Rules and Guidelines

• We recommend that everyone pays with Credit Cards at the gate
• There will be an ATM at the Box Office
• Evolvefest is a vegetarian event,  we will not be serving any meat-based foods. Cooking your own meat is allowed.
• Evolvefest occurs rain or shine. There are many covered pavilions to protect the festival and festival-goers against inclement weather~! No matter what happens- dryness is a guarantee~!
• All tix are non-refundable. This means that there will be no refunds under ANY circumstances whatsoever.
• Re-entry into the festival IS permitted.
• All attendees will be issued a non-duplicable fabric wristband which must be worn visibly on the wrist at all times. No excuses for “lost” wristbands. We use good ones that DON’T COME OFF. If you “lose” your wristband- you will be required to purchase another at the gate.
• All food purchased at Evolvefest must be bought with “Loves” which are an alternative currency we provide. You can switch out your “dollars” for our “loves” at the Box Office.

• Any person found cheating or stealing from Evolvefest by sneaking in without proper and fair exchange (paying)  will be escorted to the gate and exited out from the festival and will not be allowed to return. Be fair, be good and DO NOT take advantage.

• Evolvefest is not held responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged belongings during the course of the event.
• Cars must be parked in the parking areas- no car camping (camping area 3 minutes away from parking area).
• Please camp at designated locations ~ Please respect the non-smoking Camping areas.
• Camp and walk as lightly as possible upon the land.
• Avoid haste- Minimize waste- Don’t leave a trace.
• Be a good neighbor- shine your lovelight-  help and respect others.
• No glass bottles- strictly enforced.
• No Dogs.
• Please use recycling containers and compost bins.
• Cigarette butts must be pocketed or placed in proper receptacles.
• Independent sound systems are not permitted.
• No unauthorized vending is permitted.
• No fireworks, firearms, or weapons of any kind permitted on the festival grounds.
• No open fires are permitted. Chimineas are fine. Small Coleman-style grills and hibachis for cooking are allowed.
• No Public Nudity.
• The use of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited. All laws pertaining to drug use should be respected.
• We encourage you to participate in the festival in a lawful and healthy manner.
• There will be no alcohol served on the premises.
• The legal drinking age in NJ is 21. We have ZERO tolerance for public intoxication of any kind.
• Public intoxication will be cause for expulsion from the festival without a refund.
• Please decant all your beverages into cups.
• Please bring non-perishable food items for Strangers Helping Strangers to donate to the local Food Pantry- please be generous
• Please donate one hour of your time over the weekend to help meet any needs that you see
• Don’t just come out for the entertainment- BE the entertainment! What are you bringing to Evolvefest?
• Don’t forget to bring a drum if you have one! Or any other instrument you’d like to share.
• Please bring a sacred object or a gift from nature to contribute to our community altar.
• The Central Bonfire is a Sacred Fire Altar- This is a drug-and-alcohol-free zone. The Sacred Fire Altar is set apart for community singing, dancing, story-telling and Drum Circles.
• SMOKERS: if you smoke please bring a pocket ashtray or an Altoids tin can to put your butts in. You can also just put it out and put the butt in your pocket if you forget to do this. Dropping butts on the ground is LITTERING.
• Bring gifts to give to the people you meet and the friends you will make!
•  We also ask for at least an hour of service to help us out and to flex those “Volunteering” Muscles!
• As a Conscious Community, we ask that if you see someone littering or throwing cigs out on the ground to please mention to them that this is a leave no trace gathering and help remind them what the goal is. We want to make sure we show proper love and respect to our beautiful Earth!
• Campers must leave premises Tuesday morning by 10am.
• Any “Ground-Scores” of tents, equipment or personal property are considered theft- do not take anything that is not yours- please report any lost items to Evolvefest Staff. Anyone caught “ground-scoring” large items will be viewed as a thief- cause that’s what it really is- THEFT!
• Please be respectful, peaceful, helpful and courteous to each other- c’mon humanity- we can do this thing!

If you are unwilling to either purchase a ticket or volunteer in exchange for entry- YOU DO NOT BELONG AT EVOLVEFEST.

There will be roving security checking wristbands.

WHAT TO BRING

A suggested list of items and accessories to bring to make your weekend more comfortable.

• Your paypal receipt for the festival and ID.
• Food and beverages for a weekend of camping
• Pop-Up for shade and shelter
• Solar Shower set-up
• Warm clothes for the evening.
• Rain gear
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Suncreen and insect repellent.
• Biodegradeable soap.
• Earplugs.
• Garbage bags.
• First-aid kit.
• Re-usable cups, plates, and eating utensils.
• Blankets, chairs, and mats.
• Re-usable water bottle. Potable water is free and available.
• Small container for cigarette butts disposal, if you smoke.
• Acoustic instruments of all kinds – drums, didgeridoos, singing bowls, etc. We will have daily drum circles and singing bowl circles.
• Costumes for yourself. Decorations for your camp.
• Altar items to decorate the community altar.

How to make the Most of your Evolvefest Experience~

1) Come prepared to make others feel bliss~
2) Leave all worry and judgement at the door~
3) Bring amazing gifts to share~
4) Bring an open heart and an open mind to receive~
5) Resonate and Radiate your highest frequencies of love and light~
6) Have no expectations, be open to spontaneous eruptions of joy~
7) Treat everyone you meet like a long-lost friend now rediscovered~
8) Don’t get trashed, being wasted makes you unavailable~
9) Get super-high on love, bliss, pleasure, laughter and consciousness~
10) Connect with people outside your age group~
11) Dance with 10 different people every day~
12) Plan on contributing to the Art Scene~
13) Build something that will make other people proud to be human~
14) Be Swank~ Be Lavish~ Live it Up~
15) Let the Musicians and Teachers know how much you appreciate them~
16) Smile, wave and hug lots of people heart-to-heart~
17) Be a Healer~ Allow others to heal you~
18) Make everyone feel loved, welcomed and appreciated in your presence~
19) Get with others and perform spontaneous ritual and ceremony~
20) Create Sacred Space wherever you are~

WE LOVE YOU~!!!

LEAVE NO TRACE

Leave No Trace (LNT) is the practice of “pack it in pack it out” that requires a complete sensitivity to the earth. It is a technique based on personal responsibility of one’s actions relating to and resulting in generating refuse and impacting the land. It is a conscious approach to realizing the impact man has on our planet and adjusting his/her actions accordingly. If you are not aware of the details of this concept, PLEASE take the time to educate yourself and respect our earth.

Principles.

• Understanding what is “refuse”
• Taking responsibility for your own trash
• Taking responsibility for other’s trash
• Leave the land as you found it – low impact and no removal
• Enforcing and spreading LNT awareness

Understanding what is refuse.
The concept of Leave No Trace means just that; leave the land in such a way so that no impact is identifiable. This means, not only minimizing the alterations of land during one’s use, but leaving absolutely NO refuse whatsoever. Refuse then should be understood as ANY material, not naturally occurring, discarded by man. This includes (some items not always perceived as trash):

• Gum
• Gum wrappers
• Cigarette butts
• String
• Cloth
• Fruit peels
• Toilet paper
• Microtrash (small loose items like confetti, feathers, staples, nails, etc.)
• ANYTHING man-made

Timeline of Biodegradation (examples):

• Banana peel = 2-10 days
• Cotton rags = 1-5 months
• Paper = 2-5 months
• Rope = 3-14 months
• Orange peel = 6 months!
• Cigarette filters = 1-12 years!!!

Taking responsibility for your own trash.
Taking responsibility means making sure ALL unnatural items leave with you. This means carefully collecting all of your refuse into proper disposal/recycling bags and visually combing the land of any smaller items that may potentially be overlooked and left behind. Furthermore, one should take steps to reduce the amount of refuse generated prior to visiting nature by eliminating extra, unnecessary packaging, and combining items when possible.

Taking responsibility for other’s trash.
This practice is crucial in the Leave No Trace ethic. We must get past the idea that someone else’s trash is their responsibility only. In a place where communities gather, the responsibility should be seen as that of the collective. One must realize that cleaning up someone else’s trash along with their own DOES make a difference. Not only does it eliminate the trash of irresponsible individuals, but it promotes the collective awareness among and beyond those working to make a difference.

Leave the land as you found it – low impact and no removal.
This is the idea of minimizing the impact on the land you are using. Take care when using a vehicle on sensitive land and be aware of the heightened sensitivity when the earth is soft and muddy. When building campfires, make sure to properly contain the fire itself and return the site to the state it was in when you arrived (returning rocks and wood when using a primitive campsite). If the land contains fragile vegetation, take extra care to avoid disturbing the ecosystem and use pre-existing trails–ALWAYS–when available.

Enforcing and spreading LNT awareness.
Aside from actually following the LNT ethic, this is the most important aspect of practice. Educating others about these concepts spreads the awareness of what is refuse, and reinforces the idea that everyone working together does make a difference. Along with educating others, is it extremely important to enforce these practices to those who fail to take responsibility. When one is confronted on their actions, or lack of, they will be forced to face the reality of their carelessness. They will then, hopefully, realize that the accepted ‘norm’ is, in fact, to be responsible and ecologically aware. One person can make a difference and many can change the world. Spread the word and protect our mother.