Tag Archives: Splendour in the Grass

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Follow Byron’s dancing man

Follow Byron’s dancing man

The Byron shire is warming up for the summer tourist season, with solid bookings from beachfront to national park.

The rainbow shire’s peak tourism body VIA Byron reports that more and more travellers are staying in places like Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby, Bangalow and the hinterland villages and visiting Byron’s famous beaches and cafes during their stay.

“Byron itself is still a major drawcard” said VIA Byron President Cameron Arnold. “But further afield there are just so many unique properties to choose from, from old dairies to tee pees, apartments and historic homes. You can really get away from it all and soak up the colour, that’s what it’s all about”.

No-one embodies the freedom of the Byron shire more than Byron’s Dancing Man Tommy Franklin. Tommy starred in Splendour in the Grass’s 2012 festival line-up video, which featured him dancing around Byron’s iconic landmarks. Since then he has found national fame as a Grand Finalist on Australia’s Got Talent.

“Tommy puts a smile on the face of everyone he meets, it’s a gift” said Splendour in the Grass’s Jo Hickey, who produced the video featuring Tommy. “He makes you want to just bust out of your stressed out city life.  He’s full of magic and life and that’s what Byron’s about, people visit here for a dose of life”.

In true Byron style Tommy is humble about his new celebrity status, recently telling a journalist “I don’t shit golden nuggets” and attributing his childlike joy and wonder to a “Steve Irwin gene”.

The music keeps coming between now and New Years’ Eve in the Byron Shire, with the Byron Latin Fiesta November 1 – 3, Mullumbimby Music Festival November 21 – 24 and the Byron Falls Festival from December 31.

There are still bargains to be had in the rainbow region. Head to www.byronbay.com/deals for specials like

►Five nights for the price of four in a two bedroom bungalow at the deluxe Bayshore Bungalows on Belongil Beach in Byron Bay

► Three nights for $330 or seven nights for $540 from February in a two bedroom apartment in the heart of Brunswick Heads with Brunswick Seaside Holidays

► Three nights for the price of two between May 13 and July 31 at Beach Suites on Byron’s Main Beach

► Two nights for $250 (normally $360) Monday to Thursday at the award winning Apartments Inn in the heart of Byron Bay

► Save 40% when you stay for three or more nights at BreakFree Eco Beach in Byron Bay

With 52 flights a week into the Ballina Byron airport.

Watch Tommy Franklin’s promo video for Splendour in the Grass 2012   http://vimeo.com/41331398

Background for journalists:

With some of the world’s best beaches, stunning national parks and award winning restaurants and cafes, the Byron shire offers respite and inspiration. Home to Australia’s highest concentration of creative professionals and artists per capita, it’s little wonder Byron is a place of annual pilgrimage for many. Whether for a festival, time in or time out the Byron shire, with its politically active communities, Green Council and plethora of healers, is open to all.

www.byronbay.com/deals

Downloadable high resolution images:

Photo 1 – Tommy Franklin – image by Kirra Pendergast for commongroundaustralia.com

Photo 2 – Tommy Franklin – image by Kirra Pendergast for commongroundaustralia.com

Photo 3 – First Sunday of the month, Brunswick Heads – image by Michelle Begg

Photo 4 – Apartments Inn Byron Bay

Photo 5 – Apartments Inn Byron Bay

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$25,000 from Splendour in the Grass

$25,000 from Splendour in the Grass

Community Grants from first event announced

Following the inaugural event at North Byron Parklands, the venue in conjunction with Splendour in the Grass is thrilled to announce their community grant recipients.

A total of $25,000 will be distributed to:

Shores United Soccer Club – $10,000

Tidy Towns Ocean Shores – $5,000

WIRES – $2,000

Ocean Shores Primary School – $2,000

Crabbes Creek Primary School – $2,000

The Pocket Primary School – $2,000

Brunswick Heads Primary School – $2,000

In keeping with Splendour in the Grass’s long tradition of providing grants to their host community, every event held at North Byron Parklands will give community grants. “It is only appropriate that we give back” said Splendour in the Grass organiser Jessica Ducrou. “We acknowledge that not everybody benefits from events”.

Splendour in the Grass has donated over $350,000 in direct cash donations throughout the Byron shire during their 13 year history. This figure excludes funds raised through the many hundreds of tickets donated to schools and community groups. It also excludes the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised at the festival itself by community groups over the years.

“We struggle from year to year to exist” said Mark Patten, President of the Shores United Soccer Club. “This is a marvellous thing for a small struggling club. It’s really going to help with the Club’s survival and will ensure that future generations of young people will be able to play the game of soccer at Ocean Shores. We live hand to mouth and this is a huge cash injection. This donation of $10,000 far and away exceeds any we have ever received in the history of the Club”.

Tina Petroff is President of Ocean Shores Tidy Towns Committee. “It’s awesome to have the support of North Byron Parklands for our local environmental and landcare efforts” she said. “Donations are very hard to come by! This $5,000 will go toward much needed and currently worn out equipment as well as regular maintenance programs at the Lions and Shipway Lookout on Divines Hill and other reserves throughout Ocean Shores”.

For further information including interviews and images please contact Caroline Desmond 

02 66875674  0415 499429  caroline@carolinedesmond.com.au

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North Byron Parklands says Thank you

North Byron Parklands says Thank you

After seven years of planning and working with community members, Council and various regulators, North Byron Parklands is pleased with how their inaugural event, Splendour in the Grass, has rolled out.

“The success of this first event was made possible with the help of the wider community” said North Byron Parklands’ General Manager Mat Morris. “In particular North Byron Parklands would like to sincerely thank:

* The residents of Jones Road, Yelgun Road, Wooyung Road, Billinudgel Road and all other immediate neighbours. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding;

* The community in the north of the Byron Shire;

* The hundreds of local volunteers who worked to make the event a success;

* The local businesses who embraced event patrons, making them feel welcome and providing assistance and directions where possible;

* The wider Byron Shire business community who provided goods and services to both the venue and the event;

* The Rural Fire Service volunteers who worked tirelessly;

* The wildlife rescue team, our team of ecologists, the eco cops, green chiefs and green team who commendably covered our environmental bases; and

* NSW Police, Byron Shire Council and other regulatory authorities.

“As this was our first event we experienced some teething problems” said Morris. “We are listening to feedback and will work to ensure that these are addressed.

The next event at North Byron Parklands will be The Falls Festival, being held from December 31.

www.northbyronparklands.com

For further information including interviews and images please contact Caroline Desmond 02 66875674 0415 499429 caroline@carolinedesmond.com.au

Splendour awarded prestigious Greener Festival Award

Splendour in the Grass has received the coveted ‘Highly Commended
Award’ for their 2012 event at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay from the prestigious international Greener Festival Awards.

Recycling at Splendour 2012

Ben Challis, Co-founder of A Greener Festival said “This award embodies the spirit of sustainability that festivals all over the world aspire to achieve. However it is Splendour In The Grass that has gone above and beyond the commercial aspects of greening to produce a remarkable event with a true ecological awareness.”

The award comes as organisers are set to install Splendour in its new home, North Byron Parklands in the Byron shire. Work has begun to ready the stunning 660 acre site for Splendour in the Grass 2013.

“We have gone from a Commended to Highly Commended Award and now aim for the Outstanding Award next year” said Environmental Scientist Mat Morris, who has managed Splendour’s environmental programs for the past ten years.

“Outstanding Awards” were given in Europe and the UK only. Other festivals in Australia to receive Highly Commended Awards were The Falls Festival in Victoria and Island Vibe on North Stradbroke Island. Commended Awards were given to Woodford Folk Festival, WOMADelaide and BluesFest.

Some of Splendour’s many winning environmental initiatives:

• Murf the recycling beast This impressive green beast (Material Recovery Facility) sorts recyclable materials such as cans, plastic bottles and cardboard from general waste through a series of conveyor belts, sorting lines and balers.
• Carbon offset tickets Splendour was the first contemporary music festival in Australia to offer a carbon offset ticket, which over the past five years alone has offset over 3,440 tonnes of carbon and resulted in $100,438 being invested in renewable wind energy generation. The amount of carbon offset is roughly equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off our roads for a year.
• Green Chiefs and Eco Cops Environmental students lived in tee pees, operating across the camp grounds and the festival itself, focused on recycling and general waste practices for patrons.
• Traffic reduction Initiatives included staging the arrival and departure of event patrons from Byron, free parking for cars with 3 or more passengers, car share riding via Jay Ride website and extensive use of shuttle buses.

A Greener Festival Ltd. is a not-for-profit company committed to helping events and festivals around the world adopt environmentally efficient practices.

 

www.splendourinthegrass.com

Downloadable high res images:

Photo 1 – Recycling at Splendour in the Grass 2012
Photo 2 – Murf (Material Recovery Facility) at Splendour 2012
Photo 3 – Mat Morris, General Manager of North Byron Parklands
Photo 4 – Splendour’s new home at North Byron Parklands