Beaufort, Australia’s Rainbow Serpent Festival

The Rainbow Serpent Festival is a celebration that takes places every January over the Australia Day weekend.  Held in Western Victoria, out in the open near the city of Beaufort, it’s an Australian musical event akin to Burning Man, albeit on a much smaller scale.  For four days, attendees can enjoy music, art, food and a spiritually inclined community.

At first, the Rainbow Serpent Festival began as an event focused almost exclusively on music.  Over the years, it has grown and expanded and now encompasses many more artistic forms along with the spirituality of the community that organizes and attends the festival.  More than 15,000 people show up every year (and that number keeps growing) to experience a celebration that is quickly becoming an alternative Australian tradition.

Visitors to the festival will have the chance to see more than 100 musical acts across a variety of stages.  Mostly, it’s electronic music of the trance and techno sub-genres, though artists of different styles show up across the smaller stages as well.  Both DJs and live bands put on performances, coming from all over Australia and other parts of the world to participate.  And best of all, the music doesn't stop for four days straight, running 24 hours a day.

In addition to the music, there are art installations, performances of dance and theater and several workshops revolving around the lifestyle that the festival represents.  You can learn more about subjects such as the healing arts and become educated on alternative holistic and spiritual practices.  And naturally, there’s plenty of great food to be had as well as a number of places to buy whatever you might need to enjoy the festival or take home a memory of it.

With so many things going on day and night, the Rainbow Serpent Festival is an experience that you just can’t see all of in one go.  Visitors who enjoy the event can return year after year with the knowledge that each time will be its own unique experience.  Unfortunately, this year’s festival has come and gone, but you can always keep an eye on their web site to track the progress of the 2014 festival and, if you happen to be planning to travel to Australia, maybe pick up some tickets and make Rainbow Serpent a part of your journey.

Rainbow Serpent 2012 photo courtesy of rainbowserpent.net

Rainbow Serpent Taxi photo courtesy of rainbowserpent.net