Envision Festival 2016: Becoming an Envisionary
By Abigail Gomez
I have an incurable case of wanderlust, wanting to see and experience every corner of this magnificent mother planet that we call home. My desire to see the world was steadily reinforced by the stories of my pilot father, who was lucky enough to have a career that took him to the exotic lands I longed to see. Costa Rica has always been a fabled destination in my mind, as it’s the one place on Earth that my father said he would retire to, given the option. This impressed me greatly, as the worldly man had more stamps in more passports than I could ever imagine collecting! I’ve dreamed of Costa Rica for years, and have always been mesmerized by the stories about the land and people from travelers of all walks of life.
Envision Festival 2016 was my first opportunity to finally fly to the fabled Central American country. And not only was Envision being held in a tropical paradise, but the festival itself sounded amazing! Four days in the jungle, along Hermosa Beach in southwestern Costa Rica, with seemingly endless options for music, art, performances, yoga, workshops, and more.
My husband decided to join me for the adventure, and before we knew it we were leaving the snowy and cold east coast of the United States, on a plane heading south towards paradise. After landing in Costa Rica, we followed the sounds of acoustic guitars harmonizing with excited voices, and found the line for the Envision shuttle. Hundreds of travelers from all over the world gathered outside the San Jose airport, waiting to board the touring buses that would be taking us down the west coast of the country to the small town of Uvita, where Envision takes place. The travelers talked with each other while we waited for the buses, sharing stories and laughter. Some were with groups of friends, while some traveled alone, making new friends along the way. The champagne corks popped, voices began to rise with excitement as we boarded the buses and were on our way! Four hours later, as we drove down a two-lane highway, thick with mountainous jungle on the left side of the road, and coastal beachfront jungle on the right, we arrived at our destination, and the incredible Envision experience began.
Even more amazing than the gorgeous coastal tropical rainforest that hosts Envision, is the underlying purpose of the festival itself. It’s so much more than a singular event, which happens to be in one of the most bio-diverse areas on the planet. It’s a transcending consciousness that presents an alternate existence that is more caring, giving, sustainable, and happy.
This festival in the Costa Rican jungle hosts over 7000 people, while maintaining a low negative impact on the environment, minimizing single-use container waste, and emphasizing a lifestyle incorporating sustainability. A lot of the panel discussions and workshops at Envision revolved around concepts of sustainability, as well as activism, transformation and connection to our selves and our environments.
We arrived at the festival ground mid-afternoon on Thursday. As we finished setting up our tent, a sudden tropical rain shower washed over the grounds. We all excitedly welcomed the temporary reprieve from the powerful sun. It rained several more times into the evening, and though the water softened the ground, the collective energy of the vibrant and eclectic crowd was awakened.
My husband and I began to explore the festival grounds, visiting the food vendors and retail tents set up in the Mercado area. We saw Third Eye Pinecones, selling their beautiful pendants created from the beauty of nature. The food proved to be exceptional, with an incredible array of vegan and vegetarian options. The food vendors made it a point to provide primarily organic and locally sourced food. Hundreds, if not thousands, of coconuts were consumed, along with other tropical fruits like pineapples, oranges and bananas. I ate something different at every meal, and loved everything that I tried!
The music floating through the thick Thursday night air, still heavy from the recent rain, caught our attention and we made our way over to the Luna stage for the opening ceremony. As we passed the Lapa stage on our way to the Luna stage, we found the live painters, muralists and art gallery. With sounds spiraling from Shaman’s Dream, Griff, Defunk and Hedflux, among others, the artists enthusiastically began working on their Envision-inspired creations, and the dancing continued into the early hours of the next day.
Friday morning began with Pilates Vinyasa Fusion, led by Amber Zuckswert. Feeling more balanced and in tune with the natural wonderland we were in, we migrated down to the Pacific Ocean. Hermosa beach is absolutely stunning, with the dense Costa Rican jungle flowing down the mountainside, meeting the pale sands that the ocean waves rhythmically crash against.
After swimming and playing in the sea, we wandered back through the Envision Village. Just beginning on the Village stage was the Eco-Social Response Panel, which was one of my favorite panels at Envision. This collection of healers, makers, spiritualists and scientists, including David Avocado Wolfe, 7Song, and half a dozen others, presented concepts and mindsets that are conducive to creating and maintaining a sustainable and happy life, underscoring the purpose of Envision.
As the day continued, the temperatures continued to rise as the sun made an effort to dry up any evidence of rain from the night before. We decided to explore a local waterfall in Uvita, and take advantage of the cool, clear waters cascading into pools below. As we were hiking up the tropical trail to the waterfall, we first heard, and then saw a family of howler monkeys parading along tree branches through the top of the canopy. This was such a magical experience for me, being so close to a beloved animal that I had only ever seen before in the restrictive and unnatural environment of a zoo. To see the monkeys in the wild, in their natural habitat was yet another dream come true.
The musical highlights of Friday came in rapid succession, with Central American band Patterns lighting up the Sol stage with their funky disco dance beats. Cloud Chord followed on the Luna stage, with Sonambulo after them back on Sol. Lafa Taylor, Beat Fatigue and Hedflux took Luna stage into the early hours of the morning.
Our Saturday began with sun salutations, and Emelie Rose’s Elemental Restoration workshop. We were then drawn back to the ocean. Swimming in the turquoise water, with no signs of man-made structures for miles, we watched the mist roll down the jungle’s mountains and softly dissolve into the sea.
The music started in the early afternoon on Saturday, with Lapa stage hosting Matt Haze and Griff, among others, as the music and dancing continued all day and into the night. Luna stage presented Lunar Sound, An-Ten-Nae, Spoonbill, Shpongle and Random Rab over the course of ten hours. On the Sol stage Calavera y La Canalla played an energetic and vibrant set in Spanish with instruments that fueled their Latino sound, like drums, bongos, saxophone, trumpet, bass, and lead guitar. American band Beats Antique performed on the Sol stage later that evening, with the crowd enthusiastically welcoming the Bay area musicians.
Saturday night transitioned into Sunday morning, and the music and dancing didn’t stop until 830am. A short four hours later Bushman started spinning at the Lapa stage, and for the rest of the day we alternated between dancing, painting on the community mural canvases, blue mud baths and splashing in the ocean. Sunday evening the American folk quintet from Colorado, Elephant Revival, captivated the audience in front of the Sol stage, followed by Dirtwire and the Envision Orchestra.
Each day proved to be a whirlwind of music and art, learning, dancing, reflective and meditative yoga practice, followed by more music as we celebrated life with kindred spirits in a tropical paradise. The colorful music and underlying feeling of happiness had us all moving our feet to the beats, the radiating joy and love of life evident in the thousands of smiling faces.
One of the greatest things that I took away from this enlightening inaugural Envision experience is a renewed faith in humanity. It’s reassuring to know that we are not alone; that there are many other people out there, all over the world, with the same ideals, passions and values. It’s also empowering to see this festival as a working example of minimal-impact sustainability, and know that it is possible to throw a party for 7000 people, without forcing Mother Nature to pay the price. Together, we are powerful, and we can make a difference in this world as we follow our passions and our dreams.
