FESTIVAL REPORT

The Trinidad and Tobago Bridge Initiative (TTBI) hosted the third edition of NEW FIRE Festival (NFF) over three days from 23-25 March, 2018. Guests were invited to Dream, Explore and Transform. With over 80 activities based in our principles of sustainability including live music, an artisan market, yoga, workshops, games, camping and tours of a working cocoa estate; there were many opportunities for learning, entertainment, relaxation and fun at NFF 2018. We encouraged attendees to live in the moment, practice mindfulness and try something new!

This year, we took guests to another beautiful location. The Ortinola Estate in St. Joseph, the first capital of Trinidad, provided a scenic backdrop for our festival experience. Ortinola is a historic cocoa estate in Maracas Valley in the Northern Range of Trinidad and Tobago where cocoa has been grown since the 1800’s. The estate is surrounded by natural rainforest, and the Acono River runs through it.

Over the past 3 editions, NFF has harnessed the value of its brand to draw people to this transformational festival experience with the continued objective of utilising this

BACKGROUND

platform to enable sustainable community development. As we build the organisational capacity of TTBI, we are working more with the nearby geographical communities and make greater efforts to engage the residents of the physical areas where the festival is held. Beyond that, we continue to develop relationships with interest groups with whom the message of the festival resonates and in fact, this is reflected in the wide cross-section of partners and collaborators who work with TTBI to implement NFF.

TTBI is a non-profit organisation. It was founded in September 2011 to enable sustainable development of communities, connecting people through sustainable cultural, environmental and economic practices. Environmental and ecological restoration is the cornerstone of the foundation philosophy upon which all our work is based. NFF is the flagship initiative of TTBI and aims to illustrate varied aspects of sustainable living. Participants are inspired to live more sustainable lifestyles incorporating the tools they learn over a dynamic, inclusive, warm and transformational weekend.

Since inception, NFF has aimed to enable positive behavior change and in 2018, our team took a hard stance regarding our zero waste policies. All festival participants were advised to bring their reusable containers for water and food as well as to adopt a ‘leave no trace’ policy. Single use plastics were on our list of banned items. Vendors and patrons were guided to remove the refuse they brought with them or place them in bins for recycling. Bins were only provided for compostable and recyclable items in the general festival areas. 531lbs of compostable material was collected over the three day event and along with organic material from the venue, two compost piles were set-up by Official Collaborator JTB Homesteads for use by the venue owners in maintaining the plants on their property post festival.

FESTIVAL GOALS

WASTE MANAGEMENT COORDINATED BY OFFICIAL COLLABORATOR JTB HOMESTEADS SUPPORTED BY OFFICIAL COLLABORATOR CENTRAL PATHFINDERS ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION.

Additionally, we partnered with EMA | iCare to promote a positive recycling culture by ensuring that recyclable items used by attendees were collected for recycling. 18lbs of plastic, 4 lbs of aluminium cans, 68 lbs of glass bottles and 2lbs of tetrapaks were collected over the festival weekend in addition to 21 bags (4 bags of cans, 6 bags of glass bottles, 11 bags of plastic bottles) removed by iCare’s haulage contractor from the festival. 81% of guests stated that their awareness of sustainable practices increased after having attended the festival.

Our relationship with Hydra-STATION continues and this year, 12,695 bottles were prevented from going to the landfill by our engagement of their innovative service at the festival. This was an increase from 10,088 bottles in 2017 and 3,636 bottles in 2016.

FESTIVAL GOALS

NFF continues to directly meet the following goals for Sustainable Development as identified by the UN: GOAL 3- GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING GOAL 12- RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION GOAL 17- PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

We have also joined festivals across the globe in aiming to ban single-use plastics at our event. In April, the Association of Independent Festivals in the UK launched their ‘Drastic on Plastic’ campaign with a core message of re-use not single-use. This aligns to the 2018 Earth Day and World Environment Day themes which focus on eliminating plastic pollution. According to the Association of Independent Festivals, organisers of more than 60 independent festivals across the UK have committed to banning the use of plastic straws on-site this season as a minimum first step - and eliminating all single-use plastic at their events by 2021. 

FESTIVAL GOALS

In September 2017, TTBI was recognised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation for our role in developing a regional sustainable product. In 2020, NFF will celebrate its 5th anniversary and we believe that we can meet our goal of being the largest zero waste event in the Caribbean. In 2025 on our 10th anniversary, we want to have seen a growth in sustainable outdoor events with NFF leading the way, illustrating how a large scale zero waste event can be done successfully.

CARIBBEAN EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CATEGORY

CARIBBEAN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BRIDGE INITIATIVE

HUGH RILEY AMANDA CHARLES

We would like to thank our partners First Citizens, the Inter-American Development Bank, JobsTT, 951 Remix and Carib Brewery Ltd for supporting the festival and the continued work of our organisation. NFF also would not be possible without the commitment of our Official Collaborators, Team Members and Volunteers.

5 CREATIVE INDIVIDUALSA MILLIEN CONCEPTSADORNAMI CARIBBEANBEAD CAFEBOCAS LIT FESTBUZZ CONCEPTSCARIBBEAN FASHION AND ARTS FEATURE FESTIVALCARIBBEAN POSH MAGAZINECDM GENERATIONCENTRAL PATHFINDERS ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATIONCONCEPTS AND DESIGNS BY CALIDROP EVERYTHING SLIGHT PEPPERHYDRA-STATION

JTB HOMESTEADSNORTH ELEVENRAWKUS PRODUCTIONSREACTSTARR BROADCASTINGSUNSETTERSTHE FASHION ARCHTHE SCOUT SHOPTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO PERMACULTURE INSTITUTEV PRO LTDVOLUNTEER CENTER OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOWE CAFÉWEBETHEFUN. LTD.

OUR OFFICIAL COLLABORATORS

THE FIRESTARTERS

ALANA LALMAN Workshop CoordinatorALEXANDER GIRVAN Sustainability ConsultantALYSSA GRANT Administrative Assistant ALYSSA ROSTANT Global Partnerships DirectorAMANDA GOPAUL Hospitality CoordinatorANNE-MARIE ROOKS Waste Management CoordinatorANNIESHA ALEXANDER Marketing + Public Relations AssistantAYRÏD CHANDLER Graphic DesignerBOBBY SAMAROO Hospitality AssistantBRIGETTE JOSEPH Food and Beverage CoordinatorCHENECE HEADLEY Volunteer CoordinatorCHRISTOPHER CHUNG Finance and Accounting ManagerDARCEUIL DUNCAN Workshop CoordinatorDANIELLE CUMMINGS Children’s Zone Coordinating AssistantDOMINIQUE VERASAMMY Supporting Graphic DesignerEVE HAMEL-SMITH Concert Production AssistantFARYAL KHAN Copywriter + Digital Marketing AssistantFAUSTIN RAMKARANSINGH Campsite CoordinatorFRÉDÉRIQUE FARDIN Waste Management Assistant CoordinatorHEIDI PATIENCE Sponsorship ManagerJAYE-ANNE FIGARO-MCDONALD Artisan Market CoordinatorJAYRON REMY Concert Producer + Technical CoordinatorJEMIMA CHARLES Community Outreach Coordinator

JEUNANNE ALKINS Children’s Zone CoordinatorJOHANN MEDFORD Projection + Content DesignerJOSHUA CAZOE Photographer KADELIA ACHILLE Online Content ManagerKARRILEE FIFI Electronic Music Experience ProducerKEVIN BARRY Traffic and Parking Logistics ManagerKHADIJA SEARLES First Aid Coordinating AssistantKRISTAL RAHIM Children’s Zone Coordinating Assistant LEANN GILL Electronic Music Exp. Production AssistantLINDY-ANN EDWARDS-ALLEYNE Monitoring + Evaluations AssistantMARIKA ST. LOUIS Community Outreach Coordinator MELISSA ESCOVALEZ Gate Support AssistantMICHAELA GARCIA Gate Support CoordinatorNADYA SHAH Visual Arts CoordinatorNALINI RAMPERSAD Volunteer CoordinatorNICOLE HENDRICKSON Safe Spaces Policy ManagerNNEKA LUKE Partner ManagerRAE-ANNE RICHARDSON Creative Assistant RAYYA MUSTAPHA Artisan Market CoordinatorREL KASMALLY Health + Safety ManagerRHEANNA CHEN Workshop CoordinatorSHINELLE HILLS Artisan Market Assistant VISHALA JABAR PhotographerYEJIDE CORDNER Visual Arts CoordinatorYONETTE MISSIGHER- FIGUERIA Safe Space Policy Assistant

GERRY WILLIAMS Director of TTBI, NFF Founder / Creative Director ELIZE ROSTANT Director of TTBI / Festival Director

KEVON FODERINGHAM Director of TTBI / NFF Marketing + Public Relations Coordinator DENEIL LARA Secretary of TTBI / NFF Monitoring + Evaluation Coordinator

TTBI has worked with the Volunteer Center of Trinidad and Tobago (VCTT) since 2015. We believe in providing opportunities for persons to develop new skills, build their network and connect with entities that can facilitate further personal and professional development. This year, VCTT partnered with us once again to assist in managing the connections between us and persons seeking opportunities for learning, growth and development and much like the festival itself, we are dedicated to providing our volunteers with the most educational, transformative experience possible. 

As an Official Collaborator, VCTT provided Volunteer Coordination and Management Services for NFF 2018. Over 140 volunteers were recruited through their efforts and they capably managed these persons at the festival which included three days of festival activities. Volunteers are critical to the successful implementation of NFF, contributing their talents to our sustainability initiatives and collectively lending their skills to make our festival happen. From marketing to hospitality, waste management to financial accounting, our NEW FIRE Tribe continues to burn bright!

SKILL DEVELOPMENT + KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT COORDINATED BY OFFICIAL COLLABORATOR VOLUNTEER CENTER OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.

VOLUNTEER STATISTICS

AGE GENDERVOLUNTEERRETENTION

17 & Under 18 - 24 25 - 2930 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59

FEMALEMALE

Returning VolunteersNew Volunteers

100000

150000

200000

Our pool of volunteers has increased from just over 60 in our first year to 149 in 2018. Reasons given for volunteering with NFF are:1. Development of social, technical skills 2. Networking3. Activism4. Personal Enjoyment

Most volunteers felt their strongest skills were teamwork, adaptability and communication while they identified their weakest areas as knowledge of sustainable practices, leadership and time management skills. 98% of volunteers felt they were prepared for their roles at NFF after our training sessions with them which included brand development, customer service, conflict resolution and emergency response training.

Over the past three editions of NFF, we have taken guests to three different venues in Trinidad and Tobago. In year one, we introduced our festival to the Freeport community and in year two, we invited guests to experience Santa Cruz. This year, the beautiful and historic Ortinola Estate was home to NFF and for many of our guests, it was their first visit to this cocoa estate located in Acono, a lovely village situated in the lush Maracas St. Joseph Valley.

Our aim each year is to engage members of the geographical community in which NFF is held and in 2018, we welcomed two residents of the Acono and St. Joseph communities to our team who became our Community Outreach Coordinators. Through their efforts we were able to meet with community members to discuss our festival objectives and the benefits the festival would bring to the Acono and St. Joseph Communities. Community stakeholders were identified and advised members of our team on how residents could be effectively engaged in the lead up to NFF 2018. We were also happy to have residents participate in the festival as vendors and as far as possible, community based service providers were contracted.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The Acono River runs through Ortinola’s estate and as we became more familiar with the area, our motivation to leave a positive impact on the space increased. On Sunday 18 March, one week before NFF 2019, we mobilised our stakeholders and were joined by our partners WASA | Adopt a River, SWMCOL and EMA | iCare to remove debris from the Acono River. Over approximately four hours, our team, partners and members of the community removed just over 55 bags of waste material including glass and plastic items, tetrapaks, household items and other debris from the river. Our interaction with the community continues and we have discussed adopting the Acono River through WASA’s initiative so that we can work with residents to manage this valuable natural resource.

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AND PARTNERS WASA | ADOPT A RIVER, SWMCOL AND EMA | ICARE

We were pleased to host a delegation from the Welsh Festival, Fire in the Mountain, at NFF 2018. Launched in 2011, FITM is located on an ancient farm between the foothills of the magnificent Cambrian Mountains and the beautiful coast of Cardigan bay. Their aim is simple: “To hold a folk music festival on a farm in return for maintenance and repairs to the farm on which it is held”.

Fire in the Mountain Festival LTD is a registered Not For Profit Company and with their ethos of zero waste and aims to keep the festival managed and implemented sustainably, there was a natural alignment to the festival goals of NFF. After a chance meeting in Cardiff in October between NFF’s Festival Director and FITM’s General Manager, members of the FITM festival team were invited to attend NFF 2018 and were also given the space to share their experiences as an annual festival in the UK. Discussions have already been held about artists from the Caribbean and the UK being invited to both festivals to continue the cultural exchange that was begun this year.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Festival guests at NFF 2018 were able to choose from activities in the Dream, Explore and Transform workshops. The increased array of activities was spread over three days. A third day was added to the festival this year enabling persons to camp with us for two nights instead of one. Over 200 persons camped this year solidifying this element as one of the more attractive components of the festival. Family camping was also added and the children’s zone was developed to encourage learning in a dynamic, safe and fun environment. Our robust schedule of activities continues to appeal to persons of varying ages and interests, illustrating that fun can be had in an environmentally responsible way.

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

CHILDREN’S ZONE COORDINATED BY OFFICIAL COLLABORATOR EVERYTHING SLIGHT PEPPER WITH SUPPORT FROM PETER RICHARDS LANDSCAPING, TOTS 2 TWEENS, BEAD CAFE, BOCAS LIT FEST STORYTELLING CARAVAN.

Visual Art was also a highlight this year with our Visual Art Coordinators engaging artists to create murals that greeted guests as they entered the festival venue and facilitate action painting workshops. We also encouraged guests to express themselves on large boards with paints and chalk and for many this was fun, therapeutic and uncommon opportunity to engage with art in a dynamic way.

Our food offerings were expanded and 95% of guests stated that food items what was they purchased most at the festival. Our sustainability principles were also illustrated as we worked closely with vendors to promote and ensure our zero waste policies were met. NFF’s vendors embraced the challenge enthusiastically, providing innovative serving options that did not include single use plastics. Propa Eats, an initiative of Guardian Media Limited our media partner this year, featured NFF 2018 as Trinidad and Tobago’s first eco-friendly food festival.

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Music at NFF continues to grow. 2018’s music offerings on our daytime stage featured emerging talent coordinated by Official Collaborator A Millien Concepts while our live concert on the main stage was produced by Official Collaborator Rawkus Productions with visuals by Official Collaborator North Eleven. Saturday night’s concert featuredmusic performances by Mungal Patasar and Pantar, Mistah Shak, 3canal, Marge Blackman, BuzzRock, Freetown Collective and international artist from Germany Arystan Petzold. Electronic music curated by Official Collaborator CDM Generation was featured both on night one and two of the festival and our DJs were Andy Himself, Kattronique, Sourdiezel, Suspktz, LBEE, GYS, Kid Kallaloo, Nick Farah and ValSTAR.

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Overall, the growth of NEW FIRE Festival has been undeniable:

FESTIVAL ATTENDEES:

Note: a higher percentage of persons camped this year than in previous years meaning that even while we did not see as high of an increase in overall numbers from year 2-3 as we did in year 1-2, a larger number of guests spent more time at the festival in 2018 engaging in the full festival experience.

NFF GROWTH

700 1800 2100

2016

Fri. DaySat. DaySun. DayFri. NightSat. NightWeekend

17 + under18-2425-2930-3940-4950-5960 + over

2017 2018

GUEST ATTENDANCE AGE GENDER

female

male

Current Online Audience: Facebook- 7106, Instagram- 2570, Twitter- 48, Email listing- 1404; our facebook event reached 58,000 people since being created on December 16, 2017. Other media- From January to March 2018, NFF was featured over 20 times on television, radio, newspapers and digital journals with 44 entities applying for media accreditation. PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS: 35 entities in 2016, 55 in 2017 and just over 75 in 2018 (includes financial sponsors, in-kind sponsors and workshop facilitators). VOLUNTEERS: just over 60 in 2016, 85 in 2017 and 149 in 2018.

PERFORMANCES AND ENTERTAINMENT: 45 musicians, bands and DJs in 2016; 60 in 2017 and just over 95 in 2018. VENDORS: 25 in 2016, 30 in 2017 and 52 in 2018.

NFF GROWTH

VENDORSPERFORMERSVOLUNTEERSPARTNERSHIPS +COLLABORATIONS

2016 2017 2018

NFF continues to be a pioneer in the Caribbean and the impact we have had on our national community continues to grow and deepen. As we look toward the fourth edition

of our festival in April 2019 we are pleased to share our story with stakeholders, consistently engaging with our audience and reciprocating value to our partners as we

work together to develop our region sustainably.

LOOKING FORWARD

CONTACT USGerry Williams

Founder and Creative Director868.492.7516

Elize RostantFestival Director

868.788.0966

newfirefestival@gmail.comnewfireworld.com

Photography by Joshua Cazoe, Joshua Joseph, Karissa Narine, Vishala Jabar, NH Productions and Festival Guests.