Dear OOtOpians, 

Here at OOtO HQ we are getting rather excited – there are only seven days until the festival kicks off, and our crew is on-site right now making things beautiful and setting the scene for a truly epic ride through this year’s Autumn equinox. 

In the arts and crafts area there will be a wide selection of modern and upcycled arts, crafts and fashion accessories on offer, including customised clothing, vintage costumes, feather jewellery, eco friendly wooden gifts and bespoke items you won’t find anywhere else. 

There are also lots of workshops going on – sock puppet making, screen printing, make-your-own record player, bottle top brooches, badge making, marble art, and balloon and mask decorating for the Children’s Parade on Sunday. 

Art installations come from Brighton-based Circus Kinetica, who will be joining Taz Lovejoy with her classic pieces ‘Brolly Frolly’ and ‘Hybrid Infusions’. Local designer Sisily Love has created an installation made out of unwanted and unloved materials, which would otherwise be headed for landfill. Other works include wind and solar powered installations made from household waste, spray paint workshops and live art pieces from local artist Sara Abbot. 

We had fun at the elemental flash mob last Saturday, dancing around the Victoria Fountain, on the Old Steine, Brighton, to Wide Eyed Order. A big thank you to the band – they’ll be playing on the Peace Stage at OOtO on Sunday, certainly one not to miss. We’re meeting again by the fountain at 2pm tomorrow if you fancy joining us. 

There are still a few tickets available for £66 for a full three-day pass (including camping), but these will rise to £77 on the door, so get in quickly if you want to save those pennies. There are still some volunteer posts to be filled, so please contact [email protected] if you want to get involved.