Well festival season is in full swing and the annual Hippie Fest in my town has just concluded. Hippie Fest (not its real title) is a 3 day event filled with free music, dirty bare foot hippies and nudity. Although Hippie Fest started over 20 years ago as a small gathering of political hippies to bring focus to needs and issues it has since ballooned into, “arguably the largest free, non-corporate urban music and arts festival in the US.”
Rather than working for peace, love and equality – the festival now is mostly about getting drunk, eating junk from food vendors, buy junk from nic-nac vendors and getting stoned in public. This is not the say that Hippie Fest is not fun, I am merely arguing that $5 funnel cakes, $20 t-shirts, $8 beers and barefoot college pseudo-hippies eating sushi s are not what the originators of this festival had in mind when they first started.
Everyone and anyone can be part of Hippie Fest. Highlights this year include:
-The Church of Scientology-We got to see an E-Meter up close and personal. I would have taken a picture myself but one of the Scientologist started to approach us so we made a run for it. Can’t we just gawk at your freakishness without having to talk to you?
-A booth SELLING anti-capitalist bumper sticker and other items.
-A Sushi Vendor – if you are buying sushi from a festival vendor you are just asking for it.
-Art Cars – The art car thing started about 5 years ago. But since the number of freak cars has grown exponentially. This cars have also been seen motoring around the city.
-Boobies – They were everywhere. Toplessness is not illegal in my town but it seems that the only time we actually get to see them out in public is at Hippie Fest.
-The Gay Pride Festival – also takes place on the Saturday during Hippie Fest. So there are often scantily dress men to go with the topless hippie girls.
-The frothy pond where Hippie Fest took place. A few people actually took a swim in it.
I’m still recovering. See you next year!
