Rabbits Eat Lettuce is a rad festival that takes place during the long Easter weekend (hence the bunny-themed name) and is also celebrating its 15th birthday this year. We recently caught up with Erik Lamir, the festival’s founder, about what the festival means to him, what makes Rabbits Eat Lettuce so unique and career advice he’s learnt along the way.

Hi Erik! What inspired you to start Rabbits Eat Lettuce way back in 2008? Well, that is going back a long time! I grew up in the small country town of Bellingen, and we had to make fun. I remember going out to a psychedelic bush festival when I was 17 years old and I was super inspired. I decided to host a little party and dragged a generator and a sound system out into the bush and had a party with some friends.

I posted the event on a random internet forum (back before social media was a thing) and we ended up getting a carload of randoms rocking up with a gold coin donation to join the fun! It kind of grew organically from there over the years. With each event, we were constantly trying to push the boundaries creatively with production and curating the experience. 

What do you love the most about music festivals? Going to festivals as a young kid and being raised by hippies meant that I had complete freedom to explore. It was always such an exciting time seeing people come together and connect, and I think that's what I love the most about festivals; they provide a space for freedom of expression and connection in nature outside the confines of urban society. People can connect and dance together, and I love bringing people together and seeing the joy and connection.  

I'm stoked that I managed to make a career in the festival industry since I love the creative process of curating this experience for people. I love dancing and I’ve been raving since I was 16, so it's a lot of fun bringing a super eclectic offering of musical artists together to showcase their art. 

What inspired the name, Rabbits Eat Lettuce? Rabbits Eat Lettuce was born because we decided to throw a big doof for Easter. At that time, I was hosting a new party every few months, and they all had funny names.

This was around the time South Park first came out. There is a specific line in one of the early episodes when the boys are riding on the bus. Stan is like, “Well we can't do anything for now, that fat bitch won't let us!” Then the bus driver yells, “What did you say!?” And it ends with Stan saying “I said that rabbits eat lettuce.” 

I never expected that a joke from South Park would inspire an event that is now a massive multi-day music and arts festival and still be running 15 years later, but here we are!

How would you compare the festival’s early days to the current day, 15 years later? REL started as a single night, with a single stage, and has evolved over the years to become a four-day festival experience with multiple stages and thousands of people from all over Australia attending! It started as a forest dance party, but it now has a much more holistic approach with our daily workshops, yoga classes and a vibrant market area to balance the dance party side. As the event has grown, so has my intention. One of the aims of the festival is to inspire people and give them an enriching, exciting and soul-nourishing experience so they leave the festival feeling better than when they arrived. Then, they can bring the REL love and connection they feel at the festival back into the real world. 

What makes Rabbits Eat Lettuce unique from other festivals? REL is a unique sensory experience, far beyond any ordinary festival. As you dive down the rabbit hole you enter a magical world of adventure and self-discovery, where every nook and cranny are primed for connection, wonder and fun to happen. REL is completely independent, free from corporate sponsorship and is fully funded by ticket sales. This allows us complete freedom with creativity and curation. As the festival started from the underground, it has a lot more soul than big commercial events and has a real sense of community. The vibe at Rabbits Eat Lettuce is different to any other festival in Australia that I have experienced. The people are so friendly with open hearts and no judgement, and the patrons look after the environment and look after each other. Aside from that, I feel, musically, we try to push things in our unique direction. We love offering a diverse musical offering so people hear new music that they wouldn't normally listen to. 

Talk to us about the festival’s line-up. How do you choose performers? It happens organically, like our own personal tastes or recommendations by friends. I try to ensure the line-up has a perfect balance of energy with different styles of music, so regardless of your mood or personal tastes, you will be guaranteed to find something you resonate with. I'm excited about the line-up this year!

I'm always looking for new and interesting music producers who have a unique sound that works for REL. Usually, we put the feelers out to agents and see who might be floating around, but when there are specific artists we want, we go directly to the source. The booking process can be a little tedious and frustrating at times. You might have 100 emails back and forth with an agent about one artist for six months only to have the thing hit a brick wall. Whenever it works out and you finally land an artist, it's cause for celebration! 

What is the timeline like for putting together a festival like Rabbits Eat Lettuce? It is a one-year to 10-month timeline, especially with all the admin duties. The permit process can be quite complicated and tedious, with so many different stakeholders and factors at play. So, you need to allow as much time as possible to ensure you can deliver the festival as planned. 

What’s your favourite Rabbits Eat Lettuce memory? After 15 years, there are so many good memories it's hard to pick a favourite! There are some golden hour sunsets on the dance floor that spring to mind. REL 2021 was a very special year, as we were one of the first festivals to go ahead after COVID and the energy and vibes were amazing. People were so excited to be able to head out to the bush and dance together again after such a long time in isolation. 

I love working on the event build with all the crew watching the event go from a dream to reality, and seeing the patron’s excitement to explore what we have created. It's honestly been such a wild journey to get to this point and to look back at what we have created and that the event is still alive after 15 years is pretty amazing. I'm excited to see what the next 10 years of REL will bring, now that we have locked in our new venue. I'm looking forward to keep pushing the event creatively and the culture in a positive direction. 

What are the biggest challenges with putting together a festival like this? I read somewhere that event management is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and I can attest to this. When you also have to account for outdoor events, bad weather, COVID, economic downturn, noise conditions and a party environment, I think it's likely bumped up the list! There are so many moving parts when running a multi-day camping music and art event, but I would say that the most challenging aspect is securing a suitable venue that can handle the thousands of people and also has enough of a sound buffer so you can have loud pumping dance music without bringing down the whole neighbourhood!

Rabbits Eat Lettuce has been held at eight different venues spanning from Coffs Harbour in NSW up to Sunshine Coast in QLD, so finding a suitable permanent site is a challenge for sure. We are super fortunate and stoked to have secured our new venue at Cherrabah Resort for our special 15th edition.

The permit and approval process can be a challenge for sure, but fortunately, the team at Southern Downs Regional Council and all the emergency services in Warwick have been very been great to work with. The local council at Warwick see the huge value these festivals can bring to communities, as they help bring in thousands of young people to experience their region and provide a great boost to their economies.  

Do you have any advice for people who want to get into this career? I'd say that a good first step is to dip your toes in by volunteering for a festival, so you can get a bit of an inside look at the operations of the event. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to meet people in the industry and show your value and network. 

But if it's producing and promoting events that you want to do, my advice is to start small and work your way up so you can work out the teething process, learn the market and develop your skills along the way without too much financial risk while you're still learning. 

Use the code FRANKIE over here to nab a $20 discount for Rabbits Eat Lettuce 2024. This discount will expire at 5PM, 26th January 2024.