For three days, North Byron Parklands was transformed into a majestic wonderland filled with an eclectic selection of music, art, fun and love. 22,500 amazing people from all over ventured to Falls Festival to see more than 47 performances on 2 main stages, hundreds more if you include performances at The Grove and the many destination venues throughout the site. It was hot, scorching! But that did not stop the joy. Palm Springs (pop-up water park) was the place to be between gigs and security doubled as the cool down crew regularly hosing down a very appreciative crowd!
“With the hot weather, many of our patrons took advantage of the regular shuttle buses to close by beaches to cool off during the day,” said Festival Director Brandon Saul. “For those who chose to stay on site throughout the day we put a lot of effort into keeping people cool and hydrated – the magnificent water park was once again a huge hit as well as the numerous shaded venues with a variety of entertainment including the Forest Stage – a huge big top surrounded by trees. We had free water refill stations, roving volunteers with back pack water sprayers and we handed out water and sunblock at the main stage. The thunderstorm and rain on Monday night delayed acts on the main stage for 45 mins but London Grammar and Alison Wonderland still attracted big crowds.”
Falls Festival is a cruisy festival with a fantastic crowd vibe. The organisers are masters of uniting people in joy. It is not a monumental piss up. The attendees were wonderful; we did not hear of, or see one single incident. They may leave a bit of a mess in the camping ground, but The North Byron Parklands team has the place looking like there was no festival at all in a matter of days with tents, etc. that are left behind donated to the Scouts and other groups to reuse or resell.
“A huge amount of effort went into creating this festival and we would like to thank all the staff, service personnel and the army of over 500 volunteers. The festival patrons themselves should also be congratulated – everyone commented on how friendly, polite and cooperative the patrons were and that it made this year’s Falls Music and Arts Festival Byron a great experience.” said Saul.
A transformation took place each evening as the sun set. The festival was reborn, illuminated with vibrant lights and beautiful people. People escaping from their usual work life reality; people enjoying getting lost in the summer heat, finding themselves, and in some cases, finding new love whilst dancing under the stars.
Yes, we are a little bit in love with Falls Festival and can’t wait to see what it delivers us next summer. But for now, we will let the photos do the talking.
Photos by Kirra Pendergast & Sarah Gray
