The Byron Bay Surf Festival is back on for 2017

Byron Bay Surf Festival is BACK
24 - 26 FEBRUARY 2017

"Surf Culture Now"

Wax-up your favourite boards, pack your car, grab your friends and head to Byron Bay this summer! The celebrated and award-winning Byron Bay Surf Festival…is back!!!

The BBSF crew took a slightly cheeky but strategic step and moved the annual Festival event from October to February, and for two very important reasons…to align the festival with surf season, and to celebrate the last days of summer with a bang! 

Founded in 2011, the annual Byron Bay Surf Festival is a non-competitive event focusing on surf culture; highlighting creativity, innovation, environment and sustainability. 

ABOUT

The 3-day event is a fusion of ‘Surf Culture Now’, featuring over 25 different free and ticketed events, including: surfing, surfboards, design, art, music, film, yoga, markets, fashion, presentations, education, demo’s, literature, history, food, health. Culminating on the final day, Sunday, with the highly popular freestyle&stoke surf sessions event, incorporating the hunters&collectors surfboard swap sell & demo, along the pristine shores of Wategos beach. Boasting a large international attendance it comes in a colour and diversity reflective of Byron Bay’s creative and unique community.

After winning the Surf Culture Award at the 2015 Australian Surfing Awards, for best contribution to surf culture, the Byron Bay Surf Festival increased it’s reputation as the best surf culture event in Australia and one not to be missed by any surfer, culture vulture, beach-goer, ocean enthusiast, art lover and any local or international visitor. The festivals mission statement reads, ‘present and maintain the culture of surfing, as an expression, art and lifestyle. Ensure that the festival reflects the values and creative culture of the Byron region and community.’ As world renowned film maker Jack McCoy quoted one year:
 “This was an amazing festival spoken from the heart to the community. There was so much Aloha, you guys really did the community a service which was felt all around town.”

Seems the mission of the festival continues being accomplished!

SCHEDULE

Friday

 Starting on the Friday afternoon with the Internationally curated artshow at the Lone Goat Gallery, the festival then moves up the road and on to Byron’s main beach foreshore for the sunset cinema which begins with a traditional welcome to country blessing from the local Arakwal and Bundjalung tribes, then on to the feature film, also including a short film, and then rounding off the first evening with live music and cold bevy’s at Byron famous ‘Beachy’ hotel.

Saturday

 The Saturday of the festival on Byron’s main beach foreshore is huge! Lined with the sprawling Surf Art Market and tipi pop-up zone this curation of all things culturally yummy tends to lure the curiosity of surfers, non surfers, the young & old, visitors, families and all sorts of ocean lovers and explorers alike, with people from many nations joining in each year. Starting with 7am yoga on the beach this indulgent day includes artshows, films, presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and an entire surf literature lounge schedule of book talks, signings and readings.

An international line-up of both established and eclectic surfboard shapers usually haunt the tipi zone exhibiting their new creations and talking with curious customers, onlookers and design junkies. All these happenings are bedded in amongst a gourmet of local and mostly organic foods, beautiful and innovative surfcrafts, delectable and cool fashion, and all this groovin’ along to the sound of live music acts from Byron Shire and many other parts of Australia. 

All events throughout the 3-day festival are free entry, aside from the community centre events, the Sunday evening wrap-up party and the greatly anticipated and high profile ticketed event on the Saturday evening. This sunset event, presented in an amazing natural environment with an intimate stage tucked in the trees along the coast, will include acoustic music, the very popular short film comp finals, an exciting surprise event and 2 amazing final live music acts.
TICKETS for this event will be very limited and will go on Sale with first locals release November 1st (stay tuned!!)

Sunday

The Sunday is beach day!! Rise and shine early at Wategos beach with the freestyle&stoke surf sessions including the hunters&collectors show, sell and demo of collectable, unique, and modern surfboards which litter the grass and foreshore in a spectacular display of handmade, art-driven and sustainably produced surfcraft. Right at the tip of Australia’s most easterly point BBSF will be hosting a handful of unique surf sessions. Most interesting could be the finless and tandem demonstrations or the newly introduced surfer/shaper session, along with the regular sessions including logs, mermaids, legends and fish categories and the very popular Party Wave Invitational cash dash which lands one very lucky surfer $1000 cash!! Brainchild of event organisers the freestyle&stoke surf sessions do not focus on traditional competitive surfing but rather it’s about the fun and pure stoke of freestyling your own creative way across a wave on the surfcraft of your choice with a peer-voted surfer in each category taking honours.

Wrapping up this amazing weekend it’s only good manners that we throw a little party on Sunday eve! This event will include live music, food and after a hot summer’s day, probably plenty of bevy’s. Again, tickets will be very limited for this event and will go on sale with second release December 1st.

This is such a great event and it is so good that it is back on. Check their website for updates

www.byronbaysurffestival.com.au

 

HIGHLIGHTS REEL FROM OUR LAST FESTIVAL!!!!! from Byron Bay Surf Festival on Vimeo.