We’re delighted to announce that we will be accepting Exeter Pounds at Off Grid Festival this August. Not only that, but this innovative local currency will be acting as our onsite festival currency for the event!

Exeter Pounds in use at the Real Food Store

Festival-goers will be strongly encouraged to swap their normal GBP for Exeter ££s on entry, and use them throughout the festival at the onsite cafes and bar.

The Exeter Pound is a local currency designed to make sure money spent in Exeter stays in Exeter. It is like a voucher that can only be spent in local independent businesses. It is equal in value to sterling and people can buy £E1, £E5, £E10 & £E20 Exeter Pound notes at exchange points across the city.

Exeter Pounds are a ‘Transition’ currency, as seen in Totnes, Brixton, Lewes and - most successfully - in Bristol, where over 1 million Bristol Pounds are in circulation and used for things including paying Council Tax and Business Rates. Even the last Bristol Mayor took his full salary in Bristol Pounds!

Off Grid Festival itself has previously had its own experimental complementary currency - the Symbol of Life (SOL), which launched in 2009 and ran until 2012, being used at all Off Grid Festivals as an alternative monetary system.

The Exeter Pound is used in over 100 businesses across Exeter, from restaurants to boutique clothing stores, ensuring that every pound you spend is retained within the local economy. There are exchange points across the city, one of which will be taking up residence at Off Grid in 2016. We will be encouraging you to take part and exchange your currency for the alternative Exeter model. £1 = 1 Exeter Pound. There’s no catch involved!

FULL INFO FOR USERS AT OFF GRID IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1etWagc6o3GIL3Mb3_d6quM6y1gUMPRccBQ0BKXgq5Ag/edit?usp=sharing

Or visit the Exeter Pounds Website to find out more