At the time Darren was organizing music for another festival. The thought of music, environmental education, and friends getting together to celebrate the Earth made the AEF a natural idea. Darren quickly realized that this would be an ideal way to raise public awareness and money for environmental concerns simultaneously. He got people together and things "just snowballed... ideas kept compiling". The first Atlantic Earth Festival was "a camping folk festival with an environmental platform".
In 1992, the AEF came to Seaview Park in Halifax, and has remained in the city ever since. Music and Environmental Education have continued to be the combined focus of the event. The ever-changing volunteers, musicians, individuals and community groups at the festival have continued with the same goal- to promote environmental awareness.