Scotland’s biggest eco-festival has been shelved this year after effectively becoming too popular.
The Big Tent Festival in Falkland, which attracted over 11,000 people last summer, is to take a sabbatical to give organisers time to plan for the future.
It is hoped that by the time the event returns next year, improvements will have been made to the site which will allow the festival to develop in an eco-friendly way.
Proposals include the installation of compost toilets and solar showers and a range of other ways to reduce the event’s carbon footprint.
Launched in 2005 as a response to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, the Big Tent has become Fife’s largest festival and is seen as a major force in spreading the environmental message of the Falkland Centre for Stewardship, which organises it.
It moved to a new location at Home Park within the Falkland Estate last year and this, combined with a main stage performance from Grammy Award winner Roseanne Cash saw more people attending than ever before.
The 2010 event was described at the time as the best Big Tent ever, but it was admitted that some site management issues would have to be addressed before the next one.Direction changeDavid Corner, chairman of the Falkland Stewardship Trust, said it had become essential to take time this year to focus on developing the site and the overall future direction of the Big Tent.
However, he added there would still be an array of family-friendly eco activities talking place in Falkland over the summer, including nature clubs for children, summer schools, craft and wood workshops, talks and walks.
“We have almost become victims of our own success,” continued Mr Corner. “In five years we have grown Big Tent to the point where our limited resources are in danger of not being able to deliver the high-quality family festival for which we are famed.
“We will use 2011 to take stock, improve the site infrastructure and to plan a more congruent Big Tent Festival for 2012.”
Helen Lawrenson, director of the Falkland Centre for Stewardship, added, “We had over 11,000 people attending Big Tent 2010 and we were proud to be one of the lead events in Celebrating Fife. As the home of stewardship in Scotland, the festival has allowed us to inform and entertain in equal measure and we now have a bedrock of over 1000 active supporters and volunteers who we hope will help us shape the future and plan for July 28 and 29, 2012-the dates of the next Big Tent.”
Last year’s event also saw a series of debates and workshops on environmental issues and a variety of entertainment including children’s activities, poetry recitals, a solar cinema and story telling.