Rocking the Daisies 2009 will rock your socks off

Featuring massive headline acts, SA's freshest homegrown musical talent, DJ's, comedians, art installations, interactive art fields, gourmet food, earth saving greening initiatives and top notch facilities (including child care), Rocking the Daisies 2009 is set to rock your socks off! Complete Events, the organisers of Rocking the Daisies, are preparing for a bigger and better festival in 2009 and raising the bar yet again to bring fans a fun-packed weekend.

This year's sponsors include Windhoek Draught, Hemporium, Red Bull, Marshall Music and Levi's® to name a few. Following on from the success of RADAR 2008, a Red Bull and Rocking the Daisies initiative in partnership with Speakerbox.co.za, the search for SA's most talented up-and-coming bands will take place once again offering fantastic prizes - including a slot at this year's festival.

Play hard, tread lightly

As South Africa's premier eco-friendly music and lifestyle festival, Rocking the Daisies collaborates with reputable green partners every year, incorporating innovative, environmentally conscious products into the festival and spreading the message of ‘play hard, tread lightly'. The Rocking the Daisies mission is not only to educate its community on living greener lifestyles, but to show them how to do it too.

Tony Budden, co-owner of Hemporium and green consultant for the festival remarked, “This year our aim is to make the green initiatives much more visual and integrated into the festival so that the festival-goers can experience them first hand. It is often too easy for the green aspect to get missed when the festival is in full swing. We are therefore going to be working with exciting new partners and innovative products in order to bring the greening elements to the fore”.

What to expect in 2009

Despite the highest rainfall ever recorded at the venue during the month of September 2008, and the resultant mud and subsequent congestion, the response from festival-goers in 2008 was overwhelmingly positive.
To avoid any repeats from last year, Complete Events and Cloof Wine Estate are considering every aspect when preparing for the 2009 festival. Measures include:

• Only 12,000 tickets on sale at selected outlets and online. Festival attendees will not be able to purchase tickets at the gate, except for a day pass on the Sunday. By knowing how many people to expect, the festival organisers can adequately cater for the required facilities including ablutions, waste removal, security and camping.
  
• Speedy and efficient ticket checking systems at the gate to ensure hassle-free entry.
  
• Similar to festivals the world over, a park and camp policy will be in place for Rocking the Daisies 2009.
  
• There will also be strict policies in place - namely, no under-18's (unless under-12 and accompanied by a parent), no glass and no open fires.

Says Brian Little, Festival Director from Complete Events: “Rocking the Daisies is in its fourth year and collaboration continues with big brands, green initiatives and individual consultants to bring you the best in music, food, facilities and entertainment - with a difference. The popularity of the festival last year was confirmed by the challenges we faced - an unprecedented increase in visitor numbers combined with extreme weather - both of which we are prepared for in 2009. We are also making green practices more accessible this year by showcasing how each and every one of us can make small adjustments in our everyday lives to effect sustainable change”.

Rocking the Daisies in Jo'burg

Complete Events in partnership with Oppikoppi Productions, are bringing Rocking the Daisies to Johannesburg in the form of Rocking the Gardens. The one day event will take place on 3 October 2009 as part of the Old Mutual Encounters Series at Emmarentia Dam, Rocking the Gardens will host SA's hottest bands.

Says Little, “We are very excited to be extending our festival to other reaches of the country. There is a demand for a festival of this nature in the Jo'burg region and we are pleased to be collaborating with Oppikoppi Productions and Old Mutual to offer the North a taste of the Daisies spirit.”

Visit the revamped www.rockingthedaisies.com website for up to date festival information and to purchase tickets online. From 9 September you can purchase your tickets at the following participating outlets: