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10 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Splendour In The Grass

10 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Splendour In The Grass

Whether you’re a Splendour virgin or veteran, it doesn’t take long to discover that this festival pumps out more than just great tunes. You can cram in a crafternoon, participate in performance art, crack up at comedians or feast at the food trucks. Before you make your plan of attack, check out this list of 10 ways to truly make the most of your Splendour in the Grass.


#1 Flash Camp

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Flash Camp takes the hard work, cold nights and bad hair days out of camping. If you don’t want to deal with deflating mattresses, cramped spaces and flimsy tents, then check out this Splendour sanctuary.

Bringing the hotel scene outdoors, these glamping experts offer a good night’s sleep on Aerobed mattresses, charging points for your devices, solar-powered in-tent lighting, chilled out communal spaces and, best of all, serviced bathrooms as well as a powder room filled with stylists and hairdryers. Embrace your high maintenance and take the rough out of ‘roughing it’.


#2 Tipi Forest

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(Photo: Splendour In The Grass)

The Tipi Forest will once again be prime territory in the pre-Splendour shenanigans kicking off for campers who are arriving early on the Thursday night. It’s easy to see why people flock to this enchanted haven dubbed the ‘creative heart’ of Splendour. Like moths to a flame, it is inevitable that you will be drawn to the magical glow of the Tipi Forest. Follow your dancing feet until you find yourself surrounded by acrobats, fire twirlers and glimmering light shows. Time is relative here. Lose yourself in new musical genres like underground techno, glitch hop, drum and bass, reggae, booty, funk, nu disco, dance hall, jungle, progressive and everything in between. Happy raving!


#3 Truck Stop

Splendour caters for every Tom, Dick and Harriet. Leave those warm ham and cheese sandwiches behind and indulge in some serious chow. Rolling into Splendour again this year is the delightful Truck Stop with such delectable delights as the Taco Truck, Veggie Patch Van, JR Smokehouse, Urban Pasta and Billy Can Creamy. As well as the food trucks, you can also find all sorts of cuisines from around the world in the Splendour food halls, stalls and markets. Dig in.


#4 Art Installations

Each year Splendour promises a wild rollercoaster introduction to the fantastical world of contemporary art. Bennett Miller will be bringing back his curious community of modest folk who live within the festival grounds in a live performance installation titled Anabaptister. Stare into the giant inflatable face of Nicolas Cage in a Cage as Hungry Castle brings to life another of our Internet obsessions.

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(Photo: Supplied)

Andy Forbes and his satirical performance art crew will once again make you question reality with their Tent of Miracles mashup of flower power ’60s, disco ’70s and retro ’80s presented in his aptly titled show You C*nt Stop the Music.

Pro tip: Use #splendourmiracles for a chance to have your posts and photos appear on the big screen in the Tent of Miracles.


#5 Splendour in the Craft

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Forget merch, why not spend a crafternoon creating a ridiculously cool sew-venier? You will have access to free daily workshops with Australia’s craftiest crews ready to teach you how to make Smash Those Bad Dream Catchers, Cool as F#%k Charm Bracelets, Totes Cool Tote Bags and even to Pimp your Sunnies and Gumboots – with free sunnies. Drown yourself in glitter, glue guns and pom pom filled gardens. Worry not if you find yourself in a festival outfit emergency, as Spotlight will have their Mend It Like Beckham stall on hand.

Pro tip: For all the crafty cupids out there, make sure to join in for the Craft Singles speed dating on Thursday July 24 at 6pm and you could end up being bedazzled.


#6 Splendour Forum

Let your nerd flag fly and get excited about the live discussions, panels, debates, interviews, scientific talks and Q&A sessions that will be going down at this year’s Splendour Forum, presented by The Guardian. Learn more than lyrics as you listen to journalists, activists, politicians, lawyers, scientists, musicians, comedians, filmmakers, TV hosts and radio presenters. Topics covered include Lies, Truths and Half Truths in the Media, Who Owns our Farmland and our Future, Copyright: Artists Friend or Foe and Letters to the Song Musicians Wish They’d Written.

Pro tip: Too busy to make it to this year’s Q&A panel? Why not flick Tony Jones a question at [email protected] or tweet using #qandasitg. Maybe you will even get featured on the Tumblr, Hot Guys of the Q&A audience.


#7 Global Village

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Kudos to the scheduled Splendourer who somehow manages to squeeze this festival for every drop of entertainment it offers. If that sounds like you, then the Global Village will be your mecca. There will be no time for nanna naps if you plan on partaking in the daily dance workshops, yoga classes, live art classes, late night jam sessions and circus antics. If you’re short for time then take a stroll down Artisans Alley for your handmade jewellery needs, admire on-site creations by a range of talented artists at the Osmosis Gallery or have a quick boogie in the Electric Garden Silent Disco. Make sure to take a breath from your sweaty dancing to feel the festival’s spiritual vibes as you meditate with monks, beat in sunset drum circles or hear from original custodians.

Pro tip: Definitely take time to check out the mesmerizing Miss Friby burlesque in the Lotus Temple and the Bruise Brother’s slackline skills.


#8 Splendour Comedy Club

The inexplicable roar of laughter you hear each evening around 5pm will be coming from the Comedy Tent. This year it will be housing the biggest line-up of comedians at any music festival in Australia. You’ve seen them on TV, heard them on the radio and watched their tours on YouTube – now come and have a giggle at them in the flesh. Don’t let anything ruin this festival – not the puddle you fell in, the new iPhone screen you cracked or the fact you haven’t seen your friends in five hours. There are over 30 handpicked jokesters on hand to brighten your day.


#9 Little Splendour

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The mini Splendour will be taking place in its own personal kid-friendly field where your little ones can roam free on faery adventures, attend pirate parties and dance in musical gardens. Come along and create memories that will be the envy of all their classmates at school on Monday. Sign your youngsters up for face painting, circus school, yoga, dance workshops, magic shows, puppet plays and musical theatre. Parachute games, skipping, tug of war and sack races will have them knackered enough to sleep right through ’til morning.

Pro tip: Between 12pm-12am there are trained teachers and childcare professionals available to babysit for two-hour intervals. Choose your dancing time carefully!


#10 Rogue Beauty Hair Parlour

Over the years many female campers have fallen victim to choosing the quick baby wipe bath over the ludicrously long shower lines. Perfume and deodorant may be able to disguise this dirty secret but your dead giveaway is the greasy, baby powder covered buns. Free your luscious locks and book in a salon appointment for a wash and blow-dry or choose from four signature festival looks. You can even get your nails did. It looks like you can pack that selfie stick after all.

Pro tip: Email [email protected] early for an appointment.

Splendour In The Grass 2015 runs from July 24 – 26 at North Byron Parklands in Byron Bay. Prepare and print your maps and set times here.

(Photos: Supplied)

Check out Qantas flights to Byron Bay here.

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