Location: The Circle of Dreams, Riviersonderend
Thank you to: Pam and Anton, Vortex Trance Adventures, all the beautiful souls that stomped with us.
Wow, wow and wow again.
This was not our first trance festival, but in all honesty – it was our first proper trance party. With a location like the Circle of Dreams out in Riviersonderend (GPS 34*08’16.27”S 19*59’43.14”E) one cannot help but enjoy oneself in the forest, the river, or the trance floor.
Surrounded by hundreds of really wonderful people, we were immersed in this world beyond reality. With light shows to blow your mind and décor that takes your mind and imagination to the next level – our senses were completely overloaded and inspired.
This festival is run by Vortex Trance Adventures and the festival itself is referred to as Open Source running in December (dates vary). It is one of the most professionally run trance festivals with everything you would need to enjoy yourself.
It’s an all camping or camper facility nestled in a forest next to a river to cool off in the South African December summer heat…or after a solid few hours of nightly trancing.
They provide drinking water, warm showers (if you can grab them before the rush, and toilets…they are kept as clean as possible – but you know people, they get messy.
We were part of the Heart Space which is run by IndiPam, an initiative developed by Pamela and Anton; two very awesome souls.
We were in charge of the Yoga side of things as part of a team of 6 individuals; this included message and sound healing, among several other arts and offerings.
We met so many people from all walks of life. These festivals, although they can be filled with some rather strange beings, are one of those experiences you would need to experience in order to really explain the feelings one goes through.
We were solidly overwhelmed in so many ways with holding the Heart Space, conducting yoga classes during heavy trance sets (extremely powerful sound systems)…and just plain enjoying ourselves. We are seasoned trancers now and have developed a system to keep us grounded and balanced – but for your first few festivals – go with friends and make a pact to look after each other – to also have a check-in times and places to make sure everyone is okay – this is usually around ‘dinner’ time – which is anywhere between 17:00 and 22:00 – keeping in mind the music goes 24hrs…and the food stalls usually only close around 2am.
Stay safe out there.
