The Starlight Festival is a four-day festival of community and wellness that is held in Bangalow. The event has five spaces offering over 100 workshops, talks, classes, concerts and presentations, all included with the cost of entry.
Visitors are free to relax and build their own itinerary and discover a different mix of yoga, sound healing, ceremony and wellbeing each day. Participants can browse the main hall to gain insight into their future with a reading, find the perfect crystal or just bliss out with a massage.
Between events, Chef Todd ‘Stream’ Cameron will be offering a different, nourishing, vegan, gluten-free menu each day to explore.
Monique Carmela is an international guest presenter from New Zealand. Monique says that for many years she struggled with accepting herself for who she really is. ‘I felt completely lost and disconnected. I was deeply afraid of what others thought of me, of not fitting in, and held the belief that I was never going to be enough for anyone or anything.’
‘I pushed everyone away before they could get too close and when they did get too close I would sabotage the relationship. I was overwhelmed by emotional triggers and felt hopeless.
‘Twelve years ago I embarked on an incredible journey of self-discovery where I have received the teachings and practices that have allowed me to cultivate unshakeable self-love, acceptance and discover that I was always more than enough and worthy beyond measure.’
Erin Zen Warrior, also an international guest presenter from NZ, is a qualified personal trainer, sports therapist, holistic foodie and contractile field practitioner. The daughter of a martial arts sensei and yoga instructor/bodybuilder, Erin was born to be fascinated with movement. At age 20, she was focused on yoga and dance, and dabbled in martial arts and circus. A three-month trip to India brought her closer to understanding the mind-body conjunct. By 29, her body started to show signs of severe adrenal fatigue owing to over-training. The message from the yogis became clear – balance is key. She continued to ‘align herself’ with osteopaths, movement, and up-to-date research on food and supplements, but with a new focus: how to build a well-tuned body holistically – and what does that really mean?
Eli Usma, international presenter, is a native from the Colombian Curandera, a Mayan astrologer, a keeper of herb and plant lore, Womb Wisdom Keeper, and a Western somatic human movement and health coach who specialises in physical healing, emotional bio-decoding, mental health and spiritual immersions.
Nicky De Gruchy and Peter Baird (of Victoria) have been partners in music, life and art for over 30 years and have been performing, teaching and creating together as well as pursuing their own projects. In the past 20 years they’ve performed extensively as the duo, Little Oberon. Their creative journey has always been strongly connected to nature and on a trip to the Snowy River in 2006 they found themselves spontaneously composing a piece of music while camped on its banks. This was the birth of Essence of Place, a project that sees them traveling to places across Australia and composing music arising spontaneously from their relationship with the landscape.
The festival runs 4–7 January at the Bangalow A&I Hall and surrounding pavilions. A one day pass is $35; a weekend pass is $60.
Locals are invited to purchase a two-for-one day ticket to attend on 4 and 5 January. Tickets available at the door and online. A complete list of presenters and more information as well as tickets are available online from starlightfestival.com.au.
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