Back in March, we had no running water, no working toilets, no functioning bathrooms. Four months later we hosted 20 people on site and received another +/- 50 people for our first festival in honour of our patron saint Titus Brandsma. A priest dedicated our source, we found a bagpipe band at the last minute, sourced local wine and held a traditional bacon barbecue. Later on at night we tested the strength of our rudimentary electricity connection by pumping heavy beats through our valley until the early hours.

While modest in scale, it was a tremendous success for a first edition. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to make it possible. How long has it been since that many people gathered in Penadexo? Forty years, perhaps more? With this party, and especially during the days leading up to it, we formed a temporary community working together towards common purpose. Not because someone told us to, but simply because we all enjoyed taking part in making it happen.

In this way, we got a taste of what it can be like once we have 10 – 20 – 50 permanent residents!

For the future, we should host events on a regular basis. An autumn festival during chestnut harvest, a festival at the beginning of spring. An informal bar open on weekends. There are quite some possibilities to make Penadexo a joyful place and set an example for all the dying villages in the region.