Festival of Design
The creative community of Byron Bay are proud to announce their first ever major collaboration with the launch of The Byron Bay Festival of Design.
Celebrating the best and most artistic local designer brands, musicians and food creatives, this free event will connect Byron’s upcoming creative talent by offering them the exposure and support that they deserve.
The full-day event will kick off at 8.30am, introducing local designers – A Beautiful Weirdo, Salia Jac, Wilderness Road Art and Pastel Designs to name just a few. The event will also spoil the crowd’s earholes all day long with live talent to jam along to, such as Cousin Jack, The Firetree, Matthew Turner and many others – not to mention various food trucks, such as the Grassy Bowl and Brazza BBQ, which will fill the hungry tummies with goodness, while perusing around, enjoying Byron’s local, live and creative talent.
The two young talented Byron designers Nisha Abey, director of LIAR swimwear label, and Carolin Materna, proud owner of the travel-inspired womenswear label ROVE, are the business-savvy brains behind of what was once a blank canvas. They saw a gap in the market that needed to be filled. Their joint passion for creating The Byron Bay Festival of Design grew out of their love for local talents combining design, music and food.
Nisha says as small creative start-ups, they depend on each other’s support and collaborations to grow their businesses. ‘We are all facing the same challenges,’ says Nisha. ‘The festival will give us the opportunity to showcase independent, local brands.’
Nisha believes that a lot of local, unique talent is hidden and failing to get the public recognition that it deserves.
The aim for the festival was simple, to create a supportive environment for like-minded independent, local designers, artists and musicians to promote and sell their brand – as well as network!
This will be the first plastic-free event, as the Byron Bay Festival of Design team encourage the use of sustainable, compostable or re-usable packaging. They have made a conscious effort in highlighting what the community values within Byron Bay – leave nothing but footprints.
This exciting new festival will be hosted on Saturday 17 December at the Byron YAC, 1 Gilmore Cres, Byron Bay.
Home crafted
Refreshed and re-energised to the stylish New Byron Bay Brewery is Mandy Nolan’s Home Crafted Comedy Night – a regular night of open-mic standup comedy. Mandy, the consummate home-crafted comedy brew-stress, brings her talented local comedy brewers to the Byron Bay Brewery for a fair dinkum comedy piss-up.
This free event features Mandy and her home-crafted, hand-selected local comic talent. 8pm Thursday at the Byron Bay Brewery.
A multifarious clique of circus superstars
Our famous house production is back for two special summer editions.
Loosen your collar, hold onto your heels and spend a night with this multifarious clique of circus superstars, tricksters, daredevils and cabaret queens as they travel from far and wide to present a risqué weekend of jaw-dropping, laugh-out-loud, good old-fashioned entertainment. Bring Grandma but leave the little ones at home.
Friday at Brunswick Picture House.
Comedy in the Park
Local comedians bring the laughs outdoors for a special Comedy in the Park performance at the Byron Artisan Markets. Hosted by standup comedian of 30 years, Mandy Nolan, a pioneer of regional comedy, who believes that we have one of the strongest comedy scenes outside the capital cities anywhere in Australia.
‘Our local comedians have made it to the national finals for Melbourne International Comedy’s Raw competition twice. I think that shows how much we love comedy here. We’re up for anything!’
The night is being run as a special event for the Byron Artisan Markets. Byron Markets manager Karen Pieper said, ‘We run a great little market in the centre of town every Saturday night during summer. We want to invite our Byron Shire locals – who often get forgotten in the rush of tourist events – down to our little oasis in Railway Park.’
Comedy in the Park is an exciting new initiative from the Byron Artisan Market. Patrons are invited to bring a rug or a cushion and join us for a night of laughs and, like the best things in life, Artisan Market entertainment is totally free!
Saturday at Railway Park, Jonson St, Byron Bay. 4–9pm (comics start at 6.30pm).
International comedian heads big bling
This year’s New Years Eve Big Gig Comedy Show at the RSL features international comedy star Gordon Southern. MC and Bling Queen Mandy Nolan is thrilled to be hosting what she says is ‘the most iconic comedy gig on the coast’.
She believes that moving to a more intimate location at the Ballina RSL Bowling Club is going to make the night even more exclusive, so it’s a better reason to get those tickets quickly!
Joining Mandy Nolan and Gordon Southern is Big Gig favourite, Greg Sullivan, one of the most in-demand acts on the increasingly popular comedy cruises. Laidback, insightful and impossible not to love, Greg Sullivan never fails to bring home the comedy bacon.
So make the night something special: wear your finest blingiest bling, and be part of the comedy sparkle this New Years Eve!
The best show in town at the Ballina RSL Bowling Club on Saturday 31 December. Show tickets $30. 18+ show. Tickets available at the club or online at ballinarsl.com.au.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
