Locals attending the inaugural Future Blue Fest this Sunday will receive something pretty special as they walk through the entry gates.
Rather than the classic plastic wrist bands that accompany most events these days, attendees will receive sustainable cloth bands made by kids from the Byron Community School.
Over the past two weeks, parents from the school brought in their old, unwanted t-shirts which the students have then carefully cut up and woven into colourful bands.
It’s just a small touch, but one that says a lot about the intention behind Future Blue Fest.
‘We just thought this was a much more natural way to do the wrist bands that’s about community and sustainability and keeping plastic out of the oceans,’ festival co-creator Karin Ochsner says.
Byron Bowling Club this Sunday
Running at the Byron Bay Bowling Club from midday till 8pm, the festival is a grass roots event geared toward raising awareness and encouraging collaborative efforts to protect the Bay.
‘We’ve got so many people here who support the ocean in Byron but we don’t always mingle that much,’ Ms Ochsner says.
‘I thought this was an opportunity for all of us to come together. We’re stronger together.’
The afternoon and evening event will feature workshops and a panel discussion bringing together some key local and global leaders in the ocean conservation space.
Workshops, speakers, live music, and film
There will also be workshops, speakers, live music, and films – all centred on the theme of ocean protection and appreciation.
Among those speaking will be iconic free surfer and environmentalist David Rastovich, activist Lauren L Hill, and inspiring young pro surfer Pacha Light.
There will also be a talk exploring the Arakwal connection to the ocean with Delta Kay, a workshop by musician Nidala Barker about building our belonging to the ocean, a Q&A session on local dolphins with Dr Liz Hawkins from Dolphin Research Australia, and a workshop on making art from surfboard waste.
The youth voice will also be represented with Monet Shortland from Ocean Voices taking part in the event and everyone has the opportunity to bring in a board or surf craft to exchange in the Board-swap. And if you like to get a high quality board; when registering for a festival ticket, you go into the door-prize-draw for a sustainable Veruna surfboard of one of local shaper Joel Fitzgerald’s models.
Tickets are available via events.humanitix.com/future-blue-festival. A program for the festival is also available at this site.
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