Want to be Ganja Faeries?
Ganja
Faeries on Parade
- Ganja Faeries are the spirit of the MardiGrass Cannabis Law
Reform March and Rally. They dance behind the Bundjalung people
who traditionally welcome the protesters to their country each
year. The ganja faery dance has itself become a tradition simply
because the laws remain unacceptable to all self respecting
ganja users, be they Bundjalung, faeries or otherwise.
Each year the dance community in Nimbin
come together to choreograph a routine for the march and the
result is a riot of colour and rhythm on the day. You are welcome
to join us. One week before MardiGrass (last weekend in April)
there will be a dance workshop held at the Nimbin Dance studio
especially for the march, on the Saturday. No experience needed,
just enthusiasm. Ask around town when you get here. Start dreaming
up your costume now – the common thread is green, in all
its shades, in all styles, in all your glory! Ganja Faeries
are all different but all the same. Check out the past years
photos and the video footage. If you can’t get here in
time for the workshops you are urged to simply join the march
and stand up and be counted in all your greenery.
This year’s parade organisers
would love to once again create two percussion groups for this
parade. We envisage one small group of drummers – the
Ganja Faerie Drummers moving with the Faeries, whilst the Hemp
Drummers line the street creating a guard of percussion and
energy. The parade moves through with the Hemp Drummers falling
into the Parade at the end, creating a dynamic and powerful
finale at the end of the parade to keep the energy up and moving.
The Ganja Faeries Drummers who have been working with the Faeries
are already organised but we would love all other musos and
drummers to be part of this other incredible percussion force.
"Hello Ganja Faeries! Yes,
that means you! If you come to march at the annual MardiGrass
Cannabis Law Reform March and Rally, and you can dance, you’re
one of us!
We’re a bunch of friends
who start getting ready each year around March or April for
the MardiGrass, the first weekend in May. The common thread
is green, in all its shades, in all our styles. Ganja Faeries
are all different but the same. We create dance steps for the
grand parade where we can be a sea of green moving in rhythm
to the drums. We sew our costumes and make them wilder every
year.
One week before MardiGrass we
hold a dance workshop where we show all the new ganja faeries
the steps and inspire them to wear costumes. We do it again
the day before the parade (Saturday arvo) to make sure everyone
knows which way to go when. It’s lots of fun but you need
to be fit because on the day it’s a long way to dance
and frolic and make lots of noise from the police station down
the hill to Peace Park and you’ll probably be stoned as
well. Water is essential. Dropping out is not an option. Ganja
Faeries go to the end. So come and practice!
Workshops will be held at the
Nimbin Community Centre dance studio the Saturday a week before
MardiGrass, then the Saturday before the parade, in the afternoons.
If you are already in Nimbin rehearsals are held at 5:30pm on
Wednesdays. Meet at the Spangled Drongo restaurant / Oasis café
across the road from the Dance Studio at the north end of town."
If you do the workshops you get
to dance in the faerie troupe, but if you cant make it for that
you can still march in the parade as a Faerie!
GanjaFaeries
website
