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Byron Bay Bluesfest is Australia’s most awarded music festival held over Easter long weekend.
For more than 34 years, Bluesfest Byron Bay has been a beacon of blues in Australia, and is a true celebration of music, the arts, and spreading joyous fun.
This beloved festival is held on a 300-acre Byron events farm just outside of beautiful Byron Bay, Sydney NSW, and remains one of Australia’s most acclaimed and respected festivals.
If you’ve ever thought about attending, you’re in for the most unforgettable experience of your life.
In this guide, we share our experience attending Byron Bay Bluesfest so you can know what to expect.
About Bluesfest Byron Bay
Byron Bay Bluesfest has been taking place every Easter weekend in April since 1990, and prides itself on being an all ages family event. It’s a four day festival, usually running from the afternoon on the Thursday until Sunday night.
It takes place at Byron Events Farm Tyagarah, located here.
Former artists on the lineup include BB King, Bob Dylan, Peter Noble, Robert Plant, John Mayer, Kendrick Lamar, Ben Harper, John Legend, Santana, Paul Simon, Michael Franti, and Xavier Rudd amongst others…
Some hometown stars also make regular appearances, such as Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel.
For anyone in the music business in Australia, playing Bluefest is like playing at Madison Square Gardens in Aus. It’s one of the most prestigious and sought-after festivals. In fact, in June 2022, it won the Best Festival Award by Variety Australia’s Live Biz Breakfast.
It can host 100,000 attendees and has over 200 live music performances over five stages.
It also has market stalls, beer tents, beer gardens, and other family-friendly entertainment.
You can visit for a day, or camp.
Highlights of our Bluesfest Byron Bay Experience
We visited Byron Bay Bluesfest years ago thanks to our friend Amar from Gap Year Escape, who provided us the opportunity to attend with a ticket with full media passes.
It was AMAZING to have this special access, as it included entrance to the photographer’s pit (section between front row and the stage) and gave us a chance to see some behind-the-scenes action.
Here are some of the highlights from our experience…
Note: the artists we saw may not be playing the year you are attending. Check the official website for next year’s festival line-up.
Ben Harper rehearsals
A highlight was a private performance from Ben Harper as he prepared for his live show.
He has a special place in our heart. We played two of his hit songs at our wedding, and we have seen him perform live before at the Greek Theatre in LA.
Once again, he was special…
Ben Harper live
Watching Ben Harper live was something else. It was so different to the private performance we saw earlier on, and he played to a crowded house!
Michael Franti live
The artist with the most energy who really brought the crowd alive was Michael Franti.
He was engaged with the audience, a lot of fun, and you could tell he just loves performing.
We got to watch him from the photographer’s pit, which was one of the most unforgettable experiences we’ve had.
John Legend live
It’s no wonder this 6-time Grammy Award winner was the star of the show. He was sensational.
The best singer vocally and the best performer. He was just a step ahead of everybody, and oozed class..
Xavier Rudd live
Our Aussie favorite, Xavier is coolness and plays the didgeridoo like no other.
It’s always a treat to see him live, and the appreciation and passion he has for his fans is to be applauded…
Food at Bluesfest
You’ll never go hungry at Bluesfest, with options to satisfy everyone’s needs.
There is a food market which has international cuisine and something to satisfy any craving.
From sushi to curry to stir-fried noodles, there is something for everyone.
There are 38 fresh food outlets, six licensed bars, and 45 market stalls. Not to mention a coffee tent, which come day three, you’re going to need!
Our favorite was this bean nachos. They were tasty and filling. It really hit the spot…
Tips for Visiting Byron Bay Bluesfest
To make the most of the experience, here are some tips for visiting…
Get yourself some gum boots
The experienced Bluesfest fans all wear gum boots to keep the feet nice and dry.
Luckily, we had no rain during the festival, but the farm was a little wet from previous rain and gets churned up fairly easily…
Gum boots at festivals has become something of a staple in recent years, and has become part of what is now called “festival fashion.”
If you don’t have a pair of gumboots at home, don’t worry, you can actually buy a pair at the festival. There is a colorful selection for sale on site…
Pre-purchase your parking
If you plan to drive, you need to pre-purchase your parking via the website and print off your parking ticket.
If you don’t, there’s a chance they won’t let you park.
Get there as early as possible (first one in, first one out) or try carpooling with friends to help yourself out later.
Gates to parking grounds open at 9:00am each day.
If you’re camping, get there early
There are 6,000 camping spots available, so get there early to set up your tent and get the best spot.
The campsites open at 10:00am on the day that your ticket starts.
Protect your wristband
When you enter the festival, you get a wristband. This is your pass for the whole festival, and if it comes off or is damaged, it’s declared void. So try to look after it.
Bring an empty bottle
You cannot bring alcohol into the festival, but you can bring bottles of water.
There are refill stations throughout the site that you can use to refill them, rather than spending a high fee for a fresh one from the market.
You can also bring in food, if you don’t want to spend money on food when you get there.
There is a long list of prohibited items, so I recommend you take a look at this list before you go to speed up security checks.
Are you planning on visiting Byron Bay Bluesfest? Tell us about what you’re looking forward to in the comments section below.
