Festival Info

LOCATION           CAMPING           WEATHER          WHAT TO BRING          WHAT NOT TO BRING         FACILITIES      CLEAN ENVIRONMENT         LUMINS

The Location of Luminate

Address: Canaan Downs, Canaan Road off State Highway 60, Takaka Hill Highway, Nelson, Tasman, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Driving: Towards the top of Takaka Hill (SH60) look for the signpost to Harwoods Hole and Canaan Road. The Woolshed Cafe is also at this junction. The festival gate is about 8km in along this narrow gravel road. You will need to drive slowly with care, stay away from road edges that may be unstable and give way to big vehicles and to any vehicle approaching uphill.

If you prefer to hitch a ride, you can become a member of the Luminate Festival Community Facebook Group and post your request.

If you come by car and have a spare seat, how about posting on the above Facebook Group and offering a ride?

Camping at Luminate

  • Camping is allowed in the open meadows only. Bring your own materials to create shade and shelter.
  • Absolutely no camping in the forest or under trees. The regeneration of the forest is in progress and the beech trees can drop limbs.
  • No camp fires. There is a strict fire ban.
  • Noise in the campsite must be minimised between 10pm – 8am out of respect for all others.
  • During the festival all vehicles parked in Camping must remain parked for the duration.
  • For health and safety reasons Luminate cannot allow vehicles to leave the campsite and return. It is also important to minimise traffic on the Canaan Road and to reduce carbon footprints.
  • Anyone needing to leave the site will have to sign out with photo ID and will receive a temporary pass which is required to be approved re-entry. The returning vehicle will need to park 1km away from Camping in a designated non-camping vehicle park.
  • To avoid this, plan on bringing everything you need for your time on the mountain including sufficient food and money.

Weather and Temperature:

The festival site is in a sub-alpine mountain environment at 750m above sea level and can get very cold at nights. Frosts have been known to occur even on summer nights. As the weather in New Zealand can be very changeable you will need to bring clothing and camping gear that can cope with four seasons in a day. Refer to the “What to Bring” list below for more info.

What to Bring

All Participants at Luminate need to be self-sufficient and need to bring everything they need for their time camping in an outdoor environment.

  • Your Admission Pass (or Ticket) printed or downloaded to your mobile phone / device (It must be previously downloaded and saved to your device as there is no phone or internet coverage on Takaka Hill). This is needed for entry to the festival
  • Valid photo ID, i.e. driver’s license, passport or student ID – the name on your ID must match your Admission Pass.
  • Tent or vehicle to sleep in.
  • Tramping mat/mattress to sleep on and to isolate you from the potential cold.
  • Sleeping bag/warm blankets/duvet.
  • Shade cloths/tarps for your camp – note there is no camping under trees, the regeneration of the bush is in progress and the beech trees can drop limbs.
  • A torch with extra batteries, a spare torch / solar light. 
  • Raincoat 
  • Warm jacket for the night time.
  • Sun protection – hat & sunscreen. NZ sun can burn quickly due to ozone depletion.
  • Water bottle/refillable container – non-glass.
  • Cash, Eftpos card, credit card.
  • Plate, mug/cup and cutlery – all meals/refreshments from cafes will be served on reusable plates/mugs. There are no single-use items. You can either bring your own or hire a plate, cup and cutlery at Luminate’s Eco Dishwashing Hub.
  • Cooking gear if you intend to do your own cooking.
  • Bags/boxes to store your own recycling or rubbish. There are no rubbish or recycling bins at Luminate, each person is responsible for their use of resources. Any rubbish or recycling must be taken off site. Directions to local rubbish and recycle centres are here.
  • All food, tea, coffee, drinks. snacks and personal items you may need.
  • Personal medication and hygiene products if needed.
  • Comfortable clothes and shoes.
  • Solar shower bag 
  • Eco-friendly washing products. The land has a very sensitive environment and to protect the Living Water, only earth-friendly washing products can be used in showers,  and washing and dishwashing. These products must not be used in the local streams!
  • And last but not least, we invite you to bring a heart that is resonant with Luminate’s purpose to co-create a thriving festival of music, arts and inspiration that activates positive change beneficial to the ecology.

What not to Bring

  • Alcohol – Luminate is a no-alcohol event. We very much appreciate your cooperation with this to help keep Luminate a safe place for all.
  • It is part of the Terms and Conditions of Admission that vehicles may be searched on arrival and any alcohol confiscated and not returned.
  • Animals – we cannot allow participants to bring any animals on-site.

Facilities On-Site

  • Camping Area in Participant camping.
  • Washing facilities including some solar showers. Bring your own solar shower bag if you have one.
  • Composting toilets and men’s urinals.
  • Dishwashing area close to the Village Market.
  • Compost area close to the Village Market.
  • Medical / First Aid tent
  • Village Market – selling a wide range of clothes and accessories, arts and crafts and food and refreshments (30th Jan to 6th Feb).
  • Luminate Cafes – five conscious food cafes plus coffee run by Luminate (30th Jan to 6th Feb)
  • Water for washing and drinking – please conserve this at all times.
  • No mobile phone reception! – Switch off your phone or put it on flight mode or extreme battery save mode to preserve your battery charge.
  • Lumins Portal – to transform your fiat currency (NZD) into Lumins 

Luminate’s Clean Environment Strategy

Luminate is renowned for its strong focus on being environmentally conscious. Luminate has recently been nominated as a finalist in the top five eco festivals in the global FestX Awards’ Outstanding Green Event Category. We invite all participants to learn about and understand how Luminate chooses to manifest our vision of heart-centered community flourishing in resonance with nature.

  • There are no rubbish or recycling bins or on-site. Be prepared to take out what you bring in and leave no trace. All participants are responsible for taking all of their
    rubbish and recyclables from the site and disposing of all items in an appropriate manner.
  • There will be a composting area for food and non-GMO items that biodegrade.
  • Bring your own plate and cup for the cafes as they do not sell food or refreshments in disposables or single use items. A dishwashing facility and composting area is provided nearby.
  • Composting toilets and solar-showers are provided – everyone must only use earthfriendly products to minimise any effects of greywater on the land.
  • There is access to natural spring water (without chlorine or fluoride) on-site so bring your own refillable containers.

Lumins

Luminate is excited and delighted to present an alternative currency for the Luminate festival community that we have called Lumins! We hope that the Luminate festival community will enjoy using Lumins as an energy exchange and will feel inspired to explore options for alternative currencies and other innovations that help our communities flourish.

  • All Adults and Youths at Luminate will receive a free Lumins card on arrival at the festival Gate.
  • The card can be activated with Lumins at the Lumins Portal, situated close to the Village Market within the event site. Lumins are added to your card by exchanging fiat currency in the form of either cash (NZD), Eftpos or debit/credit cards. (Debit/credit cards may incur a fee and interest charge from your bank regarding its terms for withdrawing cash).
  • The final frontier for trading using cash or Eftpos is at the festival Gate if buying a Ticket is needed.
  • Once within the festival, the Luminate community will all be trading only in Lumins which will be accepted by all market traders, healers, Luminate cafes and the Info Hub. Cash doesn’t need to be carried around the event site any more.
  • 1 Lumin will be equivalent to 1 NZD (one New Zealand Dollar) for ease of conversion

Leaving the Festival Site

  • Take care to leave the land as you found it and leave no trace.
  • Take your rubbish and recyclables to the local refuse and transfer centres, either in Takaka, Motueka or Nelson .

Luminate wouldn’t be Luminate without you all, so please receive a massive thank you from us and the whole Luminate Crew and we look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into the Luminate festival community.

Scroll to Top