About 130 climate-change campaigners from around the country gathered to support Southlanders concerned about the potential impacts of lignite mining on their communities.
The festival, which was organised by Coal Action Network Aotearoa (Cana), started on Friday evening and was due to finish this morning.
An open day for the public was held yesterday at the Mataura Community Centre.
Veteran Queensland beef and grain farmer Sid Plant spoke at the weekend about his experience living next to a large open-cast coal mine and the impact on his farm. Mr Plant has farmed there for 30 years.
Others spoke on climate change, health, and lignite and economy.
Former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons held workshops on how to hold non-violent protests, and how to keep the anti-lignite campaign going.
"Phasing out coal is my retirement plan, to keep the environment for my grandchildren."
Mrs Fitzsimons said she had been supporting the festival with Cana.
Robina Johnston's 424ha sheep and beef farm is near Croydon, Southland, where Solid Energy is looking into building a mine.
Mrs Johnston said she was concerned about the effect mining had on water quality, and that companies buying up large sections of "high quality farmland" for mining would reduce food production.
"Where the open cast mine is planned near Croydon is a lot of Doc land and farmland. We use our farm for recreational events for the community through walks, and are developing a trail bike ride."
She expressed concerns about the lack of notification and consultation when the Gore District Council granted land-use consents to Solid Energy's briquetting plant last year.
"A lot of people who are and will be affected were excluded from the process."
The briquette plant is the first of three projects planned for lignite from the Waimumu, Croydon and Mataura areas.
The protest festival was held at Mike Dumbar's farm, which is near the site of Solid Energy's briquetting demonstration plant, in Craig Rd, south of Mataura.
Mr Dumbar believed Croydon would be the first new site to be mined by Solid Energy as the lignite in that area was much better quality than the lignite near Mataura.
Security staff were posted outside the briquetting plant during the weekend while the festival was held.
Work is under way on the plant, which is expected to have a total cost between $20 million and $25 million.
It will process about 148,000 tonnes of low-grade lignite coal from a nearby mine annually, turning it into 90,000 tonnes of higher quality briquettes suitable as fuel for households and industries. A further 15,000 tonnes of lignite will be required annually to fire its on-site boiler. The coal will be transported to the plant from the New Vale mine, near Waimumu.
Festival organisers say Solid Energy's plans to exploit the lignite coal under Southland's farmland would constitute the largest industrial complex in New Zealand's history.
Mr Dumbar said his farm might be used as the site for a similar festival later in the year.
