Pack Your Bags: A Slick New Food & Culture Festival Is Landing In Byron

No one really ever needs an excuse to go to Byron – what with the restaurants and beaches and nature and possibility of seeing Chris Hemsworth buying almond milk at the Suffolk Park IGA (true story) – but boy, it’s nice to have one. 

This November, the town will officially birth the REVEL Byron Bay food and culture festival, a four-day extravaganza of food and cultural events across the shire. A number of venues, galleries, and a festival hub will play host to various long lunches, “twilight soirees”, art installations, market tours, workshops, and just about anything else you can think of. 

The list of players in the festival reads like a who’s who of Byron: Raes on Wategos, Three Blue Ducks, the ever-dependable Harvest, the Instagram-ready Bang Bang, and Treehouse on Belongil will all host events over the four days. 

“As we all know, the hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic along with tourism, arts and music and these are all industries that Byron Shire support in a large way for a regional place”, says founder and director Alex Taylor. 

A number of locals have pitched in to see it come to life, including much-loved Arakwal Bundjalung woman Delta Kay, and artists Paul McNeil and Karlee Mackie (MLAK), who are on the team as ambassadors. David Moyle, from Harvest and Barrio, is on board as festival food curator.

“What this festival stands to achieve is so important for this community that has been rocked by so many challenges in the past few years. It is going to be great to bring people back together to enjoy the company of friends and family with good food and good vibes in a beautiful setting,” says Moyle. 

The full program will land later in the year – check out the website for all other details.