Rootstock 2025 : Not Just a Music Festival by Neil Richards
It’s been just over a fortnight, and we have returned to the serenity of the aftermath of our Rootstock 2025 summer festival. It was our 4th annual event and arguably the most successful to date. Why was it a success? By what factors are we measuring our success? It may not be abundantly clear to the casual observer!
The success begins with good planning, the planning begins almost immediately after the closing of the last event which was wrapped up this year by Peter Oak from Time Out Drum Therapy. I had begun the day, which fell on the summer solstice, by watching the sunrise whilst dipping in the sea up the road at Hornsea. The evening concluded with a gang of us each bashing our chosen drum as fast as we could whilst screaming at the top of our voices…all in a day’s work!
A month or so before the big day, we were together for our regular Wednesday Gather and Grow session, planning the line-up of performers, stalls and food. Regular attendee and singer/songwriter, Farid arrived with his guitar as usual and proceeded to recruit a band for himself, refusing to even hear our refusals! A few of us joined in his song about Mami Wata (Mother Water, a Goddess from African culture) and we were amazed to see some of our less confident volunteers actually get up and dance around on camera! On the big day, Farid was second on stage (Andy Sneaks always opens, he’s good at it) and a few of us who joined him earlier in the month were asked to get up and perform the Mami Wata song!
Success is not just the fact that Rooted in Hull was packed with people in the beautiful sunshine. It is not simply a measure of how we were able to bring so many people from so many different cultures and communities together to share food, music and laughter. Those things are the more obvious, straightforward success indicators. However, bubbling away under the surface of our sun-drenched kale, onions and beetroot beds is the boost to the spirit. It cannot be viewed or recorded in a pie chart and therefore is difficult to quantify, but remains so powerful it can become intoxicating.
It is true to say that the everyday tasks we perform on site at Rooted, learning about growing food and sustainability, demonstrating ways in which physical work and the camaraderie involved in a group of people working towards a common goal, can and often does result in a positive improvement in our overall mental well-being. Sometimes, a music festival is about much, much more than the performers on the stage. There is lots to be gained by becoming involved with what’s going on at Rooted in Hull. You’re all welcome!
Please Consider a Donation
Please consider helping us to continue our work at Rooted in Hull by visiting our website and making a donation through the button you find here, help us to continue to provide an environment that can support others.
