4: Take loads of photos
Have a few people in your group doing this. We then formed a WhatsApp group – Luminate Loonies – and shared our memories which was fantastic and affirming of the incredible time we had, despite the challenges!
5: See the whole experience as a camping trip
With a bonus festival thrown in. We did and exceeded our expectations. It was very different to how I would have experienced such a festival without the kids, but also having them there to be a part of such a community was well worth missing out. I think we did well to attend as many workshops as each of us did and to have as many dances through the day and even the night, as we did. This was because of the community we were a part of – the larger one of the festival itself but also, what struck me the most throughout the whole experience, was the experience of camping with a small group of families for eight days and how we all supported one another to have the best experience we could. New friendships were formed, and older friendships strengthened. Real love for the kids all around us flowed easily – if someone needed something, someone was there for them, it didn’t matter who “belonged” to who.
6: It definitely helps to grab the schedule as soon as you can
Make a bit of a plan so that if you happen to find yourself with a gap in the day (unlikely!) you know what your options are. But again, no expectations. The men in our group, my partner included, took on the role of entertaining and watching (loosely) the kids, who by now were in full blown Lord of the Flies mode, complete with their own pull-around cart loaded with various babies and kids as well as food, of course. This meant us mamas had ample opportunity to attend workshops and we made the most as we belly danced, howled, learned, listened, shared, moved, cried and laughed with one another. My partner got to a couple of men-centred workshops as well and they really impacted him to the point of coming home to research more around certain topics. As an acknowledgement for their support, us women encouraged the guys to enjoy a wild night out and off they went.
7: Let routine go.
As long as they are fed, surrounded by love and have a smile on their faces then let it go. Obviously, some guidance is needed, but due to the long summer eves I had to chill about bedtime and given the opportunity my 3.5-year-old was pretty good at regulating herself, even putting herself to bed one night way earlier than the other tikes. We ended up buying some food there, as the pizzas and other options were delicious, plus part of the experience was having access to organic, beautifully prepared meals for the duration. We drank tonnes of kombucha and delighted in the many flavours available. Each night we would all eventually float back together at the campsite and cans of this and that would be donated, spices grinded and a delicious curry whipped up. It was raw and wild, humbling and soul filling – to sit amongst your friends and the tribe of kids all eating together as the sky was painted in rose golds and early stars. Everyone was exhausted early on each evening and the throbbing, most excellent world music on offer was a bit missed on our behalf, we parents collapsed onto our air mattresses not long after the kids. Except for the opening night of course, where we all painted ourselves and the kids, donned lively festival gear and gathered around the huge pit that usually held a giant roaring fire. Not so this year, while a heat wave ravaged the land and the fire risk was sky high. Those who had attended before bemoaned this fact and missed the ritual of dancing around the fire together. The pram was our saviour and meant we could stay out with the baby fast asleep, snug and most importantly, mobile. Our older girl was a bit harder to know what was best as we let go of strict bedtimes and let our hair down, we found a compromise and let her rest on a yoga mat snugged up in blankets while we had a dance. One night was more than enough.
8. Be kind to one another.
A festival with small kids tends to include extremes in the form of tiredness, hunger, frustration, limited time, etc. It can be tempting to snap at your partner but remember, a little kindness and understanding – as well as space! – goes a long way. We relaxed, became playful and my partner and I felt closer than ever before. The whole experience was one which will stay with our family for our lifetime. Showing our kids a way of life which is inclusive and embraces ways in which people wish to express themselves, as well as fosters an appreciation for each other and our land, was well worth the shocks to the system which our comfortable lifestyles protect us from. Luminate was hard with kids, but only because we were challenged in ways which I personally, did not expect. But that is also a part of the experience.
Georgia Todd is a mama to two beautiful girls in the deep south of Queenstown. She is passionate about conscious community and connection, Turkish delight, incense, and is happiest dancing to loud soul filling music with her two girls and partner. She runs Spiritual Seekers Guide to Queenstown & Surrounds and is also very passionate about PND activism and is working on a piece around this called ‘Sleeping through the Night.’ @mamawithnofilta / @spiritualseekerqt.
