Keep the planet Awake!

We love to dance together on our beautiful planet for many more years. We are well aware of our environmental impact and we intend to make our festivals as sustainable as possible. We welcome more than 300.000 visitors this year, coming from more than 80 different countries. We are reaching a young and diverse audience that we hope to inspire to make conscious choices.

Deposit recycle system
We work with a deposit system on all cups, cans and bottles. At the entrance our visitors receive a free recycle token which they can use at the bar when ordering drinks. All empty cups/cans/bottles are returned to the bar or recycle point for a new drink or recycle token. By doing this, we make sure that all materials are collected and sorted in the right container. After the event, each material is recycled.

How does it work?

  1. At the entrance, after scanning your ticket, you’ll receive 1 FREE recycle token from us.
  2. With each drink you order, you hand in your recycle token or an empty cup, can or bottle.
  3. Lost your recycle token and/or your cup, can, bottle? Then you have to pay 1 regular token.
  4. When you’re leaving the venue or you don’t want to have a new drink, you can hand in your empty cup, can or bottle at the bar or at one of the other recycle points. The bar staff will give you your recycle token in return.
  5. There is a unique code on the recycle token, after the event you can go to our website and fill out the code on the event page, then you have a chance of winning prizes!

Why do we not use hard cups?
Research by the Dutch Government has proven, that using a deposit system as we do, is as sustainable as using hard cups if enough are being collected at the recycling points, which is the case at our events.

Our recycle tokens are made of recycled plastic and we wash them after every event. By doing this, we can use them at all our events for multiple years.
Materials
We intend to create as little waste as possible and ask our partners to do the same. We sort all different materials in separate containers; PET / Can / Cap / Paper / Glass / Organic / Plastic / Wood. This way, all materials can be recycled.

Our PET is used to make new cups and bottles, making it a circular system. Our tokens are being melted as well, which is used to produce new tokens. 95% of our signing is being used on all our events year-round and even our wristbands are made out of recycled PET.

To create less waste, we have switched from printed timetables and floorplans, to digital versions through screens at the festival and our website.
100% Vegetarian menu
Since 2015, our menu is 95% vegetarian, with only organic meat for the other 5%. From 2022, we offer a 100% vegetarian menu at all our events.

One of the easiest ways to contribute to less climate change is by eating a vegetarian diet. Did you know, that by skipping meat for 1 day you save an average of 1750 grams of CO2 emission? So by eating completely vegetarian during Awakenings Summer Festival for 3 days, together we save approximately 2 tonnes of CO2 emission.
Smart energy plan
We always work with a smart energy plan, maximizing the consumption of energy from the power grid and other renewable sources. During our load-in and show period, we only make use
of batteries. Since 2016, all stages of Awakenings Festival are also powered by batteries.

In 2019 we started using biofuels, obtained from horticulture, to power our generators. This will drastically cut down our CO2 emissions. Read about our partnership with Greener Power Solutions here.
Water
We offer free drinking water taps in every toilet area.

We have flush toilets at all our events, which are flushed with gray water (reusable wastewater). By doing so, we save 3kg CO2 per flush.
Travel / CO2 compensation
We stimulate our visitors to travel by bike or public transportation, which the majority does.

Since 2011, we work together with Trees for All, who plant trees on our behalf to compensate the CO2 emission. We donate 2% of the income of every parking & shuttle bus ticket sold. We calculate the CO2 emission of our artist travel and compensate through Trees for All as well.

For our 20-year festival anniversary, 2020 trees were planted, divided in the Netherlands and Uganda.

Our crew is using bikes and electrical cars wherever they can and we ask our suppliers to carpool and use biodiesel.
Education
We have a long-lasting partnership with Bridges for Music, a non profit organisation focused on empowering young talent from under-served communities to become creative change-makers, providing 21st century- tools and equipping them with the psychosocial and entrepreneurial skills to thrive in the creative industries. We offer 4 scholarships a year and mentor 2 students.

Students of Bridges for Music created the playlists which are played at our foodcourts.
Charity
We have a mandatory donation at all our events for persons who are on the guestlist. We often choose a local project or group that can use our support the most at that moment.
Share knowledge
We are participants of 'The Green Deal Circulair Festivals' and 'Plastic Promise', both initiatives by the Dutch Government. They consist of sustainable frontiers of the event industry, sharing their knowledge, best practices, and data to help and inspire others. Awakenings is also a contributor to ADE Green, the conference program of Amsterdam Dance Event focussing on sustainable and social developments within the music industry.
Leave no trace campsite
Often at festival campsites, many tents and other camping equipment are left behind, which leaves a great environmental impact on our planet. We do our best to decrease our ecological footprint and protect our surroundings, so we kindly ask you to take care of your used camping equipment after the party’s over.

All visitors of the campsite will receive their Awakenings garbage bag at the entrance. Full bags can be returned to one of the waste points.

If there are any sleeping bags left, the Shelter Suit Foundation will transform them into sleeping bags for the homeless.
National park Spaarnwoude
For over 20 years, National Park Spaarnwoude is the host of Awakenings (Easter) Festival. Together with its residents, we discuss what is needed in the area. Each year, we invest in different parts of the park, to make it thrive at its best!
Accessibility & extra care
We aim Awakenings to be accessible for everyone. Please find here all measurements we have taken. We work together with Handicap NL.

Take care of each other

Partying requires more energy than you think. Take care of yourself, care about others and we will take care of you.

Are you okay?
At Awakenings, we aim to create a space where you can be yourself and lose yourself.

We value and respect people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and ethnicities. Therefore, we do not tolerate any form of (sexual) harassment.

When you think you see someone being harassed, ask the question: ARE YOU OKAY? A simple question so everyone feels safe and respected.

Let’s take care of each other.

Did you experience an unpleasant situation? Please turn to the first aid team, they are trained to help you.
Celebrate safe
At every event, we have a celebrate safe stand. Please visit them if you like any information about (health implications of) drugs.

If you’re not feeling well, please visit the “first aid” / “EHBO”, they are there for you. Take your time to chill out and don't forget to eat some food.

If you need water, you can either buy it at the bar or drink some at the free taps near the toilets. It’s advisable not to drink great amounts of water (no more than 1 or 2 glasses an hour).
Camping guardians
Visiting our campsite? The Camping Guardians are there to ensure that you are safe and well. If you are feeling vulnerable, or just a little uneasy, the Guardians will help. They are not security guards, however, they can assist with security issues should you require them.

Guardians walk around the campsite and are at the camping reception, 24/7. There is a phone number which is available 24/7 from Friday-Monday, it will be mentioned here on Friday and is stated in the Camping booklet you receive at the entrance.

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