Music, art and ephemeral architecture among poplars in La Cellera de Ter

A poplar plantation in La Cellera de Ter, located next to the river, is the bucolic and unique setting for the Rizomes festival, an event that combines visual arts, music, and ephemeral architecture. Sustainability and contact with nature are two of its main attractions.

In its fifth edition, which will be held between June 20 and 22, Rizomes, which also seeks to revitalize culture in rural settings, will increase its capacity to accommodate around 2,000 people in the Can Ribes forest in this inland municipality of the La Selva region.

Relena Cake is the headliner of a competition that focuses on sustainability.

With Tarta Relena as the headliner, following their performance at the Sónar festival where they presented their latest album És pregunta , Rizomes will be mixing folk, pop, jazz, and electronic music, among other genres, over the course of three days.

Aside from the folk music of the Tarta Relena duo, composed of singers Marta Torrella and Helena Ros, the Catalan scene will also be represented by another duo, Giulietta Vidal and Irene Romo, fronted by Alosa. Other performers include jazz from Lucía Fumero Trio; the musical and visual psychedelia of COU (Centro de Observación del Universo); the house music of Nahoomie; and the calm atmosphere of Ada Colau Trio.

This year, the festival is opening up to a more international audience with the presence of names as diverse as the German jazz band Fazer; Swiss accordionist Anatole Muster; Poland's Bloto and their instrumental hip-hop; Frenchman Pierre Bastien, who builds his own instruments; and London-based progressive folk-rock band Hoy Chorale.

Also arriving from London to perform at this festival is Beringei, a figure on the electronic scene, and completing the lineup with a foreign stamp is the Uruguayan Lechuga Zafiro, with an experimental electronic touch.

The Alosa duo, the jazz of Lucía Fumero Trio, and the French musician Pierre Bastien, who builds his own instruments, are among the names of this edition.

Rizomes will also host multidisciplinary performances, such as one combining poetry and performance by Núria Corominas, along with Daft Kant and Versonauta, on a new second stage. There will also be a light installation by Andreu Fábregas.

Rizomes, which champions sustainability, explains that its average CO2 emissions are approximately 51% lower than the average for European festivals. “The norm for a festival is to follow the formula of mass gathering; we reject this formula in favor of proximity and connection, and we want to demonstrate that culture doesn't have to go hand in hand with pollution,” says Roman Cadafalch, artistic director of Rizomes.

The event includes several initiatives to reduce and improve energy and water efficiency. It has implemented sustainable practices such as the use of dry toilets, where waste is converted into fertilizer for the forest; the reuse of shower water for irrigation; and the construction of infrastructure using recycled materials.

The festival will feature an elevated seating area, made up of large nets strung between the trees, designed and built by architect and set designer Roger Badia. Another sustainable initiative is the earth oven, built in an educational workshop using raw earth extracted from the site.

Rizomes has been awarded the AGF (A Greener Festival) certificate for its commitment to sustainability.

This environmental commitment has earned Rizomes the AGF (A Greener Festival) certification. The competition, in collaboration with the Centre d'Art Contemporani de Girona (Bòlit) and Entorns, an artist residency space in Mussar (Cerdanya), has created a residency that will award projects that combine sculptural, architectural, and lighting elements, with a focus consistent with the Can Ribes forest area.

Tickets, camping and bus reservations to the festival are available on the Rizomes website. This cultural initiative is supported by the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the Girona Provincial Council.