As I write this, my cheeks still ache from laughing, and my feet are reminiscent of a weekend spent dancing. It was a bittersweet weekend, celebrating and saying farewell to the beautiful Meadow.
After 10 years of service, the team are wrapping it up and, boy, was it special.
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Rolling into Bambra on Saturday morning, I was buzzing with anticipation of a lovely time, having been lucky enough to attend a couple of years prior. The short drive down from Geelong is picturesque and nothing about entering the festival is stressful, with gorgeous helpful staff and plenty of space to set up camp. The weather really turned it on for the last Meadow, with a perfect sunny and clear autumn day.
My favourite thing about Meadow is this: you get all the perks of a large-scale festival—world-class music with crisp sound, a beautiful stage with an amphitheatre view so you never miss out on the action, a fully equipped medical team, glamping, and delicious food—along with all the benefits of a small festival; you’ve always got space to dance and let loose, you never have to wait for the toilet, and it’s (almost) impossible to lose your mates or your camp at the end of the night.
The environmental efforts of the team really show – all food and drink was served in reusable cups and plates with an easy drop-off station for washing up. There were accessible water filling stations, buckets for used vapes, and a general expectation that all patrons show respect and kindness for each other and the land.
Unfortunately, I was unable to make the first night, but rave reviews were circling, especially for local Geelong band ORB, French duo Pureblast and of course, Hiatus Kaiyote. On Saturday, the music flowed all day varying from Japanese rock, psychedelia, indie pop and more with DJ’s rounding out the night for those with some dancing left to get out. My music highlights for Saturday were Melbourne band Floodlights with their stunning vocals and catchy tracks, and Pond – who stole my heart with an unbelievable rock cover of “Satisfaction” by Benny Benassi.
During the day you can find the children of music lovers busting down at the front of the stage in gumboots and big headphones. As the day progresses, picnic rugs and camp chairs are cleared to make more space for dancing. There was always a friendly, social and nostalgic vibe in the air, with the whole weekend really hitt home with some presentations and heartfelt words from the event organisers and property owners on Saturday afternoon. At dusk, clusters of friends could be found in cuddle puddles all over the top of the hill, watching one of the most magnificent sunsets cascading around them.
Having grown up nearby, it’s always lovely running into familiar faces and high school friends. It really is the cherry on top to pop in for a pie at the Deans Marsh General store on the way home. Get around and support your local festivals and artists – going to so many ‘lasts’ lately is really devastating. I walked away from Meadow with a hopeful heart.
From small beginnings to beautiful endings – thank you Meadow for 10 years of lovin’.
