Things to Do in May

Aquarius 50 Festival

One of the things that made this region special is the Aquarius Festival held in Nimbin in 1973. Like Woodstock a bit earlier, it defined the times and a generation and many more people say they were there than really were. I was not there, I was thinking about it and decided not to go at the last minute as did not want to sleep rough.

It has been 50 years now since that seminal event and the 50-year anniversary is in full swing. It happening between the 12 – 23rd of May and you can go here for the full program.

Harvest Food Trail

Northern Rivers Food runs the successful Harvest Food Trail each year. On the weekend of the 6thth and 7th of May, you can travel to a number of fab foodie outlets and suppliers, doing tours and eating good locally produced food.

Northern Rivers Rail Trail

If you haven’t done it yet, you need to get on your bike! The Northern Rivers Rail Trail is open from Crabbes Creek to Murwillumbah and it’s fabulous. This is the perfect weather and season to be doing it. I did it with Steve from Beyond Byron E-bikes as they trailer the e-bikes to Moobal and pick them up when you have done the return trip. Allow about 4 – 5 hours for the ride and lunch. Also, dont forget to keep pushing for Byron to do their bit to finish it all the way from M’bah to Casino.

Our Byron Community Podcast

Real estate agent and long-term chair of the Byron Writers Festival, Chris Hanley, has started a podcast. He interviews local residents who have interesting stories to tell about their time in Byron. This episode talks with the architect and urban planner, Jack Dods. You can download the podcast here on Spotify or Apple Podcast

Crying Baby Festival

Unfortunately, you just missed the Crying Baby Festival which just spat the dummy in Japan in April. This festival has been running for over 400 years and involves Sumo Wrestlers holding one-year-old babies until they cry. The Japanese believe giving a baby a good cry is good for their health and longevity.