By Greenpop
Date: 18 - 21 April 2025 (Easter weekend 2025)
Excitement is growing for Greenpop’s Reforest Fest 2025! Now in its 14th year, this flagship tree-planting and restoration event continues to evolve, offering an even more impactful and inspiring experience. Set against the stunning backdrop of Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat in the Overberg Region, the festival will take place from 18–21 April 2025.
Participants of all ages will come together to plant thousands of trees, camp under the stars, savour plant-based culinary experiences, and take part in a variety of workshops, classes, and live music performances. The site features interactive art installations, with wellness and nature-based sessions held regularly. Attendees will also enjoy delicious meals crafted by renowned local chefs. Expert speakers will enrich the experience by sharing insights into key environmental issues and practical tools for embracing sustainability at home.
Greenpop is an official partner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This global project is a 10-year-long commitment focused on stopping, slowing, and reversing the damage to ecosystems across the globe. Reforest Fest is an opportunity for hands-on environmental action, allowing people to participate in the restoration movement. Combat climate anxiety by getting active, not anxious, for the environment.
2024’s Reforest Fest Impact at a Glance
5000 indigenous trees were planted!
1200 activists, team members, facilitators, musicians, partners, and guest speakers came together to get active for the planet.
14 local & international musical artists performed.
62 talks, workshops, and other activities were attended.
11,500+ plant-based meals were served.
419 kg of waste was diverted from landfill and sent to be recycled.
527 kg of food waste was fed to pigs.
1652 kg of humanure from compost loos processed!
45 students, sponsored learners, and subsidised ticketholders joined us.
1430 km were cycled to the event.
53 incredible partners were involved.
Longer form overview
Reforest Fest is a unique event for people of all ages, where attendees can immerse themselves in a blend of tree planting, wellness activities, wholesome and unique food experiences, and a celebration of nature. This environmentally conscious festival is a gathering for personal well-being and the chance to reconnect to nature. It is a collective effort to restore our surrounding coastal thickets and afromontane forests. Just imagine the energy of hundreds of individuals united in purpose, working side-by-side to rejuvenate our natural environment. It is an experience that you can find nowhere else.
“Really an amazing experience, felt so connected – connected to the earth, connected to food, connected to the beautiful colourful delightful people, connected to music. It felt like a constant flow of enriching and refreshing energy was swirling effortlessly throughout the space. Definitely coming back, definitely recommending it to others.” - Ruth, Reforest Fest 2024 crew member
Restoring Indigenous Forests and Educating for Action
At the core of Greenpop’s Reforest Fest, which brings people together from all over South Africa and the world, is ecosystem restoration. Greenpop is committed to hosting a festival that not only sees the planting of thousands of trees, but is also committed to raising awareness and educating people about the importance of protecting our indigenous forests. This work is done in collaboration with our partners on the ground, Platbos Forest Reserve, and Platbos Forest custodian, Francois Krige. This year Greenpop’s goal is to plant 5000 trees over the weekend, and everyone is invited to get their hands into the soil.
(Photographer: Christian Khayo)
Treading lightly and getting creative with waste
Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat is a delicate site, maintained in a way that creates harmony with nature. By hosting over 1000 people on-site over the weekend, Greenpop is on a mission to ensure that this delicate balance is maintained and respected.
Greenpop aims to achieve a zero-waste festival with Reforest Fest. From the food served, and carefully crafted decor on site, to the recycling facilities, and the use of biodegradable soaps. At the 2024 event, 419 kg of waste was diverted from landfill and sent to be recycled. 527 kg of food waste was fed to pigs, and 1652 kg of humanure from compost loos processed! Greenpop recently won the Circular Design Challenge award for their innovative compost loo design, which was showcased at the Reforest Fest.
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Wholesome Plant-Based Food
Reforest Fest is committed to a sustainability-centred ethos throughout every aspect of the event, including the food served and the vendors partnered with at the event. Festival-goers can indulge in a range of wholesome and nutritious plant-based food, sourced locally and seasonally from the Overberg Region. This will range from Blended Food Caravan, a staple in the food truck scene, to the rich flavours of Mesob Ethiopian Cuisine and the Nigiro Teacafe. The festival’s vendors compost food waste, minimise packaging waste brought onto the site and ask festival-goers to use their own reusable plates and cups when purchasing from their stands.
Sunday Harvest Feast Celebrating the Flavours of the Overberg
An absolute highlight from the previous events, celebrating the rich flavours of the Overberg Region, Chef Bridget Bartleman from Kolossal Hospitality will be joining us again with a specially crafted feast that spotlights the best of locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients.
With a ticket to this lunch, festival-goers can indulge in a buffet of mouth-watering dishes with an assortment of desserts and wines to taste and pair, amongst plenty of other delights. All are savoured on the scenic lawns amidst the lush green hilltops of Bodhi Khaya. It’s a culinary experience not to be missed!
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Unique Wine Tasting with WWF South Africa's Conservation Wine Champions
WWF South Africa’s Conservation Wine Tent is a firm favourite at the event. Guests come through to enjoy a bespoke tasting experience, celebrating wines from some of the most sustainably and ethically-minded wineries in the Western Cape, paired with delicious chocolates.
(Photographer: Jessie Leverzencie)
An Array of Fun for All Ages
Like every year, Reforest Fest 2025 will have excitement around every corner, for every age, with a range of fun activities on offer. Parents can sit back and relax as their kids are entertained in the Kids’ Village, where art, story-readings, crafts and nature-based play come together. Highlights include flowers & leaf paper making with Growing Paper, an improv class for kids with comedia, Rob Coutts, as well as an Easter Egg Hunt with fairtrade choccies. For the inner child in you, festival-goers can also join in the various activities such as wood carving, dancing, crafting, flower-crown making and musical jam sessions.
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Groove Into the Night with an Array of Live Bands, DJs and Musicians!
Reforest Fest hosts a variety of artists and DJs from across South Africa and the wider world each year. From folky rhythms to electronic beats and fireside jam sessions, there’s something for everyone! Join Zolani Mahola, whose moving vocals captivated audiences back at Reforest Fest 2022. Zolani will be joining the festivities as a musical headliner at the 2025 event. Festivalgoers can also enjoy the hopeful, upbeat reggae sounds of The Rivertones, the captivating blend of Afro-futurist nostalgia produced by dynamic eight -piece band Operation Khataza as well as the charismatic guitar savant Sibusile Xaba, and the gees-filled experience that is Grassy Spark.
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Dive Into Informative Workshops and Talks
Reforest Fest is proud to host a range of industry experts, from homoeopathy to drumming, to forest restoration and active citizenry. Think informative workshops and talks on subjects like permaculture with Tim Wigley, organic veggie gardens with Ben Getz and learning how to 'Listen to the body as Teacher' with holistic medical doctor Murray Rushmere. We are even throwing in some line dancing with Caroline Blundell who has brought the joy of barn dancing to Cape Town since 1986.
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Walk to the Festival
Since 2019, an increasing number of guests have chosen to make their way to the festival on foot or by bicycle. The Peace Tree Pilgrimage, led by Ayala Katz, will see a dedicated walking group travel from Greyton in the Theewaterskloof, journeying across the Overberg region, through the Stanford Valley, and onward to the festival grounds.
(Credit: Ayala Katz)
Glamp in a Luxury Bell Tent
For festivalgoers looking to elevate their stay at the event, the glamping tents offer a stylish and comfortable accommodation option. Guests can enjoy the best of both worlds—immersing in nature while indulging in comfort—thanks to the thoughtfully designed luxury bell tents by Expedition Glamping. Each tent provides a roomy and cosy sanctuary, enhancing your festival experience.
(Photographer: Shari Lee Thompson)
Event details
Dates: 18-21 April 2025
Venue: Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat
Learn more: reforestfest.com
Get your tickets: https://bit.ly/Reforest_Fest_tickets
Please note: Greenpop’s Reforest Fest has sold out for the past three years, so it’s important to secure your tickets early at the most affordable rate before we move onto the next ticket phase.
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