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Grab your tents, get your colourful kit ready and shake the dust off those dancing shoes, because festival season is finally here!<\/span><\/p>\n Taking place over the first weekend of October, Rocking the Daisies<\/a> (RTD) is among the most sought-after events on the summer party calendar, drawing thousands of revellers from all over the country to the little Western Cape town of Darling every year.<\/p>\n Now, even though everyone loves a good weekend-long music festival, there\u2019s one very real downside that tends to come with this territory: the environmental damage. We\u2019ve all seen the shocking aftermath images of the likes of <\/span>Coachella<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Glastonbury<\/span><\/a>. The first WTD happened in 2009. The idea was conceived by Nathan Daniel and aimed to bring awareness to the social and ecological systems and our interaction with them. The\u00a0walk\u00a0aims to spark social and environmental action. But this can’t happen without our social interaction. As mentioned, the\u00a0walk\u00a0aims to create environmental and social change through our actions. The second day emphasises the importance of social sustainability in this country. As South Africans, we need to engage more across income, race and cultural levels. The purpose of these workshops is to not overly educate or change the actual community, but rather to create a platform where walkers and community members can engage and interact, something they may not have done if not given the chance.<\/span><\/p>\n The opportunity to meet and connect with so many new and interesting people from different spectrums of life. The first step in creating any form of change is to gather as a collective in doing so. Creating social connections and relationships is the outstanding highlight of this great experience for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yes – follow\u00a0<\/span>Plant the Seed Education\u00a0<\/span><\/i>at @<\/span>PlantTheSeedEdu<\/span><\/a> on Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ticket sales for an experience like WTD are limited for logistical and experiential reasons. Ticket sales commence a few weeks after the release of RTD tickets, but sell out relatively soon after their release, so be sure to keep an eye out for ticket release dates for next year on the\u00a0<\/span>Rocking the Daisies<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a>or\u00a0Plant the Seed Education<\/span> Instagram pages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>What we\u2019ve always loved about RTD, is the fact that they actively try to minimise their footprint as much as possible by encouraging recycling, carpooling and even walking to the event.
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\nWalking the Daisies<\/span><\/a> (WTD) has been an official part of RTD since 2009 and offers festival-goers the opportunity to undertake a two-day, 48-hour journey on foot, packed with amazing experiences and meaningful community contributions.
\n<\/span>We chatted to Damien Hewitt from Plant the Seed Education<\/a>, one of the main organisers of WTD, to find out more about this special initiative.<\/p>\n
\nWhen was\u00a0Walking\u00a0the\u00a0Daisies (WTD)\u00a0first established as part of RTD? What inspired the idea? How many people are\u00a0walking\u00a0to\u00a0daisies\u00a0this year?<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span>It began challenging the idea of driving to this growing festival by bringing in a slower and more appreciative experience.
\nPlant the Seed Education<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/a>have pioneered the\u00a0walk\u00a0since 2011 and have watched it grow in stature from 20 participants to 200 in 2013. This year the\u00a0walk will compose of 162 walkers and a crew of 15 individuals behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWhat fun, recreational activities can walkers look forward to this year?
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\n<\/span>The walkers can look forward to a plethora of social and engaging activities such as:<\/p>\n\n
\nApart from recreational activities, the\u00a0walk\u00a0is also all about taking positive action. Can you tell me a bit more about the community work (and beach clean-up) you’ll be doing along the way?
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\n<\/span>The first day takes more of an environmental narrative through the beach clean-up from Kreefte Baai through to Melkbostrand in collaboration with\u00a0Beach Co-op<\/i><\/a>.
\nOne would be amazed, and horrified by the amount of plastic, non-recyclable waste that litters our beautiful shorelines and ecosystems. Each year, walkers are gob-smacked at the amount of waste collected.
\nThis year,\u00a0Plant the Seed Education<\/i>\u00a0are launching a plastic reduction campaign,\u00a0Plastic Detox\u00a0<\/i><\/b>(sign up<\/a>)<\/a> which will create more active engagement and citizenry around this pertinent issue that currently and alarmingly faces us.<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>We aim to create these simple connections through a variety of workshops run in the wonderful community of Mamre. These workshops include a:<\/p>\n\n
\nWhat is your personal favourite part about\u00a0WTD?
\n<\/b><\/h2>\nCan people follow the journey on social media?<\/b><\/h2>\n
How can those who missed out this year get their hands on a WTD ticket for RTD 2019?<\/b><\/h2>\n