Shambala is taking another big step towards becoming a fossil free festival by partnering with Festival Gas to roll out biogas across the festival site.

Festival Gas, which supplies and delivers LPG gas cylinders to major outdoor events, is working closely with Kambe Events, organiser of Shambala, to trial the rollout and use of Calor’s BioLPG. The product is made from sustainably sourced waste materials, such as seaweed and rotten vegetables, and renewable vegetable oils. Plus, it is made in the UK, reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact.

Chris Johnson, co-founder and managing director of Shambala, said that it has been his dream to use biogas on-site, especially as the festival has taken huge strides in temporary power usage and renewable energy.

Johnson said: “We’ve been reducing energy use and have been renewably powered for over a decade – our on-site grid power (which we installed) is renewable, and we use batteries and solar wherever we can. Our on-site buggies are electric and our generators and telehandlers use EU certified vegetable oil fuel (HVO).”

Using biogas is natural progression and another huge step in the festival’s sustainability journey. It’s a trial that has been years in the making and thanks to some open conversations with Festival Gas, this year it’s happening.

Both Johnson and Simon Beale (pictured), director of Festival Gas, called the trial a UK festival first. All the biogas wholesaled on-site by Festival Gas and used by crew catering, shower providers and traders, for example, will be biogas. No alternatives will be on offer and Beale confirmed that the biogas has been thoroughly tested by Calor so there is no need for anyone on-site to worry about using the slightly different product with their equipment.

Johnson described the pilot as another significant step in terms of what the festival can control. Johnson concluded: “We’ll report back after the show as to the impact this had, so if you (like us) find this sort of thing weirdly interesting, watch this space…”