Evolve Festival has been postponed to 21 -23 January 2023. We hope there will be an inclusive environment to have a fantastic celebration with you all by then.
A boutique, family-friendly wellness festival where conscious beats, holistic workshops, and well-being pioneers meet good vibes, festival antics, and play.
About
Festival Directors Chai and Bex Deva have been running the event for ten years. Their lives revolve around personal growth, both their own and guiding others to thrive. They walk the talk! As experienced, trained practitioners and Yoga and Nia teachers, both are respected leaders in the NZ health and wellness industry. They also run a community-focused yoga studio. Actually, it's far more than just a studio with these two at the helm!
Our heritage
Evolve Festival began its life as the Festival of Possibilities. Now we are New Zealand’s longest-running wellness event. Evolve Festival is proudly celebrating 32 years in 2022!
Evolve is a biennial celebration of old and new ways to transform the wellbeing of individuals, the community and the earth. Feed your mind, soul, heart – and body!
Our kaupapa
- Our vision is a festival of education, inspiration, and consciousness, a celebration to evolve the health & wellbeing of individuals, communities and our planet.
- To connect with others who know that, in order to transform the world, we need to transform ourselves.
- To expand our minds with thought-provoking sessions and up the energy in our bodies.
- To create a space for connection, understanding and love.
- To leave no trace.
Venue
A photogenic open-air museum, the iconic Founders Heritage Park, Nelson is transformed into a pop-up village for three days and two nights over the festival. Explore history, ride the train, fly the plane, get high on life!
What's on
While the entire Evolve Festival is family-friendly, we also create a special Kids Zone. Here your children can discover and explore in a safe environment close to the main stage, so you can easily keep an eye on them.
There will be a range of exciting activities, including crafts, dance, circus skills, face painting and yoga.
It is, however, essential to note that the Kids Zone is not a babysitting service - you will need to supervise your little ones.
Free entrance for kids under five, discounts for teens.
Soak up music and entertainment from international and local artists throughout the weekend, from the uplifting Friday night opening to the high-energy Saturday evening performers. Our daylight entertainment and music programme will continue delighting you on both Saturday and Sunday.
From indigenous tribal beats, folk, conscious ecstatic dance music, uplifting electronic, alt-country, circus performers, aerial artists and comedy acts.
Join some of the world’s most inspirational presenters at a range of exciting and engaging panel sessions, seminars, and workshops about health, wellbeing, and sustainable living.
Inspirational presenters at more than 70 seminars and workshops covering;
- permaculture
- organic food production
- foraging, nutrition, and cooking
- food security
- shamanic healing
- sustainable business development
- renewable energy
- meditation
- chanting, yoga
- dance, sound healing and more.
A delicious array of nutritious whole foods, with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options and lots of yummy raw treats, ensures Evolve Festival feeds not only the mind and soul but also hungry tummies.
Staying onsite means that not only is it super-convenient to the festival, but campers have the chance to connect with friends and other like-minded festival-goers. With handy access to extras such as early yoga sessions, you’ll get the most out of your weekend. You can take the festival at your own pace, enjoy a rest or have a hot shower when you like.
We have a selection of camping facilities to suit all budgets, from campsites, sites for motorhomes, and romantic lotus tents.
We strive to minimise waste going to landfills and increase the volume of materials being reused, recycled, or biodegraded. We work alongside Waste No More Whakatū with their wash station for all food crockery. BYO plate, cup, and utensils. Compost and recycling bins will be provided. Let’s work together to keep it beautiful here!
Our camping area features compost toilets and wood-fired showers.
Festival highlights
Camping at Evolve is an unforgettable low-cost summer holiday and includes a 3-day general admission ticket
Free for kids under five, discounts for teens
Don't want to miss a beat or enjoying a new friend's company?
Bring your own camping gear, van, or glamp in one of the Instagrammable Lotus Belle tents.
All will have access to environmentally friendly wood/ solar-powered showers and compostable toilets.
Glamping in a romantic bell-tent is a boho festival dream with all the comforts of home
Add a touch of glamour to your Evolve experience - camp under the stars in the heart of Nelson, but without all the effort!
This is the ultimate luxury festival experience where everything is taken care of. A home away from home for Friday and Saturday night, in a beautifully set up bell tent.
Our cosy glamping village is set up in a designated area, alongside the picturesque lake within Founders Heritage Park, with wood/solar-powered showers for your use. A charming, waterproof bell tent, with a comfortable bed, linen and towels, cosy lighting, side table, and rug.
Glamping tickets are inclusive of full festival entry, starting at only $640 for two people.
There are options for two, three or four glampers per tent. Layout options:
- Queen
- Two singles
- Two Queen beds
- Queen and two singles
- Three singles
- Four singles
Ticketing will ask questions for layout after registering.
Glamping & camping, & day passes - oh my!
With all these options, let us explain how it works. We have four ticket releases, each with a limited number of tickets available. We are starting with super earlybird, then earlybird, general admission, and at the gate. Simply put, the sooner you buy, the more you save!
Glamping
Super earlybird
Available now!
The ultimate luxury festival experience for Friday and
Saturday night, in a romantic
bell tent
Children 0 - 5 free
Glamping tickets are inclusive of a 3-day festival pass, starting at only $640 for two people.
There are options for two, three, or four glampers per tent.
Camping
Super earlybird
Available now!
Camp under the starry skies
in tents or vans
Children 0 - 5 free
Campsite/ Van Friday to Sunday, inclusive
of a 3-day festival pass
- Adult $145
- Teen (14-17) $105
- Kids (5-13) $30
Day passes
Super earlybird
Available now!
Enjoy an entire weekend of Evolve antics or drop in for a day
Children 0 - 13 free
3-DAY PASS
Friday 7pm to Sunday 5pm
Adult $85
Teen (14-17) $70
2-DAY PASS
Saturday 7am to Sunday 5pm
Adult $60
Teen (14-17) $45
FRIDAY
7pm - 11pm
Adult $40
Teen (14-17) $10
SATURDAY
10am - midnight
Adult $70
Teen (14-17) $15
SUNDAY
10am - 5pm
Adult $55
Teen (14-17) $10
“It’s an awesome festival with a decent range for everyone. There’s plenty of alternative stuff, and with plenty of music and drumming, it was a great experience. We’re coming again this year for sure.”
“I was a bit worried the camping would be crowded and busy, but there was heaps of space and it was peaceful. Camping meant I could catch a band, and then come back to chill out between acts”
“I thought about staying at a friend’s or backpackers, but being able to camp by the lake and birds is so much nicer. If you leave and come back it just breaks the connection with the space”.
"I've been to a lot of wellness festivals and this differs from the others in that it's gentler and family-friendly, with beautiful healing modalities all in place. As it's located in town you can experience the festival without having to go remote. You can enjoy a day or night or the whole weekend, you make it work for you."
“The early morning yoga classes were a highlight for me”.
“Nelson's Evolve Festival definitely achieves the spiritual health and well-being vibe it sets out to create." Stuff.co.nz
We'd love to hear from you
Exhibitors
The venue features an indoor area as well as an open-air marketplace. Apply early to secure your preferred location for the 2022 festival.
We are committed to being an uplifting and safe haven for all and, in doing so, refrain from including any content and/or presenters/artists that mention COVID19 conspiracy theories and any linked political views or misinformation
Performers
We seek a range of high-calibre live music acts, performers and entertainers throughout the weekend. If you perform indigenous, tribal beats, world music, folk, conscious & ecstatic dance music, uplifting electronic or alt-country, we’d love to hear from you. All original work, please. We’re also keen to hear from circus performers, aerial artists and comedy acts.
Food & beverage
We invite vendors who offer vegetarian and ideally organic whole foods, yummy treats, and healthy beverages, juices, smoothies, chai, kombucha etc. We'd love to cater for those who want breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and everything in between!
We are a Zero Waste event, working with Waste No More Whakatū and their wash station - so all packaging, plates, cups, and cutlery need to be “wash and return” or, if they’re disposable, must be compostable.
Workshops
Are you an inspirational speaker, facilitator, or presenter? Do you have expertise in permaculture, organic food production, foraging, nutrition, cooking, food security, energy healing, sustainable business development, renewable energy, meditation, chanting, yoga, dance, sound healing, or art therapy? Then we want to hear from you!
Workshop/seminar sessions are for 2 hours and run throughout the weekend in 6 different venues.
Volunteers
Are you interested in gifting your time and skills? Volunteering is a great way to join the Evolve team, gain event experience, share your passion, and meet like-minded people.
We ask for 8-10 hours of work in exchange for a Saturday & Sunday ticket, and 12-14 hours for a Friday to Sunday ticket with camping. The roles are varied, from site art, event set up and pack down to cleaning!
If our business values align, let's collaborate!
Sponsors
To form a connection with like-minded individuals and businesses, we offer a range of sponsorship packages to align you with the Evolve Festival and in turn promote your business and its involvement.
Learn more
Thanks to our valued partners!
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