The festival opened at the Wellbeing Field with a sound bath and a wellness walk along the edge of the Menai Strait, followed by yoga, Qigong, meditation and singing sessions in the magnificent lotus belle tents nestled at the edge of the woodland.
The towering crab apple trees in the Chinese Garden offered the perfect natural cover for the wellness treatment space, offering a variety of massage, reiki and reflexology sessions.
We were spoilt for choice exploring stalls and demos from the local community, among them North Wales Wildlife Trust, Tyddyn Teg, North Wales Climate Action, Hedgerow Foraging, Size of Wales, Birthing Mamas, Nature Keen, Llangoed Flower Show, Red Squirrels Trust, Anglesey Hedgehog Rescue and Extinction Rebellion.
With a strong emphasis on families, Draig Beats was supported by Wild Elements Forest School, Circus performances from Syrcas Cimera CBC and lots of interactive workshops including laughter yoga, capoeira, junk percussion and candle making.
This year Draig Beats introduced a new stage ‘Draig Speaks’ that celebrated the passion of local poets, griots, storytellers and troubadours.
As ever, music weaved the day together, with two stages showcasing the of best of local talent including Jodie Melodie, the Telomeres, Eve & Sera, Jenni Jones, Ofergoelus, Lani Rhiannon, Martin Daws, Florianne, Blodyn and Cul de Sac. At the big circus top we wiggled along with the belly dancers, Ram Ram, Voodoo Skank Collective and headliners Banda Bacana.
Bloco Swn ended this night with an eruption of drums and sent everyone home with a foot stomping procession through the garden.
Natalie Chivers, Curator of Treborth Botanic Garden said,
“The festival is run entirely by volunteers – a core group of dedicated organisers, and through a call out to the community who really rallied and made a huge commitment before, during and after the event. As ever, we were supported by a group of fantastic student volunteers from all Colleges, who committed their post-exam downtime to our festival efforts: decorating the site, erecting structures and stewarding and traffic marshalling on the day. This is invaluable work experience, and a fantastic opportunity to network and create lasting relationships.”
The festival is also a celebration of the generosity and expertise Bangor University has internally. Our Estates Management and wider Campus Services teams supported us with security, electrics and waste management, our wonderful students helped to film and photograph the day, and our academic colleagues and friends of Sophie rallied together to form a fantastic minibus team who delivered everyone safely to and from the event.
Lars Wiegand, Director of Estates and Campus Services said,
“It is always wonderful to have an event that brings the public, our staff and students together and makes everyone feel part of the Bangor community. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone on our campus services team that contributed to the festival's success and significance for the civic mission.”
When Sophie Williams was a student, and later a lecturer, at Bangor University, she developed a special relationship with Treborth Botanic Garden. It is wonderful that the whole Treborth community wants to give back to Sophie, to help her since she contracted Japanese encephalitis and was confined to a wheelchair. The Sophie Williams Trust was set up to raise money to support her needs and Draig Beats has made a major contribution to this fund. We were so pleased that Sophie was able to come to Draig Beats herself this year to enjoy this special event.