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ELLERY FRONT ROW DRESS, $2,250. SHOP IN STORE
FRAME RINGER TEE, $152. SHOP NOW
FRAME DENIM JACKET, $609. SHOP NOW
JONATHAN ASTON HARMONY SOCKS, $22. SHOP NOW
HUNTER REFINED TALL GUMBOOTS, $218. SHOP NOW
Credit: Charlotte Stokes and Simon Upton
Splendour in the Grass returns this coming weekend with a reliably stacked lineup of some of the best local and international acts currently in the touring phase of the promotional cycle.
And while every festival schedule is fraught with clashes, you will invariably be presented with chunks of time perfectly poised to be filled by the festival’s reliably excellent program of food and beverage offerings, shopping, sightseeing and assorted extra-curriculars. Herewith, some of the best places to shop, eat and experience the off-stage action of Splendour in the Grass between the headliners.
At left, pieces from Byron Bay label Auguste The Label will be available at their pop-up store; at right, surreal cloudscapes by the artist Brooklyn Whelan will come to life in an exhibition and VR concept produced in collaboration with Samsung
Credit: Ainsley Hutchence & Troy Freyee/Courtesy of the artist
Shop
If you subscribe to the theory that festival dress must of necessity be different from everyday dress, then you will relish the opportunity to assume the costume of a well-heeled Byron Bay local. Many of the designers participating as stallholders in the Very Small Suburb retail precinct are locally-based, including Spell & The Gypsy Collective, who will be hawking limited edition pieces at their pop-up; Auguste The Label, who likewise are spruiking Splendour exclusive styles; and Fallen Broken Street, whose Byron-designed felt hats have become de rigeuer and found favour with stalwarts of festival fashion, like Cara Delevingne. Please note: café culture is the only culture you are permitted to appropriate.
SEE
In collaboration with Samsung and the new Galaxy S8+, the artist Brooklyn Whelan is staging an exhibition of his signature cloudscape paintings with a tech-inflected twist. “It’s something that I’ve had in my mind to do for quite a while,” Whelan recently told GRAZIA. “I always figured how amazing it’d be to fly through your own paintings or neon cloudscapes.” Directed by Whelan and brought to life in virtual reality by Samsung, the experience promises to be an immersive one, with Whelan’s hyper-saturated world brought to life through a collision of sound and vision. It’s Whelan’s largest installation to date, and his first as part of Samsung’s #ToTheMakers class of creatives. “It’s a trip, that’s for sure”, he says. You can read more about Whelan’s practice in his interview with GRAZIA here.
At left, Doctor Karl Kruszelnicki will return to Splendour’s Science Tent as part of its program of talks and panels; at right, flathead fillets with capers in burnt butter as part of The Unicorn’s set menu
Credit: Courtesy of Splendour in the Grass/The Unicorn
eaT
The Unicorn Hotel is making its second trip north with a miniaturised version of its resplendent Paddington digs and a strong focus on the best set menu pub degustation you’ll find on site. This year, epicurean festivalgoers will be able to book a seat at the table prior to their arrival (with a minimum of two and a maximum at groups of 30). Each day will host four 90 minute sittings from 12pm until 6pm – after 8pm there’ll be a late night sausage sizzle – and the $40 set menu includes Unicorn stalwarts like Jatz n French Onion dip; barbecue roast chicken with bread sauce; steak frites with garlic butter; flathead fillets with capers and brown butter; and a winter fruit pavlova to finish. Bookings can be made via the Splendour app or here.
Experience
If scheduling clashes aren’t enough to sate your appetite for conflict, then the festival iteration of the ABC’s popular weekly sparring tournament Q&A will do more than whet the appetite for argument. This event, staged this year on Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm in The Forum tent, will reliably exceed capacity as it always does, so festivalgoers in pursuit of wokeness would do well to arrive well beforehand. This year hosted by Hard Chat’s hilarious Tom Gleeson and featuring occasional DJ Anthony Albanese, who moonlights as the Shadow Tourism, Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development Minister; leader of the Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, who will no doubt have plenty to say about what has been a particularly interesting week for his party; as well as American politics and tech blogger Marcy Wheeler, amongst others. The lineups for The Forum, Science Tent and Comedy Club are typically excellent, and you can imbibe the programs in their entirety at their respective links.
Splendour in the Grass takes place from July 21-23 at North Byron Parklands. You can find out more information here.
Tile image: Charlotte Stokes and Simon Upton
Cover image: Charlotte Stokes and Steven Chee
