I suppose the music is a given. Why wouldn’t a music festival have great music? What amazed me was the variety of the music and the accessibility. There were five performance venues and the one hour sets were staggered so that we could walk around and hear bits of each group. When we found one we liked, we just sat down and enjoyed it. The organization of sound equipment alone was incredible. Imagine switching over from an Afro-Caribbean group of eight who dance around to a Sikh group of six musicians who sit on the floor. The microphone placement alone would be a challenge and the stage crews switched over in 30 minutes, including the sound check!

The weather was notable in being wonderfully warm –and without bugs! We were in the pines of the Sierra foothills, which meant there was always shade somewhere near the music stage and usually a little breeze. Last year, when we discovered this wonderful event, the temperatures were over 100 degrees, so this year’s 85 degrees was a dream come true. And in the evening, for the five hours of rotating sets, it was cool enough for a long sleeved shirt without down parkas! And no mosquitoes.

What I really want to write about were the people. I’d guess there were a thousand people there, maybe more. The attendees ranged from aging hippies to young families, and we saw every conceivable example of tie-dyed clothing ever invented.  What was remarkable was the sense of ease. I think I’ve lived in an urban environment too long. It took me two days to realize that I was relaxed. People actually noticed if they might be blocking your view and asked if they should move their beach chair one direction or the other. Instead of irritated shifting from foot to foot, sigh to sigh while waiting at the food vendor’s booths, people started conversations and talked about their favorite curry or the jerk chicken across the way, and often said, “Don’t miss those amazing home-made ice cream drumsticks. They have either milk or dark chocolate and six varieties of ice cream!” What about that popcorn? Yum.

The most notable place to notice how people honored each other was the condition of the restrooms. I never saw an unflushed toilet, paper on the floor or hair in the sink. People passed new rolls of toilet paper under the door because they knew they had used the last sheet and didn’t want to leave the next inhabitant high and dry! Of course, the fairgrounds maintenance crew had something to do with this, but I’ve been to more events than I care to remember where the restrooms showed lack of concern for others. Here we were where people were camping for four days (or at least attending for 12 hours every day) and everyone was in community. The respect was so high that we could leave our belongings unattended and expect to find them there when we came back. Sigh. It felt like heaven.

To be honest, I had forgotten how that feels. I have become numb so that I can block out the rudeness and impatience of people. I have steeled myself so that I am not overrun by someone who is desperately trying to get the last piece or the best place. As I think about this, I realize there are a few other places I can relax, albeit on a smaller scale. Interestingly enough, one of them is a coffee house here in Berkeley that caters to the same crowd as the California World Music Fest . I’ll be going to Freight and Salvage on Friday to see Blame Sally, one of my favorite groups from the weekend! I am so thankful that I was immersed in that environment long enough to make me aware of that sense of community, and to remind me to look for other places where people honor and respect each other.

© 2007, Jacqueline Hale