Creamfields Goes Green – Sustainability at Creamfields 2008

Creamfields Announces Environmental Plans for 2008

In June 2008, Cream, the organisers of the world-famous Creamfields festival, announced a series of initiatives designed to tackle some of the environmental issues associated with staging a major music festival.

The announcements came as Creamfields prepared to celebrate its tenth anniversary at Daresbury in Cheshire. Organisers wanted festivalgoers to become more environmentally involved and creative while enjoying the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The plans covered everything from car-sharing and campsite recycling to renewable energy, water conservation and charitable donations.

The following sections preserve the environmental measures announced ahead of Creamfields 2008. They describe the organisers’ intentions at the time, rather than independently verified results.

Creamfields Partners with Liftshare

For the first time, Creamfields announced a partnership with Liftshare, a car-sharing organisation encouraging people to make more efficient journeys.

The idea was to introduce festivalgoers to each other online before the event, allowing them to arrange shared car journeys to Daresbury.

As well as helping to reduce car emissions and traffic congestion, the initiative offered fans an opportunity to save money on travel and make new friends before arriving at the festival.

“Festival-goers have long cared about the environment, and love the idea of car-sharing to get there. It saves money, cuts congestion and reduces your CO2 emissions – so it’s win-win for everybody.

It’s great to be working with Creamfields to bring their festival-goers a greener way of getting there. It costs nothing to join and just means the fun can start even earlier as they find new friends to share the journey with!”

Ali Clabburn, Liftshare – June 2008

The partnership was one of the main environmental announcements made ahead of the festival’s tenth-anniversary celebrations.

Recycling and Waste Reduction at Creamfields 2008

Waste management was another important part of the environmental plans announced for Creamfields 2008.

With thousands of people expected to attend the August Bank Holiday event, organisers outlined measures intended to encourage recycling and reduce the amount of waste left around the site.

Campsite Recycling

Festivalgoers were to be provided with recycling bags for use in the campsites, while recycling bins would be available around the festival site.

The aim was to encourage visitors to separate recyclable materials rather than leave rubbish scattered around the camping areas.

Food Stalls and Traders

The environmental plans also extended to businesses operating at the festival.

• Food and drink stalls were expected to use biodegradable or reusable plates and cups.
• Traders were to use recycling and biodegradable bin bags.
• Recycling bins were planned throughout the festival site.
• Organisers announced that waste would be separated and recycled off-site.

The announcements provide an interesting record of how Creamfields was approaching festival waste management during its tenth-anniversary year.

Donating Unwanted Clothing and Tents

Creamfields also wanted festivalgoers to get creative with recycled clothing as part of its tenth-anniversary celebrations.

Fans were encouraged to dress up for the weekend, whether that meant fancy dress, prom dresses, top hats and tails, or homemade outfits created from old clothes.

The original announcement suggested that old Lycra shorts, green wigs, tutus and platform shoes could all find a place in the Fields for one last outing.

Clothing Donations to Oxfam

After the celebrations, festivalgoers were encouraged to place unwanted outfits into collection containers.

Creamfields announced that the collected clothing would be donated to Oxfam following the event.

Abandoned Tent Donations

The organisers also announced plans to collect tents left behind after the festival.

A proposed tent donation station would allow abandoned tents to be collected and donated to charitable causes.

The original announcement described an intention to send suitable tents to parts of the world where they were needed to provide shelter.

Although the announcement outlined these charitable plans, the original article did not confirm how many items were ultimately collected or donated.

Renewable Energy at Creamfields

One of the more unusual environmental announcements for Creamfields 2008 involved the Residents Bar.

Described in the original article as a home for the unsung heroes of clubland, the venue was intended to make its own contribution to the festival’s environmental plans.

The organisers announced that the Residents Bar would incorporate:

• Sustainable construction materials.
• A biomass generator.
• Wind turbines.

These measures were presented as ways of reducing the environmental impact of operating the venue.

Solar-Powered Boutique Camping

The festival’s boutique camping area was also included in the environmental announcements.

Plans referred to solar-powered beach huts and pod pads as part of the luxury accommodation options available to festivalgoers.

These proposals reflected the organisers’ interest in incorporating alternative energy sources into parts of the festival site.

Water Conservation Initiatives

Creamfields also announced measures intended to reduce water wastage and improve wastewater management around the site.

The proposed arrangements included:

• Pump-powered taps designed to minimise unnecessary water use.
• Wastewater collection containers intended to prevent contaminated water from being poured directly onto the ground.

These initiatives formed part of the wider environmental plans announced ahead of the August Bank Holiday festival.

Looking Back at Creamfields 2008

Creamfields announced its environmental initiatives to coincide with World Environment Day in June 2008.

The annual event was marked internationally by activities including street rallies, bicycle parades, concerts and tree planting.

For Creamfields, the announcements formed part of the preparations for a significant milestone in the festival’s history.

The tenth-anniversary festival took place at Daresbury, Cheshire, over the August Bank Holiday weekend of 23–24 August 2008.

The environmental plans provide a fascinating snapshot of the festival’s ambitions at the time, from encouraging shared journeys to exploring renewable energy and reducing campsite waste.

As an independent Creamfields fan website, we were reporting on these developments when they were first announced in 2008. Preserving articles like this helps document how the festival developed over the years, beyond the DJs and headline performances.

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This article is part of our historical archive and covers announcements made in 2008.

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