Easter in the Bay
If you happen to find yourself in the Northern Rivers over the Easter long weekend; well done, you’ve come at the perfect time for live music, sunny skies and cold beer. Relish the intoxicating mix of nature, laid-back fun and cultural happenings. Ask a local what’s the best thing to do over the Easter long weekend around Byron, I’d be a little concerned if they didn’t say ‘Bluesfest’ (or one of our great tours).
Beyond the hype of Bluesfest, you have some great Bryon Bay day trips; everything from the Northern Rivers Food Harvest festival in Tumbulgum to an open mic comedy night in Nimbin, the Easter season is an incredible time to experience our region at one of the most idyllic times of the year. Just make sure you don’t leave without trying some of our local artisan gin, rum and of course beer!
A little bit about Bluesfest
Since 1990, Byron Bay Bluesfest has been warming the souls of locals and visitors alike. It’s at the forefront of showcasing music from around the world every Easter long weekend and In 2010, moved to its permanent home, the community event site at the spectacular 300 acre Tea Tree Farm, just 11km north of Byron Bay. If you’re lucky you might even spot a Koala with earmuffs on.
Bluesfest features 200 performances across multiple stages over five x 12 hour days. Camping for 6,000 guests. Five licensed bars. 100+ food and market stalls. Undercover food courts. Beer gardens. Quality family entertainment. You might’ve heard of some of their featured artists; Bob Dylan, Hozier, Paul Simon, Gary Clark Jr., Angus & Julia Stone, John Mayer and Jurassic 5…Just to name a few.
Here are a few of the bands and artists that will be gracing your eardrums this Bluesfest – Alanis Morissette, Crowded House and Lenny Kravitz, Kool and The Gang, John Butler and Xavier Rudd. Another epic lineup. Who’s keen?
Byron Bay Brewery
It just so happens that one of the breweries we visit on our tours is one of the main sponsors of Bluesfest. Get to know a bit about the place we call home on one of our Byron Bay Brewery tours. The Byron Bay Brewery has six beers in their range and although they love a good ale, their focus is now on brewing great-tasting craft lagers perfectly suited to the local tropical climate we experience here in Byron Bay. Their most popular being Hazy One Pale Lager.
The Byron Bay Brewery are the perfect partners for Bluesfest. After all, they both share the same beautiful home and have both crafted unique memories of their own with the community (likely over a beer). Back in 1990 when Bluesfest first started, they held their festival where Byron Bay Brewery now is.
Today, the brewery is run by Head Brewer, Alastair Gillespie who likes to brew things a little differently and even created a bespoke ‘Dirty 30’ beer for Bluesfest’s 30th Anniversary celebration in 2019. Don’t forget that Byron Bay Brewery itself a beating heart of local and international music, regularly hosting events at their brewery. Coming up in April, none other than Kiwi indie-rock band Mako Road is landing on our doorstep to deliver some good vibes and breezy tunes.
Explore our markets
If massive crowds and festivals aren’t your thing, don’t worry there are still plenty of options to keep the cool, Autumn vibes going. On Easter Sunday, the place to be is the quarterly Byron Beachside Market, held on the foreshore of much loved Main Beach. You’re sure to find something lovingly homegrown as you wander amongst the hundreds of stalls showcasing artisan foods and crafts, health and healing products and great coffee.
If you want to get out of Byron completely, the Northern Rivers is overflowing with vibrant community markets nestled in luscious pockets of our rural towns. Notably, The Channon Craft Market has gained popularity region-wide with their street performances, live entertainment and an assortment of recycled, repurposed and repaired wares.
