NEWS

BYRON MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023

PROGRAM ANNOUNCE + TICKETS ON SALE

Byron Music Festival is returning for three amazing days of live local music throughout the Byron CBD Friday 16 – Sunday 18 June.

The main placemaking activation at Dening Park on Saturday 17 June is on sale now and the program announced.

Joining the 2023 line-up is Groove Terminator, JK-47, Resin Dogs, Emily Lubitz, Caravana Sun, Hussy Hicks, Gimmy and The Spring Rollers and many more. Festival Director Nick Sergi says the line-up is “jam packed to showcase as much local talent as we can and really celebrate our region’s emerging and mid-tier artists as well as the great exports who are out in the world representing the Northern Rivers.

“It’s important in the current climate to support local business and creatives. That’s what we’ve designed BMF to do, and what we encourage our local community to do”.

Byron Music Festival is an all-ages, fully accessible, all-inclusive, community music event held on the beautiful foreshore at Byron’s main beach. It celebrates and showcases the organic diversity of Northern Rivers musical talent, as well as offering exciting activations, children’s entertainment,

markets, food & beverage, cultural dancing; yarns, chill-out areas, licensed areas, charity stalls and fundraisers, and more, all in the name of returning accessible music events in the CBD and bringing the local community together in celebration of culture and country.

Byron Music Festival strives to be leaders in the region of Green Festival Management, working with a range of partners including Earthed Consulting, Green Music Australia, Positive Change for Marine Life, and other community groups on a robust eco-event. BMF policies include the site is

plastic-free, holds carbon negative status, and hosts a post-festival community beach clean-up event.

BMF’s official charity partners are Bay Fm and Byron Youth Service. Exciting activities will be announced around a fundraising campaign for these two great community service providers soon.

The festival also hosts a range of events in local venues over the weekend including Treehouse at Belongil, The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Services Club, Jonson Lane Precinct, Salty’s and more.

The full program will be released soon. Organisers encourage the community to subscribe to be the first to find out.

The inaugural Byron Music Festival sold out weeks before the event and was incredibly well received by patrons and the community. Capacity and tickets are limited; early purchases are encouraged.

Volunteers and Vendor applications are open. Applications available on the website. BMF is supported by Byron Music, Create NSW, Byron Bay Brewery, Stone & Wood, Husk Distillers, Flip Insurance, Hnry, Treehouse Belongil, McGrath Real Estate, SAE, Jonson Lane, The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Services Club, Salty’s, Hertz, McWilliams Wines, Azteca Margarita, Altos, Explore Byron Bay, Humantix, ByronBay.com, and Bay Fm.

The full main event program follows in alphabetical order:

ALLY PALMER • AZO BELL TRIO • BLONDIE LEE • BODHI DEY • BUNNY RACKET •

CARAVÃNA SUN • CONCRETE GOLD • DA MANAGER • DONNY SHADES & THE MAJESTIC KNIGHTS • DROP LEGS • DUSTY BOOTS • EMILY LUBITZ • GIMMY & THE SPRING ROLLERS • GROOVE TERMINATOR & SOUND OF THE SHIRE CHOIR • HOLIDAY • HUSSY HICKS • JK-47 • KALIYA LEE • LUKE MORRIS & THE HEAVY HITTERS • MARSHALL & THE FRO • MINI SKIRT • NATHAN KAYE • PASIFLOREZ • RESIN DOGS • STEREO • SUMMER WOODS • HAYLEY GRACE & THE BAY COLLECTIVE • THE COLLIFLOWERS • THE SEA BENZ • TONY VELVET • YAZMINDI + more to be announced.

Event info:

Byron Music Festival 2023

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 June 2023

Main Event: Dening Park, Byron Bay, Arakwal Bundjalung Country

Main event date: Saturday 17 June, 11am – 8:30pm

COMMUNITY, CULTURE, COUNTRY:

The ‘Why’ behind Byron Music’s ambitious new festival

Byron Music Festival (BMF) is an all-ages, all-inclusive, multi-venue, weekend-long music festival combined with a flagship cultural placemaking event that celebrates the immense creative talent of Byron Bay and beyond.

A vision of Byron Music Shop owner Nick Sergi years in the making, the purpose of the event is to reinvigorate the local music industry by creating paid and exposure opportunities for Northern Rivers based artists, and to re-establish a connection for the local music industry and wider community, as part of the long road to recovery for regional based artists and arts workers post-pandemic.

These activities will directly positively impact the local economy by revitalising the Byron Bay nighttime economy, including multiple local business across an array of industries, creating cultural engagement that has myriad social benefits including community connection, and contributing to the town centre’s flourishing during low tourist season.

“This event is essentially a gift to our community,” says Byron Music proprietor and BMD”

Director, Nick Sergi.

“As a music retailer I witnessed first hand how our local musicians struggled through the pandemic and felt helpless as many left the region because they couldn’t afford to live here

anymore. We sadly haemorrhaged countless talented people who were major contributors to our cultural profile and community in general, and we’re still feeling the effects. We’re also losing industry professionals that create events and projects that make our area so wonderful to live in because there are so few creative employment opportunities locally. I took it on myself to create something that we can all look forward to again, and a way for our emerging and mid-tier artists to perform and get paid again”.

Over three days Byron Music Festival hosts a diverse line-up of all-local musicians throughout venues including Treehouse at Belongil, The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Services Club, Salty’s, and an iconic beachfront event in Dening Park. Spanning all genres and demographics, the program is designed to appeal to and be accessible to locals.

“We’re filling the gaps between the major festivals that many locals find hard to afford or get to, whilst producing high-quality programming and experiences to showcase what the people of our area of capable of. It’s a reminder to us all why Byron Bay is so special to live in and for us to come together in celebration again. It is the ultimate ‘made by locals for locals’

event, says Nick.

Byron Music Festival’s flagship event at Dening Park on Saturday 17 June is a family - friendly event inspired to use placemaking as way of making music festivals accessible to all in the area. Of this, Nick says, “It’s a balance between collaborating with local businesses and venues and creating an accessible space for all to access and engage with the arts, as well as

celebrating the natural beauty of Arakwal country”. Byron Music Shop is a family-owned retail outlet, music school, and production company that has been running for fifteen years, collaborating with local musicians and supporting community groups through events, fundraisers, and education programs.

Byron Music successfully produced Byron Bay Guitar Festival for three years 2017-2019 and is striving to grow a multi-armed company that nurtures, employs, and promotes regionally based artists and arts workers to create a more sustainable career and creative economy in our home region.

Byron Music Festival is fundraising for Bay Fm and Byron Youth Service. The fundraising goal is $10,000. Any individual or business who would like to donate a prize to the mega raffle (drawn on Sat 17 June) can register via info@byronmusicfestival.com.au BMF is supported by Byron Music, Create NSW, Byron Bay Brewery, Stone & Wood, Husk Distillers, Flip Insurance, Hnry, Treehouse Belongil, McGrath Real Estate, SAE, Jonson Lane, The Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Services Club, Salty’s, Hertz, McWilliams Wines, Azteca Margarita, Altos Tequila, Explore Byron Bay, Humantix, ByronBay.com, and Bay Fm.