Byron Music Festival – the good times rolled

A unique blend of electronic music artistry and community choir had a rapt audience singing along at the top of their voices in the closing hours of Byron Music Festival 2023.

Groove Terminator and the Shire Choir’s goosebump-inducing renditions of classics such as I Feel Love and Love is in the Air proved irresistible, with the huge crowd joining in what is certainly the happiest musical experience of the year.

The feelgood session summed up the atmosphere of the entire Saturday in the park event, which saw kids dancing on dads’ shoulders to the funtime rock of Bunny Racket and devoted fans soaking up the eclectic sounds of an exhilarating range of bands, from the emerging, such as Band Called Stereo, to the established (JK-47, Resin Dogs, Hussy

Hicks) – all of them having some connection with the Northern Rivers region.

Fifty bans altogether played across a variety of stages in Byron Bay, from the opening night at the Great Northern Hotel to the closing party at the Treehouse at Belongil.

Saturday’s main event was held in balmy weather with the panorama of Byron’s glittering sea-scape as its backdrop. The beachside Dening Park featured three stages and 35 acts, each with a hard core of followers in attendance, and fresh converts to music that was stunning in its diversity and excellence.

Punters took to social media to broadcast their enthusiasm: “The best festival in Byron Bay,” enthused one; “Defnitely the best festival Byron Shire has to offer,” echoed another; while pinkzinc entertainment simply said: “Was

PH: 6686 9600 ballinafaircinemas.com.au

Thurs June 29th - Wed July 5th

ELEMENTAL PG 109 Min

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY M 154 Min

NO HARD FEELINGS MA+ 103MIN

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE PG 140 Min

THE FLASH PG 144 Min

THE LITTLE MERMAID PG 135 Min

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS M 127 Min

EPIC.”

Their delight was shared by Byron Music proprietor and BMF Director, Nick Sergi, who said the 2023 festival proved to be the gift to the community he had hoped for.

“Our local musicians have faced a huge struggle in recent years with the pandemic stopping all live performances, and audiences have also been denied the experience of joining with other music fans in a celebration of what they passionately love.

“This weekend we were able to give them that experience in spades: everyone was happy – the paramedics, who didn’t have to deal with any dramas, the police, the musos, and all of the locals who were able to enjoy the talent and warm vibe and the reminder of why this is such a special place to live.”

The family-friendly event lived up to its multiple objectives, summed up in three words: Community, Culture, Country. “We are grateful to have been supported by a number of wonderful local businesses who enabled us to and provide a safe and friendly venue for families to have a day out enjoying a range of locally-made musical experiences,” Nick said.

“BMF also encouraged and supported the region’s performing artists; and demonstrated care for country and respect for its traditional custodians, from the opening welcome to country featuring Arakwal and Bundjalung Dancers to our ‘no plastics’ rule to the Sunday morning beach clean-up, alongside sustainability partners Positive Change for Marine Life (PMFL).”

• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (M)

• No Hard Feelings (MA15+)

• Spiderman: Across the SpiderVerse (PG)

• The Little Mermaid (PG)

• Elemental (PG)

• The Flash (M)

• Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny (M)

• The PilgrimageUnlikelyof Harold Fry (M)

• Cats in the Museum (G)

The clean-up collaboration saw 27 community members, festival crew and PCML volunteers prevent 33kgs of waste from washing into the ocean – nearly 4000 separate pieces of litter, from cigarette butts, balloons, aluminium cans and food containers.

HANS: DISCO SPEKTAKULAR TOUR

Home Shows

THE JOHNNY CASH SPECIAL pm

Saturday August 12, 2023 @ 7:30pm

RHYTHMS OF IRELAND

Monday August 14, 2023 @ 6:30pm

BJORN AGAIN: THANK ABBA FOR THE MUSIC 2023

Friday August 25, 2023 @ 8:00pm

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT TRIBUTE TO ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

Sunday August 27, 2023 @ 2:00pm

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL

Saturday, September 2, 2023 @ 7:30pm

Thursday, September 21, 2023 @ 7:00pm

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR: HOPE

Friday, September 22, 2023 @ 7:30pm

SHE WILL ROCK YOU “THE STORY OF WOMEN WHO DARED TO ROCK THE WORLD”

Friday October 6, 2023 @ 7:30pm

THE AFTERNOON AT THE POPS:

THE MUSICALS OF BROADWAY

Sunday October 29, 2023 @ 2.00pm

THE AUSTRALIAN INXS SHOW

Saturday December 9, 2023 @ 7.30pm

RUNNING INTO THE SHADOWS OF FLEETWOOD MAC (PG)

Friday May 17, 2024 @ 8.00pm.

Although the waste didn’t come from the Festival site, organisers were determined to go beyond the Festival’s covenant with Byron Shire Council, the town’s residents and traditional owners and leave the area better than they found it.

“We are grateful for the support we have received from the community to bring BMF back to Dening Park. To express our appreciation we were committed to ensuring that our footprint was light, and we fulflled that commitment,” Nick said.

Plans for a Byron Music Festival in 2024 were already underway, he said.

Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG) presents four diverse exhibitions this July from local and interstate artists. The exhibitions include a photographic journey through Afghanistan, explorations upon the essence of landscape, traditional textile art and cultural practices of Iran and a collection of artworks celebrating the 12th Annual Grace Cruice Memorial Exhibition.

Imagined Peace – A Portrait of Modern Afghanistan | Mark Isaacs This exhibition is a portrait of Afghanistan before the Taliban regained control of the country. The images were taken in 2016-17, at a time when people dared to dream in the Western occupation’s promises of peace, prosperity, and freedom. The exhibition delves beneath the news reports to remind us that even in the most challenging circumstances, hope, love, and peace can fourish.

SCU Graduate Award

Grounding (States of Flow) | Jemima Patch -Taylor The recipient of this year’s SCU Graduate rhythms of nature and cyclic dispositions of the universe and how this can relate to human consciousness. It provides glimpses of moments of time, stillness, and refection, expressing a

Mohammadi explores the traditional Iranian

Mohammadi fowers of Qamsar. This exhibition

Gruice Memorial Exhibition | BACCI

Presented by the members of the Ballina Arts & Crafts Centre (BACCI), this exhibition is a tribute to founding member Grace Cruice, showcasing the best works created by BACCI members over the

Award Exhibition, Jemima Patch-Taylor, explores the essence of landscape in her exhibition Grounding (States of Flow). This exhibition touches on synergy between the spirit of human emotion and ever-changing natural phenomena.

The Making of Mohammadi | Prita Tina Yeganeh The Making of scent of rosewater and its imprint on the desert landscapes of Qamsar. Every spring, the arid terrain blossoms into a wild feld of sacred roses, famously known as the showcases Abrī prints (adapted for the silk medium) presented in light boxes to emphasise this metamorphosis from desert to rose garden.

12th Annual Grace

Buffet Fridays

Starts 2nd June

“Brilliant

“Riveting”

“Powerful”

“Engaging and authentic” past year. This is the twelfth Annual Memorial Exhibition to be hosted by NRCG and coincides with BACCI’S 25-year anniversary.

All exhibitions open Wednesday, 28 June and continue until Sunday, 20 August. The offcial exhibition launch will be held 5.30 – 7.30pm, Thursday, 6 July.

The Northern Rivers Community Gallery is located at 44 Cherry Street Ballina and is open Wednesday to Friday from 10am until 4pm and weekends from 9.30am until 1pm. For further information contact the Gallery on 02 6681 0530 or visit the website www. nrcgballina.com.au