Things to do this winter
Things to see and do around the Northern Rivers
Ballina Food and Wine Festival
Sample the regions’ finest foods and enjoy a variety of wines, craft beers, ciders and spirits at the ninth annual Ballina Food and Wine Festival. The festival includes a cooking demonstration by Sean Connolly of the Balcony Bar and Oyster Co and entertainment headlined by Diesel. A festival bus will run for $5 return to centres around the region, including Brunswick Heads, Byron, Lennox, Lismore and Alstonville.
● Ballina Food and Wine Festival, Sunday July 1, 11am-5pm, Ballina Jockey Club. Tickets $25, (18 + event), ballinafoodandwine.com.au
Byron Writers Festival
Festival guests this year include local literary luminary Robert Drewe, prominent Australian artist Tracey Moffatt, deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek, You Am I front man Tim Rogers, crime sensation Jane Harper, Greenpeace CEO David Ritter, wellness writer Sarah Wilson, author and broadcaster Richard Fidler, Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty and children’s authors Lian Tanner, Mark Stanton, Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts. Enjoy the relaxed and friendly vibe, open-air beachside location and mix of genres including music, art, environment, philosophy, health, politics, human rights and memoir and fiction.
● Byron Writers Festival, August 3-5, Elements of Byron, byronwritersfestival.com
Lismore Lantern Parade
See Lismore’s CBD transformed into a magical wonderland of light, fire, colour and music at the city’s annual Lantern Parade on June 23.
The theme for this year’s parade is Wonderland, and organisers says it will be a cross between ‘an enchanted fairy tale paradise and a colourful fantasy dreamland.’
The spectacular lantern parade will be accompanied by light projections, luminous garden surprises, fire art and pyrotechnics. ● Lismore Lantern Parade, June 23, Lismore Quadrangle, www.lanternparade.com
The Events
Claire is a minister and the director of a choir that meets regularly in a local hall. It’s made up of all sorts, but when a disaffected young man enters the hall and opens fire with a semi-automatic, this community - and the ideals that formed it - are blown apart. After the event, Claire is left asking the big question: How do we live together knowing it can all come apart in a moment? Lead actress Catherine Mcclements (Water Rats, The Secret Life of Us), is joined by a host of community choirs in an extraordinary blend of theatre and music,
● The Events, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 July, 2pm (Saturday only) and 7.30pm. Lismore City Hall. Tickets $20-$54, norpa.org.au