| In the beginning, there was an Om. It is the sound
of the universe which gave life to all that surrounds us
and binds us to our mother earth. With the start of the
new millennium our voices have begun to unite, offering
new ideas and directions on changing our quality of life.
Through this common vision we gain better understanding of
ourselves and of our purpose. Om removes the barriers of
ego and exposes a person's inner most being to the
vibration of a higher reality. This summer we will dance,
sing and explore together under the stars in a celebration
of life and unity. |
The OM
Festival is not your average rave! The event aimed to bring
together many different collectives within the Toronto rave
community in a celebration of the solstice and a display of united
growth. The focus of OM, from the beginning, has been to create a
gathering that moves beyond the party toward the potential of
youth empowerment. The collective produces this 3 day outdoor
music festival by relying on volunteers to help out where needed.
The result is plainly visible in a very different vibe then found
in most commercial events. At OM, people were friendly and helpful
with everyone pitching in to do things that make the event a
success. There is an emphasis on ecology and respect for the land
so the site is often cleaner after the festival than it was before
the set-up began!
We decided to participate by providing our laser show at the sum
kids stage. Technical and schedule problems prevented us from
attending all 3 days of the event. We had so much fun though that
we intend to be there for all 3 days next time!
One of the marked differences was the opening event on Saturday
night. As the sky began to darken, participants were invited to
join in holding hands to form a giant circle. There was a short
invocation and then the whole crowd chanted OM bringing a sense of
peace and serenity to the venue before the serious partying
started. As the circle broke for the beginning of the festivities,
fireworks shot into the darkening sky as the music began to play
from the stages scattered around the site.
The line-up of talent
is so extensive that we have copied the OM page with the DJ and
live performances listings which is available HERE.
We were also fortunate
to meet up with a number of people from alt.rave and flux.rave
whom we have "known" on-line for some time but never had
the chance to see in person. It was great to put faces to names
and finally meet some of these remarkable people. After performing
the laser show from dusk till dawn at the sum kids stage, we
wandered around and took pictures of the event.
Here are the pictures with some commentary. Njoy and see you next
year at OM 2001!
|
Kind Kitchen
encourages participants to donate food items. The team of
volunteers then runs the kitchen cooking up numerous
vegetarian delights from the donated food continuously
during the festival. To the right of the picture above you
can see a massive wok that contained a healthy and spicy
stew of kale, black beans, barley, onions and lentils -
delicious :) One need never go hungry at OM!
|
|
As an outdoor event,
camping is one of the main attractions. It was interesting
to note that even at the height of the party on Saturday
night, there were many people still in the camping areas
just chilling by the fire and enjoying themselves with
friends while the dance music could be heard in the
background.
|
One of the stages in the
woods. While we were there they featured a live drummer seamlessly
overlaid onto the dance music!
The predawn village stage
featured some great trance music... and a spot to chill out by the
fire while listening.
The Intergalactic faerie
funk stage was shaped like a giant mushroom!
The ambient stage was set up
on the back of a truck close to the lake
DJ's spinning after the rain
on Sunday afternoon at the sum kids stage
The tea room overlooking the
sum kids stage where one could relax and enjoy a herbal tea
ART
One of the things that makes OM noticeably different from other
parties is an emphasis on art. Click here to visit the Artworks
at OM page.
