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In January 2024, I had the pleasure of attending Woodstock Fruit Festival in Homestead, Florida. This was the first time I traveled to this festival which previously had been held yearly in upstate New York since 2011, and is the largest raw vegan event in the world.
What does that mean and what is a fruit festival / raw vegan event? It means that for one week, it’s a non-stop party, with natural healing and wellness activities, amazing scenery, beautiful people and new friends. All of this happens under the backdrop of having access to constant supply of fresh, tropical fruits, as well as delicacies like fresh orange juice, fresh coconut water, sugarcane juice, smoothies, and salad ingredients with specially prepared gourmet entrees which are all raw vegan and made from enzyme-rich fruits, vegetables and seeds.
Some people were wondering whether this festival would survive the move from the Catskills in the Northeastern USA, home of some 19th century transcendentalists, down to South Florida, the land of fruits and nuts.
Certainly, finding an appropriate venue took a while, considering the prior festival was summer 2022. Ultimately, on an objective level, I think that the venue was well-selected and the 2024 event was really well done. I offer my respects to those individuals who bankrolled this event, managed it, or volunteered to make it a reality. There were many leaders who turned a whimsical idea into a smoothly executed reality.
There was something for everybody in terms of a jam-packed schedule of activities, whether you are somebody who wants to do exercise and fitness classes, yoga, breath work, ice-breakers, singles events, dancing, mud bathing, lectures and classes, raw food demos, emotional or spiritual exploration, excursions and field trips, or if you just preferred to hang out by the lagoon and make new friends. The food selections were really top-notch and some of the tropical fruits on hand were so sweet it made your toes curl — even the lemons were sweet as candy.
It’s hard to imagine a better setting for this type of event, although I haven’t been to New England in the summertime. In the wintertime, tropical South Florida just inland off the coast made for absolutely perfect weather in the high 70s and low 80s during the daytime, with mild clouds constantly rolling in over a serene setting of a tropical fruit farm with rolling orchards, placid hilly lawns of fresh cut grass, and a fresh water lagoon.
Some people will always find something to complain about (mostly people who chose not to attend the festival). Bathroom facilities were port-a-potties, although there was at least one regular bathroom available. Although I was a little concerned at first, this to me ended up not being so bad. There were several showers on site. Also for those who just weren’t up for camping, there were a decent number of attendees who chose to rent an Air BnB or stay in a hotel offsite. Personally, it had been a while since I went camping and I wasn’t sure how rough it was going to be. But I have to say that with an air-inflated mattress pad, sleeping bag and a small tent, I slept like a baby underneath the mango trees.
There were some who objected to the cost of the festival, which apparently was at a higher rate than previous festivals, and chose not to go. It is true the cost was higher to run the festival in this environment than in previous iterations. I don’t particularly think that the people working to put on the festival were just trying to make a bunch of money. I happen to suspect that very little if any profits are being realized from festival ticket sales, and the lion’s share if not all revenues collected were being reinvested into make the event something really special — which was definitely not cheap! The fact is that the cost of everything is inflating, and complaining about the cost of Woodstock Fruit Festival is like complaining about the cost of insurance or toilet paper. Of course I understand it was simply unaffordable for some people money-wise and time-wise (trust me I have been there myself) and I am sure it was a difficult decision for some about whether they could justify going.
The fact that it was a new experiment, we were roughing it in tents, the money and time commitment was serious, and everything else gave people a chance to rise to the occasion this year and there was a sort of pioneering spirit.
There was a serious camaraderie amongst the festival-goers, and it felt like being part of something new and exciting, which I am sure has been a staple part of Woodstock Fruit Festival from its very origins. There was a sense floating around that we were going to collectively help change the world for the better.
I made some friendships which I am sure will last a lifetime, some special connections, and alliances with individuals who share the same mission I am on — to help people by spreading information so that people in this twisted up world can get themselves in good health so they can live a good life.
I went through some transformations which were powerful and I got even more back from going than I could have ever expected! I must credit specifically working with Bradley Lovell doing breath work via Nervous System Reset, which totally rocked my world and made me feel alive again in ways I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. I felt so grateful and was having such a blast just walking around.
Although totally bummed out at the prospect of leaving, I got back to Austin feeling very refreshed with a newfound enthusiasm. I am grateful for the experience and I want to say thank you to those who helped to create it. I really hope that 2025 Woodstock Fruit Festival will be in the cards and I am committed to being there. If you are on the fence about going in 2025, if it happens again, my advice is to commit and do it!
If you are a first-time attendee, you can use my referral code to receive a discount on your festival ticket:
RapidRegeneration.com/Woodstock
We’ll be doing something on a much smaller scale but still should be at least 100+ people and a super fun party on October 19 & 20, 2024 at Texas Fruit Festival in Austin, TX. I cherish our community here of people who are interested in solving health problems and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Our philosophy of natural health and healing continues to grow and the worldwide movement is gaining critical mass. It will be fun and worthwhile to be a part of that positive change!
Until next time,
Dave Escamilla