Review: Freedom Festival 2009

Sometimes, pictures tell much more than thousands of words. To view or photographic snapshots of Freedom Festival 09, click here for our Photo Gallery

Yet another time, this year's Freedom Festival at Elvas (Portugal) offered a wide range of music, culture, culinary joys ;D and manifold options to spend 5 amazing days with good-humoured and like-minded people.
There was an impressive and lovely decorated Mainfloor where people could undertake a journey through diverse genres of psychedelic dance music during day- and nighttime. During this expedition well fitting visual support was provided. Especially at dusk and later when it became really dark and the decoration was illuminated one could easily dive into the mediated jungle feeling. It surrounded all the party people a bit like a protective primeval forest.

If there was the need for musical alternation after extensive Dance-, play- and joy-laps you could satisfy this need at the Alternative Floor, also named Crush Visions Stage. Every day was themed by another electronic music style at this stage. The repertoire here went from Reggae and Dub via Minimal and Techno to Progressive and Deep House, just to name a few. The atmosphere was awesome during sunset when the sun started glowing reddish and when you could enjoy the last warm shafts of sunlight whilst you were dancing and looking over the lake that was besides the Floor.
When at some point the desire for relaxation occurred there were several opportunities to get it done. At the cosy chillout floor, also named Experience Lodge, you could busy yourself with interesting workshops or just relax while you were listening to chilled ambient and downbeat tunes. Who still felt the need for deeper relaxation could walk just over to the healing space and release tension and stress during moderately priced massages of various styles.
If you wanted to tune back in afterwards - at least mentally – there was enough input at the cinema tent. Interesting documentations and movies where shown here. So if there was deep thirst for knowledge every now and then it could easily be satisfied. ;)
It has to be remarked positively that the Freedom Crew had also thought off the little festival visitors who came with their parents. In a separated area with playground and a tent to provide some shade kids could play, paint and tinker or simply rag with the other ones.
Free drinking water supply was provided round the clock. We had the impression that water was available much more comprehensively and constantly / continuously in comparison with the festival in 2007. In addition people could supply themselves with food at the shops or at the freedom market where you could also buy some camping gear.
Convenient was the permanent shower service, so that people did not have to queue up as long as two years ago when they were operated only during certain day times. It was just a bit of a pity that the water from the showers was not collected and later lead to wastewater treatment but was running away through a moat in the ground. Maybe this is going to be a project for the year 2011. Certainly it is quite of a logistic and financial effort to provide an environment-friendly wastewater treatment for a festival with several thousands of visitors but it would definitely be a worthwile project for the future.
One more little point of criticism was – in our personal impression – the arrangement of the flea market which felt a little uncomfortable this year. Because the shops had been arranged straightaway and forming an L, relatively apart of the mainfloor the same cosy feeling as two years ago did not come up when you where looking around here. In 2007 you had to pass the shops on your way to the dance floor and they where forming alleys where you could stroll along. That way they were much more bound into the festival life.

Altogether Freedom Festival 2009 offered a diversified all around package where every visitor could concentrate to the things that met best with the own interests and where you had the possibility to collect new impressions at the same time. On the whole, the mood festival was – again our personal opinion ;) - very relaxed, friendly, happy and hearty. Once more fraggles from many different countries have enjoyed together all the similarities in the psytrance culture and the connecting element of varied music in a very colourful setting. And maybe on that way a bit more positive love&light energy has been sent out into the world. :-)