Groove De Lecq: Growing into the greenest festival in Jersey

Saturday 15 April 2017

The micro festival is returning this summer and has announced plans and partnerships in an effort to be the greenest charitable festival on Island.

Groove de Lecq 2017 will be opening its gates to some 3,000 guests at its home venue in Greve de Lecq valley on 5 August and this year they are continuing their ‘green theme’ and partnering with the National Trust and Acorn Enterprises.

Beth Gallichan, Founder of Groove de Lecq said: “Groove has grown to become a hugely successful catalyst for uniting the community in a fun way. Volunteers, artists and people who purchase tickets help promote and raise vital funds for local causes.

“Championing the vast pool of talent on our Island has enabled us to substantially reduce our impact on the environment. We recycle and reuse the majority of materials to build our festival and our aim is to expand this to all the waste used across our festival site.

“We hope to inspire more people to value the resources available in Jersey, to celebrate creative artists and to think about the responsibility we have to preserving the natural beauty of our Island for us all to enjoy". 

VIDEO: Groove De Lecq 2016 highlights | Luminary Films Jersey

Last year the festival introduced eco-cups to reduce waste, selling a total of 2000 cups to patrons who were able to take them home with them as souvenirs while 2,400 aluminium cans were recycled through the Durrell ‘Cans for Corridors’ initiative.  

This year, with the support of The National Trust for Jersey, the event is growing to include a ‘Jersey Utopia’ of food and entertainment at Greve de Lecq Barracks.

The showground and heritage military buildings will be used to create an environment that celebrates Jersey music and culture and will feature interactive workshops and speakers aimed at provoking conversation and understanding a deeper consciousness and responsibility.

The space will also aim to inspire the younger generations through active play and interactive art and will be open to all visitors on the day, not only those who buy festival tickets.

To date, Jersey’s not-for-profit micro festival is said to have raised over £150,000 for charitable causes and this year they will be aiming to preserve their reputation as the Island’s ethical & creative festival, offering a vision that nurtures young talent whilst preserving local heritage.

Jocelyn Butterworth, Executive Officer at Jersey Employment Trust said: “Having helped with Groove de Lecq in the past we are very pleased to have been chosen to benefit from this year’s event. The Acorn Reuse Centre offers an imaginative and exciting approach with benefits for everyone. As we face significant start-up costs the support from Groove de Lecq is especially welcomed”

In the coming weeks, a newly formed 'Groove Collective' will be releasing fresh information about this year’s line-up, ticket sales and plans which they hope will nurture the Island’s creative community with a calendar events, activities and services set to take place throughout the year.