The best sustainable festivals

Every time summer comes around, the choice of what festivals to attend always comes to the forefront of debates with your pals. With countless options available, a major variable in making the most informed decision is prioritising festivals with an eco-friendly ethos. Historically, music festivals have been notorious for excessive energy consumption and waste production. However, in recent years, a positive shift has occurred as organisers strive to minimise their environmental impact. From locally sourced food and low-emission transport to renewable energy usage, several festivals globally are leading the charge towards sustainability.

The scale of waste generated at music festivals is staggering, estimated at around 23,500 tonnes annually in the UK alone. Plastic cups, discarded tents, and glitter are just a few examples of the debris left behind after a weekend of revelry. Thankfully, many festivals have recognised the need for improvement and have actively taken steps to enhance their sustainability practices. With this in mind, we've decided to champion the green festivals that have embraced sustainability as their headline act, where good music and environmental consciousness merge harmoniously. Scroll down and check it out!

 

 

Øyafestivalen

Image: Øyafestivalen / Facebook.com

Where: Tøyenparken, Oslo, Norway

A true pioneer in the world of sustainable music festivals, Norway’s Øyafestivalen has led by example since its launch in 1999. Held in the heart of Oslo, Øya has welcomed global icons such as Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar, and Lana Del Rey, all while minimising its environmental impact at every turn. It’s been awarded the highest A Greener Festival ranking eleven times and was the first event to be certified by Norway’s Environmental Lighthouse.

In 2023, Øya went meat-free and achieved Norway’s top organic food certification. Waste is managed with a 73% sorting ratio, single-use plastics are banned, and reusable cups are standard. Audience travel is also a key focus - with 70% of attendees living locally, most arrive by bike, metro, or on foot. With sustainability baked into every supplier and partner decision, Øya is setting the bar for festivals worldwide.

 

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Equinox Festival

Image: Equinox Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Chalk Farm in Lincolnshire

Equinox Festival, with its ethos "For the people… Not the profit," embodies community-driven sustainability. Nestled in the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds, Equinox is a vibrant celebration of music and community. This unique gathering, held annually in Chalk Farm, brings together diverse tribes for an unforgettable experience. With a history rooted in freedom and creativity, Equinox stands as one of the last bastions of the "old style" festivals, focusing on people rather than profit.

Sustainability is also integral to Equinox, with initiatives such as its solar-powered Soundscape Solar Stage, its commitment to renewable energy, and a promotion of ethical trading, which encourages vendors to use minimal power or renewable sources and support local produce. This eco-friendly festival also boasts a massive range of vegan food options, workshops, drum circles and chainsaw carving, staff making, a blacksmith’s forge, permaculture, and rich heritage/history. Sustainable and self-actualising, Equinox is a true gem.

   

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Knockengorroch Festival

Image: Knockengorroch Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Galloway, South West Scotland

Tucked away in the Scottish Highlands, Knockengorroch Festival has been going strong for nearly three decades. This independently run event has united folk, dub, world music, and electronic sounds with a deep respect for the land it occupies. The festival's 2025 theme, "Survival," highlights the urgency of the planet’s environmental crisis and is especially timely given the recent wildfires in the Galloway Hills, which impacted more than 7,000 hectares of land, most notably the ecologically important ‘Core Areas’ of the UNESCO Biosphere. 

This isn’t just a green festival—it’s one rooted in place. Knockengorroch bans single-use plastics, favours public transport, uses compost toilets, and builds with local materials. Its Disgee Centre grows organic food year-round, while workshops, stargazing, and heritage talks deepen ecological connection. From biosphere partnerships to Sámi artists, sustainability runs through every structure, story, and sound.

 

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Paradise City Festival

Image: Paradise City Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Castle of Ribaucourt, Steenokkerzeel, Belgium

Set in the storybook surrounds of Ribaucourt Castle, Belgium’s Paradise City Festival offers a blissed-out electronic music escape rooted in serious sustainability. Named one of the world’s most sustainable music festivals at the International AGF Awards, it excels across all environmental metrics, whilst also delivering one doozy of a weekend. 

Paradise City’s Green Power Plan uses solar fields, battery storage, and green grid power to fuel the entire site, including all production areas. Meanwhile, the Green Mobility Plan encourages train and electric travel, discourages car use, and focuses on regional artist booking. With a plant-forward food policy, vacuum toilets, water reuse strategies, and campsite waste education on the horizon, Paradise City shows that club culture and climate action can thrive side by side.

 

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Kelburn Garden Party

Image: Kelburn Garden Party / Facebook.com

Where: Kelburn Country Centre in Largs

A festival next to a world-famous 13th-century painted castle on the west coast of Scotland? Sign us up. Kelburn Garden Party is a colourful explosion of music, art, and woodland escapism. Spread across multiple stages and natural spaces, it’s a weekend full of genre-defying sounds, curious installations, and a strong community spirit.

When it comes to sustainability, Kelburn operates on a “One Planet” ethos, with a £10 Environmental Bond to ensure a leave-no-trace policy, strict recycling targets, tree planting, and reduced supply chain impact. They ban single-use plastics, promote public transport, and support fair pay and inclusive work practices. Basically, it’s embedded in every aspect of how the festival is built and run.

 

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Shambala

Image: Shambala / Facebook.com

Where: Kelmarsh Hall in Northampton

Shambala is renowned for its eclectic mix of music, arts, and workshops, creating an immersive and inclusive festival experience they call "the most fiercely independent, seriously silly, wildly creative party in a field."

A frontrunner in sustainability, Shambala has reduced its carbon footprint by over 90% and operates on 100% renewable electricity. Their aims for this year include having a supply chain free from funding conflict, fossil fuels, unethical employment practices and environmental damage; implementing a completely regenerative food sourcing system, with clear environmental impact labelling, to enable our audiences to make informed decisions with food on site; also instill a fully circular ‘materials economy’ – designing out waste completely from Shambala. No waste from the build, no waste from the break, and no waste from the audience.

 

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Green Gathering

Image: Green Gathering / Facebook.com

Where: Piercefield Park in Chepstow

The Green Gathering has championed low-impact alternatives since its inception, going beyond hedonism to offer a space where creativity meets ecological and social consciousness. Campaign stalls, activist workshops and spoken word venues vie for attention with intimate music stages showcasing up-and-coming talent and socially conscious performers.

Plus, every element of Green Gathering is shaped by its commitment to low-impact living and sustainability. From permaculture zones and zero-carbon stages to ethically sourced food stalls and passing on heritage craft skills and renewable technology skills to new generations. Sustainability is the point, not the add-on.

 

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We Love Green

Image: Wilderness Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Bois de Vincennes, Paris

Blending irresistible lineups with forward-thinking ideals, We Love Green is one of Europe’s most celebrated sustainable music festivals. Since 2011, it’s brought major artists like Gorillaz, Björk, and Massive Attack to the lush Parisian parkland, while setting a gold standard in eco-conscious event planning. 

In 2024, the festival recorded just 1.8kg of CO2 emissions per person, ten times lower than the French average. That’s thanks to 100% renewable energy (solar panels and recycled cooking oil), an organic and local-only food court, and a standout reforestation programme. There are also talks and workshops focused on climate and social impact. As director Marie Sabot puts it: “Our ambition is to prove a major event can minimise ecological impact while maximising social good.”

 

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Green Man Festival

Image: Green Man Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Glanusk Park in Glanusk

Set amidst the Brecon Beacons, Green Man offers a week of nature and eco-friendly bliss completely committed to sustainability. At Green Man you can expect to see no plastic straws or single-use cups and compostable food packaging and cutlery, alongside a medley of environmentally conscious objectives. 

The sustainable festival has moved from portaloos to compost toilets (saving thousands of litres of water and avoiding any chemical use), uses an entirely solar powered stage, with the rest of the festival powered entirely by hydrogen), and solar or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a fossil-free alternative to diesel that results in a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

The lineup also includes workshops on foraging, herbal medicine, natural paint making, and saving the planet. Get hands-on with mud pies and soil conservation too. Plenty for the eco-conscious and curious!

 

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Wilderness Festival

Image: Wilderness Festival / Facebook.com

Where: Cornbury Park in Oxford

Wilderness Festival takes an active approach to measuring and reducing its carbon footprint. With a dedicated sustainability team, the festival develops a sustainability action plan and supports climate-positive initiatives in the music industry, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Energy consumption is a major contributor to emissions, and Wilderness focuses on reducing usage and transitioning to renewable sources. They have already achieved significant milestones, such as using 100% renewable hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in 2022. The festival also utilizes LED lights and encourages efficient power distribution by suppliers.

It is truly doing its part in trying to become carbon neutral, and long may it continue. 

 

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Les Plages Électroniques

Image: Les Plages Électroniques / Facebook.com

Where: Beach Of Palais Des Festivals, Cannes

Held on the iconic beach in Cannes, Les Plages Électroniques is one of France’s most forward-thinking festivals, both musically and environmentally. Taking place in August, the event attracts 60,000 dance music lovers with a huge lineup featuring Charlotte De Witte, Peggy Gou, Tiesto, Eric Prydz, and more.

Beyond the beats, the festival makes impressive green efforts. Renewable energy like solar power helps run the site, while eco-responsible measures like recyclable tableware, waste sorting, and NOCTAMBUS/PALM shuttle buses support low-emission goals. Working with local food partners keeps supply chains short and sustainable—a win for both the planet and the palate. 

  

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So if you're after some more eco-friendly festivals that give back to the planet a little, any of these cracking green festivals will suffice. For groovy festival recommendations, check out our picks for the best dance & EDM, house & techno, and trance festivals to get your boogie on! 

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.