Sustainability at Surfana Festival

Celebrating nature, music, and sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of our festival. The Surfana Festival is rooted in a surfing culture and takes place in a conservation area. We embrace awareness and respect for nature as we bring a global community together. Our mission of creating and finding “the good life” is only possible if we take accountability for our impact on the environment and society and monitor this impact as we eagerly learn about our sustainability performance. Read our 2024 Sustainability Report!

We are a member of the Green Deal Circular Festival (GDCF) to support our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral and circular event. Together we are learning and growing within a community of festivals that believe in playing a guiding role in inspiring the green movement and accelerating societal change.

At Surfana, we’re deeply committed to sustainability and continuously strive to improve our environmental impact. Here’s how we’re working towards a greener festival:

Measuring Our CO2 Emissions: using the measurement tool of Green Deal Circular Festivals (GDCF), a network of 50+ festivals from 17 countries dedicated to achieving circularity and climate neutrality by 2030.
Sustainable Food & Drinks: Our festival features 100% vegetarian and vegan dishes. Get inspired by our meatless, diverse and flavorful foodcourt while supporting a sustainable food economy.
Circularity: We’re improving our setup to set a new standard in circular thinking. We’ve partnered with Ozarka to provide reusable tableware for all food vendors, ensuring that we enjoy our meals without creating waste. Reusables are more sustainable as they reduce the need for single-use plastics, but their environmental benefit is only realized if they are consistently reused and properly recycled at the end of their life cycle. Learn more about Ozarka.
Engaging Workshops: We’re excited to introduce new partnerships and workshops that expand our sustainability knowledge and share it with our visitors. Join us in these hands-on experiences to learn and create:

Cool Crochet – Craft your own beanie
How to Seaweed – Discover the magic of seaweed
Edible nature – Foraging in the dunes

These workshops and many more workshops are designed to equip you with practical skills and knowledge, contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Awareness and Inclusivity: We aim to create a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can enjoy themselves and feel accepted. We will have an awareness team on side, which you can talk to at any time. The awareness team will be there to provide mental support during the festival. If you need someone to talk to, they’re ready to help. You can also read our code of conduct here which gives you an overview how we want to create an inclusive and safe environment at Surfana festival.

Your actions can significantly contribute to making Surfana more sustainable. Here’s how you can help:

Travel Light, Travel Right: Travel is a significant portion of the Co2 emissions for the festival. We’ll collect travel data at the check-in desk to help reduce our collective carbon footprint. If you can’t travel by bike, the festival is well connected with public transport which we encourage you to use!. We also partnered with Slinger this year to offer carpooling solutions. Traveling from further away? Check out the routes from Choo-Choo train to find the easiest and most sustainable way to travel by train from cities such as Paris and Berlin. If flying is unavoidable, please make it your last resort. Please consider offsetting your emissions and choose a flight powered with HVO diesel.
Pack Light, Pack Right: Bring as little waste as possible to the campsite. Use zero-waste products and avoid unnecessary packaging. This helps make our waste management system more efficient and eco-friendly. Also, consider what kind of shampoo and other cosmetics you´re bringing to the festival ground. Is there maybe somewhere hidden microplastics in? Check your products beforehand easily via microbead.
Donate and Share: Not a regular camping person? Consider borrowing camping gear before you purchase something new. You can also check out renting options like Bever. If you have unneeded clothing or camping gear after the festival, donate them. For hygiene products, use the bins available at the toilets. Please, cigarette butts on the ground. We provide pocket ashtrays to keep the festival grounds, the national park and the beach clean and protect wildlife.
Sorting Waste Made Easy: Separate bins for plastic, paper, and food leftovers will be available at the campsite. Plastic includes tetra packs and aluminum foil; paper includes tissues. Sort your waste correctly and do not litter. Help us keep it clean and green!
Water Refill Stations: Stay hydrated without waste by using our water refill stations. Bring your reusable water bottles and fill up for free, reducing single-use plastic bottles.
Cigarette Butts: We’ll hand out pocket ashtrays at the entrance to prevent cigarette butts from littering the sand and dunes, protecting wildlife and keeping the festival clean. Keep in mind: 1 filter conterminates 8L of groundwater!
Food Waste Reduction and Donation: This year, you can donate your food leftovers to Instockmarket, an initiative dedicated to rescuing surplus food and giving it a new purpose. Find out more at Instockmarket. Let’s work together to minimize waste and support our local community!

By embracing these sustainable practices, you’re not just a part of the Surfana festival – you’re a part of a movement towards a greener, cleaner future. Let’s ride the wave of sustainability together and make this festival an unforgettable celebration of nature, music, and community.

See you there, eco-warriors!