Welcome to the A-Z of Strawberry Fields. This page will be updated as we get closer to the event, so stay tuned for more information.
The time has come to spray down the tarp, don a smile and embark on a weekend you will never forget.
Arrival
Access to the festival will be available from 12:00pm on Friday 25 November. No access will be provided before this time so please do not arrive any earlier or you will find yourself making close friends with the side of the highway.
Entry to the festival will be granted on provision of a valid ticket only. All ticketholders must present valid ID, as the event is strictly 18+. All vehicles will be searched for glass – this item is strictly prohibited and will be confiscated by gate staff without distinction.
The highest volume of traffic will be from Friday afternoon until late that evening – we appreciate your patience during these peak periods.
Bar
This year we have a full bar on-site. We are going to be stocking a range of draught and craft beers on tap and also a massive cider bar featuring Cheeky Rascal ciders (also on tap and below retails prices). Please keep in mind we have a strict no glass policy at Strawberry Fields. If you do decide to bring in your own alcohol (cans only) please limit these to one six pack per person.
Behavior
There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. Talk to strangers, remember their names. Be good to your friends (and definitely remember their names).
Anti-social behavior will not be tolerated. Any one seen to be a threat to themselves or to others will be removed from the property for the duration of the event.
Birthdays
For all of you who have been wondering – the rumours are true! If you can present a valid ID at the gate of Strawberry Fields, showing that your birthday falls on either the 25th, 26th or 27th of November, we will let you into the festival for free!!!!!!
This has been our policy since the inception of Strawberry Fields, and we are proud to continue this offering for 2011. Please note we have already had dozens of emails from people asking for us to extend the birthday offer to those whose birthdays are within a few days of the festival. Apologies – but we stand by our original offer, birthday boys and girls over the 25th-27th November ONLY. Sorry if you have only just missed out but as the years go on the festival may well fall on your birthday in years to come!
Camping
Once you have entered the festival grounds you will be directed to the camping area – a luscious expanse of grass set amidst the wilderness. Pick your spot and build an oasis fit for the occasion.
You can bring whatever you want to make your campsite home for the weekend – campervans, tents, makeshift wigwams – etc. Just please be careful and respectful of the local environment, no fires, no glass, cleanup after yourself. Generators discouraged but not prohibited – take due care and ask yourself whether you really can’t live without electricity for 48 hours!!!
Pimping out your campsite is half the battle – be creative but don’t forget to take all that you brought back home with you (those who are prone to entire living rooms picked up from the Salvos en route we are looking at you)! We are festival organizers not hard rubbish collectors – respect mother nature and the property owner who has been kind enough to let you party to your hearts content all weekend.
Beware of trees with dead branches that could fall, uneven ground and stinging weeds. Be kind to your neighbors and see if they don’t need a hand, a hammer, some pegs or even a cup of sugar!
Dogs
Strawberry Fields is all about freedom, and if you want to bring your dog we won’t stop you. However, in our humble opinion, do your pet a favor, and leave them at home. Pets are prone to responding adversely to loud noises, huge sound systems, explosions, fireworks and crazy costumed people. Animals have been lost in past years and problem dogs have caused disputes between camps.
Driving
DIRECTIONS WILL BE RELEASED VERY SOON. Please stay tuned for exact details via this website and our social media pages.
For those of you travelling from Melbourne the journey ahead of you is only a few hours long – sit back and enjoy the ride! Be safe on the roads both to and from the festival – think of your friends as precious cargo and save your party hat for the party and not the road! Get plenty of rest and don’t do anything you will regret. If you’re going to smuggle friends in the boot of the car, make sure you put them inside the engine – otherwise they will get discovered and the lot of you will enjoy the weekend listening to the sound of bass in the distance while crying softly.
Comprehensive directions from both Melbourne and Sydney will be posted on the site a couple of weeks before the event.
Fires
ABSOLUTELY NO FIRES ALLOWED ON SITE WHATSOEVER. That means: no candles, fire toys, camp fires, tiki lanterns, gas lanterns, camp stoves, or other naked flames whatsoever. November is high-risk fire season Australia-wide, and a total fire ban will be enforced on site for the safety of all patrons and the safety of the host property.
Freedom
As has already been stated further up the page, there are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to the Strawberry Fields family.
We want you to able to visit a place where you are as free as possible – free to dance, make merry, make mischief, experiment, and create your own fantasy. But to truly understand this event, one must participate. That means participating in the culture of Strawberry Fields – upholding the principle of mutual respect, treating your fellow patrons as friend’s you haven’t got to know yet rather than strangers, and keeping an open mind.
In more or less words, we want you to experience complete freedom, but that does not include the freedom to disrespect others or yourself.
Glass
ABSOLUTELY NO GLASS ALLOWED ON SITE WHATSOEVER. Broken glass isn’t fun for anyone and glass is a lot harder to dispose of than plastics and cans. All cars will be searched thoroughly for glass items upon entry to the festival, and any found items will be confiscated permanently.
Market Stalls
Come one come all ye vendors from far and wide. From wood fired pizza and Moroccan inspired cuisine to clothing creations brought from the other side of the globe, we welcome all market-stallers large and small.
If you are interested in holding a market stall at this year’s festival please contact our Market Manager Eva Beke via strawberrystalls@gmail.com. Applications close on 1 November 2011.
Melbourne Accomodation – Roomorama!!
Now we are aware that many of you may be traveling from interstate to attend Strawberry Fields. Whether its for this year’s festival or other gigs we are proud to present a solution to your accomodation woes courtesy of our dear friends at Roomorama. Ditch the shady backpackers and overpriced three star hotels for something with character and quality at an affordable price.
Roomorama is a pretty sexy website hub where you can rent short-term apartments with confidence and ease, at a reasonable price. With an inventory of 22 000 properties in 500 global destinations, Roomorama has properties to meet your every requirement be it a cozy bedroom for $20 a night, or a spectacular mansion for $2000 a night. Their site is extremely safe, user-friendly, and the whole process of securing a booking takes less than five minutes! With a 24 hour customer service desk and added benefits such as a dedicated “concierge” for businesses, a perks program, you would never want to stay in a cold, boring hotel room ever again! Oh, and if you had a sweet dig sitting around while you travelled, you could also list your property for free on Roomorama and make money!
Check out their video at: http://vimeo.com/25076174 and book your accom now at: www.roomorama.com?ref=childmusic
Media
Please direct all marketing, media and press enquires to info@strawberry-fields.com.au. Any requests received less than two weeks before the festival will not be considered due to proximity to the event.
Mosquitoes
We are well aware of the havoc that was wreaked by these mischievous little creatures at Strawberry Fields 2010 – there is only so much you can expect from the combination of hot weather and ridiculously unseasonal rains. That is why we are arranging for the entire 2011 site to be fogged multiple times by a crew of skilled exterminators in the week leading up to this year’s event so that you may experience a blissful paradise free of these blood sucking critters (or so we hope).
That said, there’s no harm in hitting up Aussie disposals for a few cans of Bushman’s extra strong!
Pass Outs
Once you have been provided with a wristband to enter the festival, you are able to come and go as you please. If you think you will need to leave early or depart temporarily please park your car near an access road so as not to disturb the camping area – a speed limit of 20km/h will be enforced on site at al times. Please note that your car will be searched and your wristbands checked upon re-entry, all rules e.g. as to no glass will continue to be enforced.
Performers
Do you like to play with fire? Dance like there’s no tomorrow? Are you prone to juggling & costumery? We may have a place for you in the Strawberry Fields family! Please direct all expressions of interest to our Arts Coordinator Courtney Guthrie via courtneyg87@gmail.com. Any requests received less than two weeks before the festival will not be considered due to proximity to the event.
Public Transport
As with most of Australia’s multi-day outdoor festivals, public transport is never an easy option. We recommend that those in need of a ride post their dilemma on either the Facebook page or the inthemix.com.au event forum and seek assistance from other members of the Strawberry Family.
If your situation is dire public transport should be available from major cities to the nearest town, however you will still be faced with a good dozen or so km’s to the site. You will be able to investigate your options when directions to the site are released.
Rubbish
Strawberry Fields is a LEAVE NO TRACE event. Everything you ever throw away in your life has to go somewhere, and why would you want that place to be the luscious paradise that is our festival site?! Large skips will be available on site for your trash bags, however we recommend that you make every effort to create as little rubbish as possible – crush down your cans, take items out of their wrappers before bringing to the festival, and most importantly PICK UP ALL OF YOUR CIGARETTE BUTTS.
Running Program & Set Times
The musical program will run from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. There will be no set times released prior to the event – these will be available upon entry to the festival. Strawberry Fields is all about surprise and the process of discovery – as we gather only once a year we hope that you will come for the complete experience, rather than the performances of a few select acts.
Camping will be available until Monday afternoon, at which time all attendees will be required to vacate the site.
Strawberry Shuttle
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TICKETS FOR THE SHUTTLE BUS HAVE NOW SOLD OUT. THE SHUTTLE WILL BE LEAVING FROM BAY 55 AT SOUTHERN CROSS STATION AT 6PM SHARP ON FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER, TO DEPART THE FESTIVAL SITE AGAIN AT 6PM SHARP ON SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER DROPPING OFF ALL PATRONS AT SOUTHERN CROSS AGAIN.
Don’t feel like driving to Strawberry? Why not take the bus!
The Strawberry Shuttle is a charter bus service for a safer and more comfortable Strawberry experience. The shuttle will provide transport from Melbourne direct to the festival site, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride!
We have a limited number of seats for fifty lucky bottoms of the Strawberry family to occupy. For the price just of $50 (return) you can arrive at the festival with no hassles and return (somewhat) refreshed. Tickets can only be purchased online only and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.
The shuttle will be leaving Melbourne CBD on Friday afternoon (6 PM) and returning Sunday afternoon (6 PM). If you have a question about the shuttle and can’t find the answer here, please contact Sam the Shuttle Guru at strawberryshuttle@gmail.com.
Ticket Purchases
Ticket are available to purchase online via the website or via the following Melbourne retailers:
Alley Tunes (Hawthorn Area, 9819 9449)
Brown Alley (City, 9670 8599)
Gili’s Place (Caulfield Area, 9576 9985)
Ministry of Style (Brunswick Area, 9419 4952)
Please note that due to a limited capacity at the venue, tickets may be available on the gate but cannot be guaranteed. Purchase yours online or via a friendly distributor near you to secure your entry to the festival at presale prices. If you purchased tickets online please take careful note of all the terms, conditions and instructions provided to you.
For all inquiries regarding online sales please contact tickets@strawberry-fields.com.au
Lost, stolen or damaged tickets cannot be replaced so please take care of yours!
Volunteers
An undertaking like Strawberry Fields is simply not possible without the help of volunteers. If you’re interested in lending a helping hand in exchange for entry to the festival, please send through your expression of interest to strawberryvolunteers@gmail.com.
Weather
The event will go on rail, hail or shine – be prepared for all three. Tarps, sun block, blankets, gum boots, loin cloths, warm clothing, fluffy hats and umbrellas are welcome. There is no such thing as over prepared.
