Zones at Splendour you don’t want to miss

Words by Isabelle Webster

The Forest

Pack your hoola hoop and do your pre-party stretches because hyper-colour electronic cosmic wonderland, THE FOREST, is back for 2023. Three days packed to the hypothetical rafters, chock full of DJs and multidisciplinary performance artists. Transcend the boundaries of time and space. Prepare for the unexpected. THE FOREST is a place where anything is possible. From psytrance, glitch pop and good old drum and bass, to techno, trap and everything in between, feel the bass thud through your body while taking in the luminous light shows, contemporary dance performances and moving, interactive artworks.

Lose yourself in inexhaustible soundscapes provided by an eclectic array of genre bending performers. Check out Wilma’s electric cello infused sets, the signature tight grooves of Byron based Mexican-Australian producer Unseen Dimensions and the psychedelic stylings of Trip Syndicate. Lose yourself in the deep choppy basslines favoured by Fraktal Fairie and get loose to the punk inspired beats of Twisted Sibling. Who else will be on the wheels of mechanised steel? Doppel, Captain Cooked, Fr3aky, Jamie Lowe, LilxBit, Dysphemic, Twitch, Yurina, Z.i.V, Gez, Matijo, Taya., Themzy and Able. Basically, more ‘unce unce’ than you can poke a glow stick at.

Meanwhile, turn up the heat with literal twisted firestarters–pyrotechnic circus performers–Cinders Ashes. Also performing are dance collective Creative Creatures, who describe themselves as ‘multidimensional galactic beings of light, raising the frequency of human consciousness through movement art’. But wait, there’s more. Installation artist, Clint Hurrell has been commissioned for a monumental light sculpture. His work is adventurous and theatrical, uniting the perspectives of the viewers for a transcendent shared experience. Plus, futuristic cyberpunk video wizards, Eyebyte, will be providing even more visual content. Get amongst it!

Rainbow Bar

Make sure your glitter is biodegradable and get ready to vogue your way through the weekend, because RAINBOW BAR is back, back, back again baby.

GiRLTHING and POOF DOOF are in the house once again, bringing the sparkly LGBTQIA+ energy of Sydney’s Oxford street and beyond to Byron Parklands–and this time, they’re turning it up to eleven. ICYMI, GiRLTHING launched in 2008 as an ‘indie queer girl social’ hosting parties on Oxford Street every Thursday night. Since then, GiRLTHING has put on events nationally, and as a collective, pride themselves on fostering a vibrant community and safe queer spaces. From warehouse parties to art galleries, skate comps and good old sweaty night club nights, there is a GiRLTHING event for any occasion. They’ll be taking up the rainbow reigns on Friday, and then again on Sunday for the ultimate queer club mashup with fellow 24 hour party people, POOF DOOF.

Est. 2011, POOF DOOF has proven itself to be the premier queer dance club brand in Australia, with a laser focus on good music and the desire to make the late night, a great night (and a safe night). They’ll be swinging from the chandeliers on Saturday and Sunday, so you’d better brush off the hot pants and start your engines. Plus! Drag brunch featuring an All Star line up of Queens. Join Dammit Janet, Danni Issues, Daphne Gaye, Kalin Klein and Venus Pagina for raunchy antics and a RuPaul inspired lip sync battle. And, all weekend long they’ll be gogo dancers (of course), a variety of superstar performers and more drag queens than you can poke a wig at, darling.

Intro

Let’s keep Splendour splendid for everyone. We all know the old out in nature adage, ‘take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.’ I can feel you rolling your eyes, but it’s pretty spot on. I’ll admit, when you’re headed to something as full on as a three day music festival it’s not quite that simple. So, here are a few tips and suggestions to make sure you’re one of Captain Planet’s good guys, and not a thoughtless nasty little litterbug. Personal sense of smugness optional.

Budget tents for a budget sleep

Don’t get the discount tent. You might not be planning to spend that much time in said tent, but you’ll have a much better time in something made with a bit more longevity. If you’re feeling especially frugal, try borrowing one from an adventurous outdoorsy mate, or buy second hand. Also, it’s way better to fix than replace. If your tent has a tear or your swag is a bit saggy, Mullum Cares (also known as Momentum Collective and Social Futures) will have a marquee set up at the campground and can help you out. In fact, if you accidentally tear your festival wear ‘getting low’–they can assist you with that, too. As they say: buy better, share, repair, repurpose.

In fact, if, at the end of your trip you have mattresses or tents in decent shape that you’re ready to part with, you can donate them to Mullum Cares and they’ll be distributed to people in need in the Northern Rivers Community.

Less crap please

All vendors at Splendour are required to supply compostable containers and cutlery, so it’s only fair that you should do your bit, too. First things first, bring your own water bottles. You’ll be able to refill them at the free water refill stations provided around the festival. Also, make sure your glitter is biodegradable (they can make it from seaweed now!), and don’t bring any cheap inflatable crap from Kmart. SLR cameras aren’t allowed anyway, but if film is more your thing then invest in a small point and shoot instead of a disposable camera. If you’re a smoker, please be conscious of where you’re sticking your butt. If you’re team Vape Nation, take your used vapes with you and make sure you chuck them out properly when you get home. And remember, the less you bring, the less you’ll have to carry home!

Carpool or get the bus

It’s way more fun to share the whole experience. Put on a playlist, break out the car snacks and get hyped up or get stuck into the debrief (depending on the direction you’re headed). I mean, with petrol prices the way they are, it makes far more logical sense to spread out any costs as much as you can. Plus, less cars means less traffic, and less impact on the environment itself. Better still, jump on a bus! FYI, all bus tickets are pre purchased online, and service a huge swath of the Northern Rivers. The most sustainable option, but also the safest option and no designated driver required.

Be aware, be respectful

You are standing on the lands of the Arakwal Bundjalung People and the wider Bundjalung Nation. These are the original and traditional custodians of this land who regained their Native Title in 2019. The totem of the Arakwal Bundjalung People is the Kabul (Carpet Snake) because they start small but get bigger, just as we learn. We have a lot to learn from our First Nation people but respecting the land as they do is an easy and small place to start.

Words by Isabelle Webster