Rainbow Serpent Festival
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Rainbow Serpent Festival

It may seem like Rainbow Serpent Festival is still a million miles away, but before you know it you’ll be packing up the car and making your way to Beaufort for four days of music, arts and lifestyle.
Hi Tim, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you?
Really good thanks. The excitement is building at Rainbow HQ. This time of year is always lots of fun as we lock in amazing content for 2015.
For those who aren’t familiar with who you are, can you please give a brief description of what it is you do?
I have a few roles at Rainbow, one of which is being part of the team that books the music. I also manage all the marketing, promotion, social media, website etc. We have a heap of amazing people who make Rainbow the event that it is; I’m just fortunate to be the guy that gets to speak with you!
What first sparked the idea to create Rainbow Serpent Festival?
I think Frank and Felix (the two guys that started Rainbow) were already running other events, both indoors and outdoors. It seemed a natural progression to work on something together, and over a period of years Rainbow slowly started to take shape. 2015 is our 18th year, so it’s been a long journey from the small gathering in a secluded clearing to the four-day and five-stage sensory extravaganza we all get to experience these days.
Tickets to this year’s show sold out for the first time in the festival’s history. That’s a pretty great achievement given so many festivals aren’t doing so well. What do you think it is about your festival that made this happen?
Yeah, we were really excited to finally hit capacity in 2014. We simply have an amazing community that has grown around our festival, so credit needs to be given to them for bringing such phenomenal energy each year and making our event so welcoming and unique. In that respect, we are really more of an extended family than promoters and patrons.
In the end it’s about offering a total experience that is part carnival, part concert, part arts festival and part spiritual retreat. Add thousands of awesome people into that mix and what’s not to love!
How do you think the festival has developed over its time?
Massively! It really is like we have developed from infancy into an adult over 18 years. Rainbow used to be a predominately single-genre music festival with a few market stalls and a bit of decor. Today we’re honoured to be considered one of the top “alternative culture” festivals in the world. People travel from all over the globe to attend and experience world-class music across five stages, eye-popping installations, visual art and an extensive lifestyle program, too.
Are there any fans you’re aware of that have been to every festival?
Absolutely, I personally know a number of people that haven’t missed one festival – although they may have slowed down a bit on the dance floor.
What’s your advice for first time punters?
Firstly, don’t miss the opening ceremony at dusk on the main stage on Saturday. It really sets the tone for the whole weekend and is a beautiful experience. Secondly, Rainbow is a marathon, not a sprint, so you are going to want to pace yourself.
Who are you most looking forward to seeing play at the festival?
Tough question, and I can only pick from who we have announced otherwise I’ll be revealing trade secrets. Personally, Desert Dwellers will be a mind-blowing experience; they write such deep, soulful, beautiful music.
Thanks again for having a chat with us. Is there anything you would like to add?
Thanks for having me Forte, it’s been a pleasure. I guess for those that have never been and would like to see what we’re all about, they should check our series of retrospective films on our YouTube channel. Other than that, it’s all on the website rainbowserpent.net.
When&Where: Beaufort – January 23 through January 26
Photo by Francesco Vicenzi