Reset, unwind, celebrate at Revive festival

READY FOR A RESET: Pamela Alves Dutra holds the ladder steady while Jock Barns-Graham finishes rigging the lights in the sunflower rows at Woodlands Estate ahead of the second Revive Festival, which starts today. Jock and his brother Sam founded the festival after seeing the need for an event that was family-friendly, alcohol and drug-free and which focused on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. STORY ON PAGE 3Picture by Liam Clayton

Gisborne's Revive Festival is back today to kick-start the new year with a focus on wellness, community, experiences and whānau.

Running from today to Sunday, January 8, Revive is a drug and alcohol-free event that focuses on being family friendly, even providing nannies to look after your young ones. The venue is Gisborne's popular Woodlands Estate.

The festival offers a diverse range of experiences that can be applied to your daily life.

The event was created by brothers Sam and Jock Barns-Graham, who saw a gap in the community and wanted to create a festival that advocates for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing through coming together as a community to reset, unwind and celebrate.

“As you step into Revive you will be greeted with friendly smiles, creative activations, groovy music, food designed to enhance your wellness journey and be surrounded by native bush and wildlife,” Jock said.

“Each day you will have a chance to create your own experience.

“You can choose to relax in chai lounges, listen to guest speakers with inspiring stories and education that can be applied to your day-to-day life, explore your creativity and journey into creative arts, crafts and products at the 60-plus stalls tucked between hundreds of sunflowers.

“Perhaps you seek to lounge in the various chill zones within nature or even receive traditional therapy from experts in various fields. With an integration zone, you'll know you will be looked after.”

With five workshop zones, Sam and Jock have truly placed community at the centre, with diversity as the soul of Revive.

There will be an abundance of workshops, with two main stages for live music.

“Revive is a mixture of a rejuvenating getaway, a music festival, a wellness journey, a place to recalibrate and an all-encompassing experience into new depths of what it means to draw every drop of goodness out of life. With the diversity of experiences at Revive, you can really make it your own. If you want to discover or rediscover what lights you up, Revive is the place for you, providing tools and experiences that create a ripple effect to the world around you.

“Everyone is welcome at Revive. Our kaupapa cultivates a strong sense of belonging, as this is what our community needs. This is what enables personal development and kotahitanga/community strength for our people in Aotearoa. We are all equal and it's our mission to maintain this integral way of living.”

The Revive team is expecting a turnout of 1500 for the 2023 festival. All music, workshops and performances are included in the ticket price.

Three-night camping or day ticket options are available at ticketfairy.com — Revive Festival NZ.