SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS, BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA
My name is Anna King Monroe. I have a husband and 2 kids. I am a resident of Brisbane City in South Queensland Australia. I live in the Samford Neighbourhood, a half an hour drive from the City Centre.
A First Time Experience Turned me to be a Real Festival Enthusiast
My family and I attended the 18th annual Splendour in the Grass Music and Arts festival that happened from Friday 20th July to Sunday 22nd July 2018. The experience was unforgettable, mind-boggling and exciting given the fact that it was our first time to attend festivals of such a kind.
Booking a Spot Was Easy
We wanted to explore the festival to the fullest and we had to book the tickets in advance to ensure that we got a space. I, therefore, booked separate tickets for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday events. My kids, Amy (10) and Rodney (7), wanted a family camp-out with separate tents for each and I had to make the necessary arrangements for this development.
Camping
On Wednesday 18th July, we embarked on the camping site after a hectic packing and preparation. The journey to the campsite was approximately 135km away and not in a second was I bored with all the chatting, music and occasional screaming and little fights between the kids where I had to intervene and mediate the “conflict.” My husband had a map and a GPS tracker which guided our way to the venue.
On arrival, the camping site’s impression exceeded our expectations as it was a really natural setting untouched by human activity other than the presence of endless station wagons and camping tents. We picked a nice spot and put erected the tents, laid out the beddings and little furniture, my husband fixed the lights and we went to get something to eat and explore the surroundings.
One of the unforgettable aspects of the site was the fresh air, cool breeze, the scattered trees (dating back probably to the days of the Aborigines kingdom) and the love in the atmosphere. Everything was professionally handled by the festival’s support team and at no single point did I raise a complain (mind you, I am a very critical person) about anything.
The rest of Wednesday and Thursday was spent exploring the natural settings, meeting new people, eating around at the tasty delights, and enjoying the endless entertainment.
The Friday Festival Days of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Festival days were the best parts of our stay at the Splendour in the Grass Festival. After waking up, we refreshed and embarked on taking the kids to their favourite joints of entertainments. We had to register them as their entry was free (they are under 12) and, therefore, not captured on the database of the attendees. At the Little Splendour the kids could not get enough of the clowns riding the monocycle, the music from SOL and other entertainments.
Since the children parks was open from 10 am to 5 pm, we allowed them to play as long as they wanted while keeping an eye at them. Occasionally, we played mock rugby games and other sports with them just to create meaningful family memories.
When the children could no longer stay at the park due to exhaustion, we went to the Meadow for ice-creams and main course lunches. I was ready to break all the diet rules, at least for the festival, so that I could make the best of my time. One fact that was particularly interesting was the variety of the foods offered at the endless food stalls at the festivals. There seemed to be the best of everything and I and my husband were particularly eager to try what we have never tried before. Sometimes, we even rode on the rock and roller little wagons with the Kids just to reminisce the memories of childhood.
There seemed to be so much to activities going on during the daytime. Since I wanted this to be a family event, I could not leave my kids alone even for a second and I wanted to be within a distance to observe what they were doing, who they were talking to and what they wanted.
The Electric Evenings
From 5 pm, it was time to loosen up and enter into a party mood. Firstly, there was the World Stage where people from different cultures showcased their music. There were drums, tambourines, and even a xylophone to accompany authentic music from Africa, South America, Asia Pacific and many others.
Secondly, there was the Bohemian Lounge section. At this section, there were endless extravaganzas from jazz, poetry jams, dance, yoga, cabaret performance, circus, etc. The activities had the effect of making me embrace my inner self and connecting with the spirit being.
At this point, the kids would be barely holding themselves up and it was time to go get dinner and take them back to the tent to sleep. One of the many facts that were unique with the campsite was the silence which allowed people to sleep. Playful children and adults at the sites were probably too exhausted to do anything else other than sleep.
With kids safely at the tents, I and my husband proceeded to the Splendour comedy club to rest a little bit and re-energize in preparation for the live concerts with the biggest names in the music and entertainment industry in Australia and beyond.
The day ended with a sensor expedition to the TIPI Forest. The late-night entertainment was electric in all aspects. Acrobats and fire twirlers came to life at sunset as the best of Byron and beyond dropped the best beats.
It was an ideal place to meet new people while listening to a mix of music genres such as hip hop, techno, trance, trap and everything else.
The days usually ended on a high note and nothing disappointed.
I couldn’t believe it when the festival ended on Sunday the 22nd came. My husband and the kids have vowed to drag me in the Splendour in the Grass Festivals. Everyone is thankful that I came up with such a nice memorable idea for the hot holidays.
