Julie Finn
- Do you love to upcycle?
- Do you love to refashion?
- Do you live in Denver, Colorado?
If you answered “yes” to any of the previous questions (well, #3 is probably the most important…), then you must check out PalletFest. It’s billing itself–and I have no reason to disagree–as the nation’s first upcycling festival, and it’s happening this weekend, October 11 and 12, in Denver.
Although the festival will incorporate upcycling of all kinds, pallets are perhaps the most ubiquitous material (other than toilet paper tubes…) when it comes to upcycling. Seriously, have you seen all the stuff that you can make from old shipping pallets (I actually made this upcycled pallet compost bin, and it’s awesome)? And whatever you’ve seen, PalletFest is going to introduce you to a few more. There will be an upcycled pallet obstacle course for parkour, a life-sized maze constructed out of pallets, live painting on pallets, and a giant pallet sculpture build-off that will take place over the entire two days of the event.
If you weary of pallets (I know that’s not actually possible, but do attempt to tear yourself away from them for just a little while), then there are other, non-pallet activities to partake of, such as live music, an upcycled fashion show (if we lived in Denver, I guarantee my kid would be participating in this!), a sustainable home and garden show, and vendors who use upcycled materials to create their products.
Festivals and craft fairs, like these (Strange Folk in Missouri is another!), that are intentionally focused on sustainability are so important in mainstreaming the type of positive environmentalism ethic that should be second-nature to us. Like your local natural foods store of festivals, it’s a relief to visit such a place and know that every activity that you participate in, everything that you might want to purchase, and all your entertainment is eco-friendly. I hope that PalletFest goes the way of another of my all-time favorite festivals, Maker Faire, and expands nationally–I look forward to a time when I could visit a PalletFest without hopping on a plane!
PalletFest image via PalletFest]
