To celebrate Interational Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour global respite from technology, Mental Ideas hosted an event in Hong Kong Park on March 1st 2019 from sundown till midnight. Festival goers unplugged all electronic devices (cellphone sleeping bags were provided for all attendees) and enjoyed a boho evening of acoustic music, poetry, conversation, food & bonhomie! The event highlighted the value of disconnecting from our digital devices to connect with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities in real time.

We intended to make this an annual event and grow bigger. Obviously due to the pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings in Hong Kong, we were unable to host this event in 2020-2022. This year seems unlikely as spending time disconnected in a park in a mask just feels weird. But hopefully we can reconnect in places with faces  in 2024!