown, requires festivals to become totally free of single-use plastics by 2021. This not only includes traditional glitter, but plastic cups,  straws, food trays, wet wipes, and even cable ties used in building the festival site! 
Catch our full list of festivals banning glitter below. 

UK festivals banning plastic glitter

Bestival

Bestival logo
Bestival is one of 60+ festivals that have signed the ‘Drastic on Plastic’ pledge to ban all single-use plastic. Organiser Rob Da Bank told press:
“Unless you’ve been living on the moon, you’ll know the plastic problem is not going away. I’m very proud that the organisation we started with five members 10 years ago now boasts over 60 who have all signed up to eradicate singleuse plastic in the next couple of years. This is exactly the sort of work the AIF [Association of Independent Festivals] needs to be doing – leading the global charge against essentially unnecessary plastic at all our festivals.”

Green Gathering

Unsurprisingly, Green Gathering have been somewhat leading the way on this. Not only has plastic glitter been banned since 2016, Green Gathering are so green that they’re advising against biodegradable glitter this year!
They’re not keen on so-called BioGlitter until further research has confirmed the impact of biodegradable glitter on fields and watercourses, and until ethical sourcing has been proven.
Reliant on local produce and solar power, Green Gathering has perhaps the most comprehensive sustainability policy of any British festival.  

Shambala

Shambala confirmed in a blog post last week that traditional glitter would be banned from this year’s event. It will not be available anywhere on site.
Ticket holders will not be stopped from bringing glitter into the event, but are strongly encouraged to use BioGlitter or other alternatives.

Pangaea

Pangaea isn’t your typical festival, rather it’s an annual one-day event hosted by the University of Manchester Students Union.
Regardless, they’re members of the Association of Independent Festivals, and as such, have signed the Drastic on Plastic pledge and therefore will be banning all single-use plastic, including glitter, from Pangea.

Boomtown

Another favourite for glitter fans, and another independent festival pledged to remove all single-use plastic from site, including drinks bottles, plastic straws, and of course, glitter!
This year’s Boomtown sold out in record time, many months before the festival. Probably something to do with the fact it’s being headlined by Gorillaz and Limp Bizkit, I reckon?

WeAreFSTVL

WeAreFSTVL hasn’t made any official announcement to the press about banning glitter, or plastic, on a wider basis. However, the Evening Standard reported that they have banned traders from selling traditional glitter on site this year. It’ll be that BioGlitter stuff only.
WeAreFSTVL takes place early in the festival calendar, towards the end of May in Outer London.

Kendal Calling

 
Lake District favourite Kendal Calling is another independent festival that has signed the Drastic on Plastic pledge, meaning plastic straws will be banned from the site this summer. This will be followed by all single-use plastic including glitter within three years. 
This year’s Kendal Calling features a headline set from The Libertines, alongside Run DMC and Catfish & The Bottlemen. 

Full list:

Over 60 festivals have signed the Association of Independent Festivals’ pledge to get #DrasticOnPlastic and ban all single-use plastics, including glitter, from their events by 2021. The full list of AIF members taking part is below:
2000trees
Ampthill Festival
ArcTanGent
Barn on the Farm
Beat-Herder Festival
Belladrum Tartan Heart
Bestival
Bloodstock Open Air
Bluedot Festival
Boardmasters
Boomtown Fair
Burning Lantern Festival
Camp Bestival
Chase Park Festival
Common People
Deer Shed Festival
Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru
El Dorado
Elderflower Fields
Electric Fields
End Of The Road Festival
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention
Festival No.6
Festival of Voice
Field Day
Fire in the Mountain – Tan yn y Mynydd
Garage Nation Outdoor Festival
Green Gathering
Greenbelt Festival
Handmade Festival
Hanwell Hootie Music Festival
Hebridean Celtic Festival
Just So Festival
Kendal Calling
Kew The Music
Larmer Tree Festival
London Remixed Festival
Long Division
Lost Village
Magical
Meltdown Festival
Mint Street Music Festival
Nozstock The Hidden Valley
Oxjam Music Festival
Oxted Beer and Music Festival
Pangaea Festival
Pete the Monkey Festival
Rewind Festival
Shambala Festival
Standon Calling
Starry Skies
Strawberries & Creem Festival
Sunflowerfest
SWN Festival
The Secret Garden Party
The Vicar’s Picnic
Tramlines
Truck Festival
Twisterella Festival
Underneath the Stars festival
Victorious Festival
Village Green
Y-Not Festival
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