Byron Bay Surf Festival: Beyond the Curl, a Celebration of Women in Surf
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay | Friday 22 February | 10am–12pm
Byron Bay Surf Festival stands for equality. A celebration, Women: Beyond the Curl, is an injection of female power to their 2019 program. Held Friday 22 February at The Beach Hotel at 10am–12 noon, the event features very special guests: 7-times World Champion Steph Gilmore, 4-times World Champion Lisa Andersen, 2-times Longboard World Champion Kelia Moniz, female surfing pioneer Gail Austin, and Byron’s own creative powerhouse Ming Nomchong. This will be a unique opportunity to hear their view on the sport and how they have pushed to become leaders in their field. A celebration of women in and out of the water, the event will shed light on stories from four powerful women, all of whom have carved incredible paths in a once male-dominated industry. An inspiring Q&A, hosted by Liv Phyland (a Bondi Fluoro Friday legend and host of Ten’s The Loop) where they’ll be chatting passions, life, success, challenges, inspirations, goals, and more.
Tickets for Women: Beyond the Curl are available at byronbaysurffestival.com.au.
Open Air, film with Art by Emma Walker and the Music of The Necks, Followed by Q&A Hosted by Peter Wood, Arts Northern Rivers Executive Director
Byron Theatre, Community Centre | Friday 22 February | 7.30pm | $15
Open Air sees the trio The Necks and the paintings of artist Emma Walker brought together in an hour-long art/science video project by Grayson Cooke at the Byron Theatre on Friday 22 February. ‘Open Air is also a form of creative earth imaging, merging time-lapse Landsat satellite imagery of Australia with aerial macro-photography of the paintings and processes of Emma Walker. When you put them together, these two vastly different forms of aerial earth imaging combine to produce a complex, beautiful picture of a changing planet. Then of course there’s the music of The Necks, the film becoming a visual interpretation of their album Open.
The film screens at the Byron Theatre on Friday 22 February at 7.30pm followed by a Q&A with creator Grayson Cooke and artist Emma Walker, hosted by Peter Wood, Arts Northern Rivers executive director. Tix $15 at byroncentre.com.au
Mark Swivel and the Together Party
Mullumbimby Ex-Services | Friday 15 Feb | 9am–10pm | Saturday 16 Feb 9am–5pm | Free
What a year 2018 was for Mark Swivel. He did a show about being a prime minister and then people said, ‘You should be prime minister’; he said, ‘Well I can’t really be prime minister because I’d never stand in either of the two major parties,’ and people said, ‘Start your own party,’ and he said ‘Oh. Yeah. Alright’ (I made up some of that). So he did. Hello, 2019, hello, impending election, and hello, Together Party. Friday 15 and Saturday 16 see the Together Conference at the Mullum Ex-Services. With headline speakers and workshops covering everything from climate change to industry policy, from the arts to Australia’s place in the world. This is an event to brainstorm how we rebuild our Commonwealth. Headline speakers include Anne Coombs, former chair of GetUp on ‘What’s Government For?’; Michael Sainsbury, a former China correspondent from The Australian on ‘Australia’s place in the world and Asia’, and Professor Patrick Keyzer, head of LaTrobe Law School on ‘Human Rights and the World We Want to Live In’. Alongside a plethora of academics and thinkers are some people who know how to have fun. Because you can’t have a party without having fun can you? Friday night sees comedian Bec Melrose, winner of RAW Comedy last year, join Pinky Beecroft of Machine Gun Fellatio frontman fame take the stage for an old-fashioned variety show! Well, comedy and music. Together. Because that’s what it’s all about. Doing things… like a family… together!
Info at thetogetherparty.org.au
Taste of Love Festival 2019
Byron Community Centre & Byron Community College | 1–3 March
It’s Taste of Love time again, the festival of sex and consciousness that doesn’t just push buttons – it shows you buttons you never knew you had! A three-day festival of inspiring presenters on the topics of awakening, love and consciousness in Byron, 1–3 March. Festival directors Marion Ellyard and Ron van Twuiver have created an event that aims to appeal to anyone looking to explore and deepen their understanding, including a range of presenters from around the world offering sessions exploring various aspects of love, relating, consciousness, sacredness, connection, sensuality, sexuality, yoga, meditation, and a diverse range of associated topics.
‘I see an immense value in this festival because our life-force energy, also often referred to as ki, chi, serpent energy, can lay dormant at the base of our spine or be only partially activated,’ says Marion. ‘Once activated we can experience an immense flow of energy, enthusiasm, vision, and joy for life and others. This is why we work with sexual energy throughout the festival as it often helps to activate this dormant energy, also referred to as kundalini energy. Removing shame, fear, or misconceived ideas around this topic in a world where unfortunately most teenagers still get most of their sexual education online and from pornographic material. We are facing a 50 per cent divorce rate worldwide and broken families. This work is all about strengthening and deepening relationships to self and others in body, mind and spirit.’ The Taste of Love festival 2019 will again feature well-known presenters from all over the world such as Baba Dez Nichols (US) and Janine McDonald (AUS) just to name two. There are local and national presenters kept in balance to support everyone, musicians and artists whose work is highly regarded by peers and attendees alike.
The full program of 30 sessions in three streams as well as two evening events all at the Byron Centre and Byron Community College is available on tasteoflove.com.au.
High School Musical
Brunswick Picture House | Friday 16 Feb | 7pm | $20/18/15 or $60 for Family of 4
High School Musical became a youth classic when it took the classic Romeo and Juliet story and delivered it to a whole new generation. One of Disney’s most successful live action features ever, High School Musical revolves around two high school juniors from rival cliques – Troy, the captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, a shy ‘nerd’ transfer student. Together, they try out for the lead parts in their high school musical, causing division among their friends. Despite other students’ attempts to thwart their dreams, Troy and Gabriella resist peer pressure and rivalry, inspiring others not to stick to the status quo! Is it happily ever after? Join us and see.
It’s screening at the Brunswick Picture House on Friday 16 Feb at 7pm. brunswickpicturehouse.com
Comedy Fundraiser for the Green Party
Mullum Ex-Services | Saturday | 7pm | $25
The local community of comedians have been issued a challenge: ‘Tell at least one political joke’. That’s the directive for Green Comedy, hosted by Mandy Nolan as a fundraiser for Tamara Smith and the Greens – ‘and guess what?’ she says, ‘you can even make jokes about the Greens at the Greens fundraiser. In fact, they’d be insulted if you didn’t!’ Unlike the big two (not Woolies and Coles, silly, Labor and Liberal), The Greens don’t take money from corporations. The Greens believe that no party should ever be influenced by business interests as it interferes with their ability to make truly unbiased decisions. That’s why a bunch of comedians are getting together to raise money, and have fun at the same time! With Mandy Nolan as MC and sets by Ellen Briggs, Greg Sullivan, Robert Grayson, S Sorrensen, Vanessa Mitchell, Matt Price, and Sergio Ben Bullshit. Sat | 7pm | Club Mullum. Tix are $25 at mullumexservices.com.au.
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