Over the past few years, we’ve seen more and more people getting in touch with us to help with their environmental, green-themed and sustainable entertainment. It’s no surprise – the need to take care of our planet and raise awareness around sustainability has become ever more important. And here at Joogleberry, we’re always keen to keep things green with eco-friendly entertainment!
Whether you’re organising environmentally conscious entertainment for your city center festival, a green-themed parade, or a low-carbon corporate event with a sustainable message, there are so many ways to incorporate Mother Nature into your event entertainment. Animal acts, giant recycled robots, educational performers and entertainers who are careful of their carbon footprint – we’ve got a world of planet-friendly tips and sustainable entertainment ideas to make your event as eco-conscious as can be. Here are a few to get you started!
One of the easiest ways to make your event more eco-friendly is by opting for local acts. Not only does this save on the cost of travel, but it also contributes towards making sure it’s a low carbon event.
We’ve helped organise Chelmsford’s Green City festival for several years now, and aside from coming up with environmental-themed entertainment acts to feature, we also go out of our way to ensure the performers that are booked are within easy travelling distance of the event. This means the event not only has a green message but is practising environmental care from the word go.
By recommending acts that are as geographically close to your event as possible, we strive to minimise the negative impact of road and air travel pollution. With our wide and varied range of entertainers, it’s always possible to get you the best acts possible without sacrificing the planet’s health!
When it comes to promoting eco-friendly event entertainment, we say go big or go home!
Giant acts are great as high-impact environmental-themed entertainment, guaranteed to draw in crowds and make a memorable impression that will get people talking.
In the summer of 2019, for example, we brought a 50ft inflatable whale to Brighton Marina to educate children about climate change. An interactive large-scale act, our whale created a spectacular visual, drawing in little ones and creating an immersive experience that brought environmental issues to life in a way that they would remember.
Likewise, our 14-foot Binbot robot delivered a massive environmental message at the Bexley and Cleethorpes festivals. Made of recycled materials, Binbot blew attendees away with its size and unique build, delivering a larger-than-life message about sustainability. And did we mention the shareable photo opportunities that, in turn, help to raise awareness? Promoting recycling, environmentalism and green living, Binbot always steals the show!
Interactive educational entertainment can be a great way of communicating your event’s messages about climate change and environmental concerns. Encouraging children, in particular, to take an interest in sustainability from an early age will also set them up for a future of environmental consciousness.
But how do you capture imaginations and deliver an important message at the same time? Well, we’ve found that acts that involve animals and wildlife are some of the best ways to get kids thinking about nature and get them feeling connected to the environment.
In 2022, for example, the Witham Puppet Festival decided to have an environmental theme and we booked a whole range of big and small acts to suit. From dinosaur puppets to friendly Puddleducks, meet-and-greet sloths to a giant tortoise, seeing children and their parents interact with green and environmental-themed acts was a wonderful nod to the way sustainable entertainment can have a positive and active impact on audiences of all ages.
Eco-friendly events also provide a dynamic way to engage your local community through positive, meaningful action.
Our River Goddess giant puppet tours the country, bringing people together through a shared care for the UK’s rivers. This unique sustainable entertainment act not only creates a giant impression with its size but also encourages active participation in connecting to the elements around us.
And how about eco-friendly entertainment that gets everyone active – physically and mentally? We love booking interactive games like our Roller Racing bikes that raise heart rates and spirits, encouraging people to think about sustainable travel and healthy living.
Sports entertainment like this is a great way to encourage participation and involvement in an event, particularly for marketing and publicity events with a green message, staff team-building events, community outreach programmes or sustainable transport promotion.
Even if you’re not throwing an environmental-themed event per se, there are still plenty of ways to ensure your occasion is being kind to the Earth!
Many of our acts use sustainable props and planet-friendly accessories in their performances. Bubble Violets, for one, use eco- friendly bubble liquid and flowers made from recyclable materials. Likewise, our LED-adorned Lantern Ladies upcycle their costumes, recycle materials in their act and ensure they are as light as possible for easy and efficient transport to help with carbon neutrality.
You’ll also find that many of our balloon modellers for hire use biodegradable balloons in their acts to lessen plastic waste.
Though they may go unnoticed at first, all these steps help to organise a greener event that you can be proud of – and they go a long way towards a healthier, happier planet!
Parades and festivals are popular event types to incorporate a green message, with guaranteed crowds and the promise of excitement in the air.
We’ve organised plenty of environmental parades for a whole host of clients, thinking outside the box for entertainment that will sustain a buzz and get people thinking.
Right now we are looking at acts for the Norwich Lord Mayor’s Parade 2024 which is celebrating a green theme – and we’ve got lots of environmental acts to suggest!
Our Enchanted Flower Globe, Borneo This Way and Bee Cart are just some of the green-focused performances in the mix, as are street theatre shows, wildlife walkabouts, stilt walkers and dancers.
With parades and festivals, you can book a whole range of different acts that support an environmental or sustainable event theme, providing lots of variety and plenty of engagement, whether as walkabouts, static displays or scheduled theatre performances that carry a green message.
Roving environmental acts like Strictly Cycling are particularly good for parades given their mobility and choreography that creates a visual spectacle. Eye-catching, fun and supplying their own soundtrack, this type of large-scale act packs a punch in delivering a meaningful message in style!
Large-scale events like parades provide an opportunity for local communities to come together in a spirit of unity and shared purpose. This creates a sense of environmental stewardship and collective responsibility that inspires everyone to reflect on the importance of protecting our natural world.
Retail centres are more than just places to shop – they provide key areas for community engagement, attracting visitors of all ages. That’s why shopping centre entertainment has become a growing priority, with the benefits of increased footfall, customer engagement and brand loyalty helping to make these centres go-to destinations for leisure time.
More and more shopping centres are striving for eco-consciousness in an effort to become more sustainable too, and one of the outward ways they can do so is by mirroring their green objectives through the entertainment they choose.
We regularly book our amazing Bjorn the Polar Bear to entertain at environmental events and winter events at shopping centres. He was also featured in a publicity campaign for SEA LIFE London Aquarium’s Polar Adventure experience in 2019. Always a huge hit with crowds, Bjorn is an act that’s highly adaptable to suit a wide range of events, all while promoting an important message about climate change and the preservation of nature.
Environmental shopping centre entertainment can really make a lasting impact, whether that’s with wow-factor dance troupes like our junk percussion group Clatterati or fun walkabout acts like our Gliding Butterflies or Giant Penguins.
By integrating environmental entertainment into shopping centres, there’s the opportunity to not only attract and retain customers but also to make a positive impact on the planet by furthering sustainable practices and raising awareness about environmental issues.
Cycling stands out for its minimal environmental footprint. Unlike cars, bicycles emit zero emissions, contributing to cleaner air and reduced carbon emissions. By promoting cycling over driving, we can significantly decrease our carbon footprint and mitigate air pollution.
That’s why a cycling-themed event presents an excellent opportunity to weave environmental messages into its entertainment, encouraging fun and a greener lifestyle all while having a good time.
We loved putting together a line-up of cycling entertainment ideas for Ride London in 2023, aimed at keeping energy levels high on the day and celebrating cycling as a way of life. Our Bicycle Pilots on their penny-farthings proved to be a flying success at the Ride event, interacting with the crowds and getting everyone involved with their funny antics soundtracked by songs playing from the bicycles’ loudspeakers.
But that’s just one example! From a vaudeville bicycle act to unicycling jugglers, BMX stuntmen to a bicycle drummer, there are countless ways to keep the good times rolling with cycling-themed entertainment.
Cycling festivals, Tour de France celebrations, green living events and corporate occasions that promote sustainable practices…organising a cycling event can really help reflect the importance of environmental sustainability.
Environmental events serve as a powerful catalyst for developing sustainability, raising awareness, and inspiring positive action.
Whether it’s through eco-friendly festivals, green-themed events, or sustainability-focused exhibits, occasions like these offer dynamic platforms to celebrate our connection to the planet and promote eco-conscious living. By embracing environmental entertainment too, we not only enjoy memorable moments of joy and inspiration but also actively contribute to the global movement towards a more sustainable future.
So here’s to supporting and participating in Earth-friendly and sustainable events, knowing that every step we take towards awareness and action brings us closer to a brighter, greener tomorrow. Together, we can make every moment of entertainment an opportunity to celebrate and protect our planet!