A Day at the Beach
Home » Blog » Sophie Barclay » A Day at the BeachA Day at the Beach is a 23-day festival that covers 350 kilometres along New Zealand's stunning West Coast.
A Day at the Beach has grown from a conversation between two young West Coasters, Louis Brown and Guy Ryan, to an innovative, adventurous festival linking 16 big events along the beautiful West Coast. The festival takes place from September 1 to 24, and travels 350 kilometres down the coastline from Karamea in the north, to Franz Josef in the south.
The project arose out of the duo’s passion for sustainability and creating a positive future for our country in the face of big global challenges, such as climate change.
The festival coincides with the endeavors of the citizens-based movement 350 Aotearoa (350.org.nz), and represents a rally point to bring people together to take positive action to combat climate change. The 350 kilometre journey represents the safe upper limit for the concentration of carbon in our atmosphere, 350 parts per million.
Expecting a crowd of 5,000, the festival links together 16 big events called 'Beach Days' and 'Wild Nights' through the 350 kilometre trek along the coastline. From markets to moving screenings, native tree planting, beach cleanups, beach art, live music, inspirational speakers, and enjoying local food and beverages, the festival looks set to be the perfect excuse to explore the iconic West Coast, and have some fun while doing it.
With partner Keep New Zealand Beautiful, the festival aims to plant at least 4,000 native trees along the coastline, remove at least ten tones of waste, and educate thousands of New Zealanders about the health of our coastline.
Daily updates on the website (www.adayatthebeach.org.nz) will keep an international audience updated as the live action unfolds. A professional film crew is documenting the journey, with hopes for a nationwide release in early 2010.
