Raw Spirit Festival - brief update

Well, the Raw Spirit Festival 2008 is all over. It ended on the highest of notes, with a live concert by the brilliant Shimshai and his band. The entire event was brilliant from start to finish, encompassing lectures (none of which I unfortunately had the time to attend this time), food demos, yoga and t'ai chi, meditation, speed dating, a film festival, and a full programme of children's activities. We will have photos up VERY soon - without them it is impossible to begin to convey how amazing this event was.

First up though, there were not as many people here as predicted. Sadly, the organisers did not reach their target of 5,000 attendees. It felt more like around 1,000, and about the same number of exhibitors, volunteers and staff. There WERE many more vendors here this year, and that can only be a good thing. Many people who attended as guests last year came as vendors this year and it is WONDERFUL to see so many ethical companies producing truly first-class products.

Many who discover raw quickly become so passionate about it that they give up their jobs and carve themselves a career in raw foods. This accounts for the explosion in companies at the festival this year selling raw superfoods, raw bars, raw chocolate, raw granola, raw crackers and raw powders and potions of all kinds, and even raw tortillas, raw olive jerky, raw kale chips, and raw skin and body care products.

Get Fresh! magazine got a brilliant response, as ever. It is better known this year than it was last, having been on sale in US health stores for two issues now. The most frequently heard feedback we get about about it from readers - and this festival was no exception - is: (a) that it is the best magazine they have ever come across, not only on health but on any subject; (b) that it is the only magazine they read every word of, from cover to cover; (c) that they never throw their back issues away but treasure them and consider them a library of the most enlightened health information available anywhere.

So the festival was a weekend of world-class lecturers sharing their knowledge, fun activities, unparalleled shopping opportunities and most of all the privilege of being surrounded by like-minded people. This is the kind of place where you frequently hear personal stories that sound like they could be the plot of a hugely inspirational movie and it is a privilege to be among such people.

Finally, big, BIG thanks to Happy Oasis and the whole Raw Spirit team for facilitating this gathering of some of the most enlightened minds on the planet and for an event that was beautifully planned and executed from start to finish.

Now, let me end with some great news... The next Raw Spirit Festival is just eight months away! It will be held in Santa Barbara, California this time, in May 2009. More details about that as soon as we have them.