Speaking on behalf of the San Francisco Parks and Recreation department, Parks Director Phil Ginsburg has stated Symbiosis will not be allowed to return to Yosemite due to the 23 drug related arrests that happened over the course of the festival.
The festival, which was put on at Camp Mather for the first time in 2009, brings together art and music in a free form style similar to that of the Burning Man Festival. The festival centers around “elevated consciousness” and a green, healthy approach to living.
No word on if SF Parks and Rec plan to move the festival to a much more manageable venue or shutter it altogether. Previously the festival has been held in Angel’s Camp, north of Yosemite at the Junction of Highway 49 and Highway 4 and in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Photo courtesy of SymbiosisGathering.com and KyerPhotography.com.
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3 responses to “SF Parks and Rec says ‘NO’ to Symbiosis at Camp Mather in 2010”
Symbiosis was held at Camp Mather only once in 2009. The Symbiosis organization rented the facility from SFR+P. For more historical info on previous Symbiosis locations look at their website.
Thanks for the correction, Robin. I reworked the post. I didn’t even see that it had been held in Angel’s Camp before. Why did they move it to Camp Mather?
Sad news. The event was peaceful and positive. If you send enough law enforcement to any large gathering, you can get 23 arrests. I wonder if they treat strawberry with the same level of scrutiny?
Perhaps they just didn’t want to deal with the festival again an needed an excuse