Caper Byron Bay Food and Culture Festival is an idea that sparked a few years ago after a tour of other food and arts festivals around Australia but the real inspiration came from our growing culinary scene. Across the board the quality of our food is so good and of course we're so fortunate to have an abundance of quality produce grown right here and a passionate farming community. Further to that, in the past few years the region has seen the arrival of a number of highly acclaimed chefs so it felt like the right time to bring something like this to life.

Then the COVID pandemic hit and that influenced the concept even more. As we all know the hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic along with tourism, arts and music and these are all industries that Byron Shire support in a large way. It wasn't enough to just be a food festival. Byron Bay is an incredible hub of creative talent and entrepreneurs and we wanted to create something that would support all these industries as well as the wider community that has struggled to connect over the last couple of years. Of course, the community was hit another major blow with the flooding disaster in March which has spurred us on even more to create something really special to bring this beautiful community together.

Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival is a four day celebration showcasing the best of Byron Bay and Northern Rivers food, beverage, music and art.

There is over 30 diverse events and experiences including restaurant takeovers, guest chefs, free art exhibitions, tours, live music events, long lunches and curated dinners, immersive workshops and more. See the full program here.

The heart of the festival will be in the Byron Arts and Industry Estate where we are taking over the North Byron Hotel with our 'Caper Festival Village'. This is where all the key elements of the festival will come together in one space across multiple days as a precinct for food, drinks, art, music, performance and culture.

The Caper Festival Village ticket includes free travel on the Solar Train, 'pop-up' restaurant food stalls; our 'Eat Tank' workshops, panel discussions, talks and guest chef demonstrations; Live music and DJs (full line-up announced this week); art installations; roving entertainment and a huge free kids program including DJ school by Ministry of Fun and Bunny Racket performing on Saturday 12th. Kids under 12 get free entry to the Caper Festival Village too!

The Festival will run across 4 days, Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th November. Tickets are on sale now and selling fast, some events are 75% sold already. You can purchase tickets from our website, caperbyronbay.com/program-2022

There have been lots of challenges, it's hard to say which has been the most meaningful haha but we're in the game of problem solving so that's just what we do.

I think Byron is so unique because of the diverse group of people that live here and travel through. It attracts people from all over the world, from diverse cultures and backgrounds - it's a real melting pot of people and ideas and I love that. And that's what Caper Byron Bay is all about - it's for the social connectors who are open-minded and inquisitive, with an appreciation for natural beauty, creativity and quality, history, the arts and an easy-going lifestyle.

That is a hard question because I think there are going to be SO MANY! I'm so excited for all our partner events who are turning their usual offering on its head and doing something unique and fun. I can't wait to turn Brunswick Picture House into a Yum Cha restaurant with famed Melbourne dumpling diner ShanDong MaMa taking over for Saturday and Sunday and then in the evening having acclaimed chef Louis Tikaram from Stanley Brisbane take over on Friday and Saturday evening for Cantonese and Cabaret dinner and a show with jazz singer Monica Trapaga.

But the definite highlight for me is going to be Caper Festival Village presented by North Byron Hotel. It's going to have everything, great food, great drinks, great music, fun and informative experiences and visually inspiring - a real spectacle for all the senses!

Championing local produce and local producers is a no-brainer in the Northern Rivers, but beyond this and our goals of achieving carbon neutrality and minimal waste production, Caper seeks a harmonious integration within events to educate on ecological values and promote sustainable and ethical practices. Within the Caper Festival Village, we'll be employing a reusable cup system as well as a single wash station for reusable plates used across all stall holders, rather than single-use disposable plates and cups. We have also partnered with Liberation Larder to ensure any surplus food or produce at the end of the festival doesn't go to waste.

There are so many. See Our Community page on our website for list of partners. We still have more to update this week when we announce the full line-up for Caper Festival Village.

Absolutely we need volunteers! Applications are open now - head to the Get Involved page on our website.

There are also still opportunities for local businesses to get involved and if they are interested they should reach out to us at hello@caperbyronbay.com.

Connection, Immersion, authenticity.