Festivus by Jane and Ben

It was wet and muddy as we arrived Friday, except for a few brief hours, the sky was dark- dropping rain on all of us pulling onto Pransky Road. Despite this, the prominent vibe was positive, full of smiles and helping hands. After all, this was the Manifestivus, year 7 of the Cabot, VT party led by Toubab Krewe on the family land of bassist Dave Pransky.

The message and energy sent from the stage throughout the weekend was clear: love your neighbors and have a damn good time! The Festivus community is open-minded, laid-back, and upbeat. This years Festivus had brilliant international acts such as Bubacar Diabate, Barrington Levy, and Oumou Sangare- who absolutely stole the show and many hearts on Friday night.

Saturday during the say, a window of sunshine came through and Festivus goers refreshed in the swimming pond, did yoga, learned drumming in a Toubab/Jeh Kulu workshop and picnicked at their campsites. We enjoyed food by the Irie Project- all vegetarian, local, rice and beans, tofu, spring rolls, veggie patties and pies. All of this before getting down to a 2nd night of Toubab Krewe- which turned out to be the groups most impressive set that we've ever seen.

Festivus was safe, diverse, global, and and awesome time. Two thumbs up!

By Jane Jarecki and Ben Lanza

...and now the photos