Paradise City Festival 2023

Citizenship Manifesto

Paradise City thrives to be a safe festival

Please take a minute to update yourself on our philosophy and HELP US MAKE PARADISE CITY A safer PLACE WHERE EVERYONE FEELS COMFORTABLE.

Paradise City is a place to make lifelong memories. It’s a place for joyfulness and happiness, where people can express themselves freely and safely. Our festival was born out of the idea that environmental responsibility can go hand in hand with electronic music. Moreover, we aim for Paradise City to be a welcoming and inclusive festival for all those who join us on the dancefloor.

Respect for nature has always been our key priority. As one of the greenest festivals in the world, we’ve put a lot of effort since day one to keep our festival as environmentally friendly as possible. Now, it is time to reflect on how to take care of each other. Every year, we reflect on what’s been going on and learn from it. What will follow is not set in stone. This manifesto should and will change as we learn and grow.

We have asked ourselves whether our festival is a safe space for all partygoers. We want to take a stand and take our responsibility as a music festival. During this process, we first sat down and listened. 

 

We participated in informative sessions with our team to ensure everyone was aligned on the problems at hand.

First, an attempt at defining a safe space: an environment or place where everyone can feel comfortable and not fear that they will be subject to discrimination, criticism, harrassment or any other form of violence (physical or emotional). Saying we can create an entirely safe space would be pretentious. However, we will put measures in place with the goal of making our festival as safe as possible, so that we are able to react effectively if something happens.

As it’s almost time to be together again, we are glad to be presenting this Citizenship Manifesto, a first step on the road to a more inclusive festival. However, without your active participation, this will remain a fleeting dream. We hope to be able to make a pact with you, dear citizen, as you enter our festival grounds.

1. Mutual care: respect each other and yourself

We are collectively responsible for creating an inclusive environment and culture, so that we can all enjoy the moment. Everyone is welcome at Paradise City. As a festival, we believe we can bring people with different perspectives and backgrounds together, resulting in a more stimulating festival, where diverse voices are represented. Embrace it and celebrate it, but don’t forget to be mindful of others and respect their personal space.

If someone is not feeling well or in need of assistance, please get them the help they deserve. There will be a healing space near the camping site as well as a first aid post.

Looking out for friends and others extends beyond the festival grounds. Make sure to keep an eye out while traveling home!

2. A zero-tolerance policy towards harmful behavior

We are implementing a zero-tolerance stance to any form of discrimination or harassment in our festival, including but not limited to sexism, racism, homo/queer/transphobia, body shaming and ableism – whether it’s towards our artists, our audience or someone from the crew. Verbal or physical violence, bullying, unwanted sexual advances, vandalism, drink spiking and theft are unacceptable. 

Do not make any discriminatory or inappropriate comment regarding somebody’s appearance, gender expression, sexuality, religious expression, disability and/or ethnicity. At Paradise City, we welcome people as they are. Everyone has the right to enjoy music, it is as simple as that.

3. Consent culture

Consent is not just a word. It is your right. Nobody should be allowed to occupy a space, body or mind if it was not mutually agreed upon beforehand. If someone says no, it means no. What’s more, it goes beyond sex and applies to everyday interactions, even if it seems as harmless as sharing a photo on social media. It should be voluntary, enthusiastic, verbal, non-coerced and continuous.

There is absolutely no shame in asking 😉

4. Drug use

Consumption of drugs is prohibited on our premises. Even more, anyone found to be drugging someone else without their knowledge will be reported to the authorities.

5.Party safely

We encourage you to party safely. Know your limits and know your body. Preserve your physical, emotional and psychological health. When in doubt, go easy on yourself, and don’t forget to look after your friends.

You and you alone should have a say in what you consume. Peer pressure is challenging to overcome, but recognising everyone has their own way of partying is essential. Please, don’t be ashamed to be sober, but also, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

-> What if you need help during the festival?

If you witness harassment or if someone makes you feel uncomfortable, please let us know. Not only is our ground crew and security team thoroughly briefed, we will also have the Angels of Paradise, a team of dedicated and easily identifiable volunteers on the grounds (just look for people in pink vests). They will happily give a helping hand if you are faced with any kind of problem. This team has been trained to handle difficult situations and will help you get back to safety. You can go to them with any issue you have, big or small.

6. Green policy

Last but not least, we work tirelessly to ensure our festival can take place in our beautiful location. The only way we keep it that way is with your cooperation. Please consider the environment when enjoying the festival. Be mindful about your waste. You can always learn more about our green measures and our 10-step process to make sure we minimize our impact here.

  • Please use the toilets, that’s what they’re there for 😉 
  • Don’t throw away your cigarette butts.
  • And take care of your waste on the campsite!

 

... and finally

We want to emphasize that this Citizenship Manifesto applies to everyone visiting the festival, whether they’re an artist, visitor, crew member, press, etc. We want to encourage you all to be kind to each other. This is the surest way to spend Paradise City’s best edition yet. 

Please keep in mind this is a work in progress, we are all learning along the way. This process is continuous and never-ending, and we welcome you to let us know what you think. We welcome any advice you may have and recognize we can be wrong. Our hope is to attain a collective responsibility to improve our music scene and get it to its full potential of openness, compassion and respect.

Remember, be kind to each other, enjoy the music and dance till you drop ! See you on the dancefloor.