Download Festival has announced that they will run a full mindfulness programme in 2019, the Mind The Dog initiative. The programme will run morning, afternoon and evening sessions between Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th June.
One in six people in England report experiencing common mental health issues including anxiety and depression in any given week[1] and by 2030, it’s estimated that two million more adults in the UK will experience mental health problems than there were in 2013[2]. The recent loss of music legends including Keith Flint (Prodigy), Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), and Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit), calls for action to open up the conversation surrounding mental health, something Download organisers are committed to.
“Download Festival has gone from strength to strength in its sustainability and accessibility offerings,” comments Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn. “We have been awarded 4 star Creative Green Result by Julie’s Bicycle for the second year running, and level gold from Access Is For Everything last year, which is highest possible award for accessibility, so it only made sense to offer an on site programme for mental health, as well as physical. By introducing Mind The Dog this year, we are hoping to provide a mindfulness haven in The Doghouse across the weekend, with meditation, sound baths, and more. I couldn’t be prouder of how much Download Festival has accomplished already.”
Hour long classes will take place under the roof of The Doghouse each day, offering free mindfulness gatherings. Morning meditation will host curated live music sessions, whilst the afternoon offers a healing sound bath and the evening class brings a calming focus to elevate fans state of consciousness. There is also the return of on-site DO.OM Yoga (yoga to Doom Metal music) and Camp Loner, welcoming individuals attending the festival solo.
There will be other improvements to the festival site in 2019, including a new devoted entrance for day visitors and non-camping weekend ticket holders. Weekend campers will also have their own car park and The Village will be moving closer to The Arena. The NXT Arena will move closer to the guest area, live taping to broadcast as part of a weekly WWE Network show and the festival will introduce Metal Movies, a new open-air cinema.
Last year car parking donations via Energy Revolution raised £15,811 for Solar to Schools, a project which funds schools with solar roofing panels across the UK, and the festival continues its zero waste to landfill policy, as recycling points in the campsites will double in 2019. The Eco Campsite opened in 2018 which saw zero tents left behind and returns this year with an increased capacity for a total of 2000 campers, a 33% increase from last year.
Additional water points for 2019 will be introduced across the arena, refillable Download Festival metal water bottles will be available for purchase the first time, and Co-op are excited to continue their Deposit and Return Scheme with their reverse vending machine returning to Download, which proved popular last year with festival goers who want to recycle plastic bottles, in return for a coupon to spend in the on site Co-op shop. Since 2016, all single use plastic cutlery, containers, and straws have been banned from traders, caterers and bars.
Download Festival takes place at Donington Park between between 14th-16th June 2019. For more information, the full line-up so far and tickets head to the Download Festival website.
