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The organiser of a sober festival says their music events, where alcohol is not allowed, are growing in popularity as more people turn away from drink.<\/b><\/p>\n
Lindsay Hamberg from the Conscious Clubbing group, which runs Over the Dunes Festival this weekend in Druridge Country Park, Northumberland, said more people were attending their events every year.<\/p>\n
She said: “In the North East, it’s got arms and legs, it’s about a community coming together – it’s not just a trend, it’s here to stay.”<\/p>\n
The latest data from the Health Survey for England for 2024 found 24% of adults surveyed from the region said they had not drunk alcohol in the last year.<\/p>\n
Nationally, data suggests<\/a> the number is rising, but far fewer older people abstain from alcohol, and those who do drink are likely to do so at more dangerous levels.<\/p>\n She said she thought more people were motivated to attend sober events because they were prioritising their health and mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n “You can really feel the music and how you want to move, it’s a liberation, and it comes with the joy of doing it in a community of like-minded people,” she said.<\/p>\n “It’s not all about having alcohol or drugs to have a good time, you can do it on your own supply, you’ve got your own internal chemicals to ignite that.”<\/p>\n She added that it also now “costs a lot” to have a night out, which some people could not afford.<\/p>\n Amongst the attendees of their events, she said there were also a number of people who had struggled with alcohol misuse or addiction.<\/p>\n “It’s a safe space where everyone is welcome,” she said.<\/p>\n Follow BBC North East on <\/i>X<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a>, <\/i>Facebook<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a>, <\/i>Nextdoor<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>Instagram<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n