Everything you need to know if you’re heading to this year’s Splendour

Australia’s biggest festival returns this year with an eclectic line up of over 100 acts, including exclusively, the only Australian performances from The Strokes, The Avalanches, Sigur Ros and James Vincent McMorrow.

What’s on

Taking place between 22nd and 24th July, the Byron Bay music and arts extravaganza will host a vibrant plethora of international and home grown talent across four stages, ranging from highly anticipated sets from The Cure, At The Drive-In and James Blake to exciting shows from tomorrow’s most promising stars, including The Internet, City Calm Down and Sampa The Great. Check out the full line up below.

The festival’s Global Village will also be showcasing some of Australia and New Zealand’s most popular contemporary world music acts including Bobby Alu, Kalidad, Ziggy Alberts, Cambodian Space Project, Bustamento and more. Here you’ll be able to catch some burlesque, buskers, late night comedy, conscious theatre and circus performers too, as well as the chance to enjoy a massage, tarot reading, yoga and more. If you’re looking to take a break from the musical arenas, head to Splendour In The Craft, an 
oasis of glitter, bedazzling and hot glue guns with a pom-tacular program of workshops led by a selection of the country’s most legendary artists and makers. Additionally, Splendour Arts will be putting together a bumper schedule of performances, painting, installation, video art and sculpture throughout the weekend and across the site as well.

For the younger festival goers and their parents, Little Splendour will keep everyone entertained, whatever your age, housing a tipi area for parents with babies, mega sandpit, music garden, storytelling tipi, littlies’ jumping castle and an art and craft zone called the Artie Fartie Partie. Older kids will be kept busy too with a climbing wall, ropes course, sports and games, face painting, henna tattoos and giant board games. During the day there’ll also be lots of stuff for all ages including arts, craft, music, dance and active workshops, as well as Trick Kicks soccer, a science show and an Indigenous performance.

Eating, drinking and shopping

You’ll be spoilt for choice with the spread that Splendour has on offer this year, including a variety of Australia’s best food trucks, three food halls and a bar for every occasion, with the likes of the Moet Champagne Bar, Contiki Bar, Mo’Rockin Wine Bar, Smirnoff Cocktail Bar and more all keeping everyone’s thirsts quenched. While Splendour’s myriad of markets will cater for anyone looking for a bit of retail therapy housing a wide variety of fashion, games, pop culture stalls and more.

Camping and transport

If you want to camp at Splendour, you will need a weekend festival ticket, as well as a camping ticket. Onsite camping is available for up to five nights – with early entry into the campgrounds from Wednesday 20th July.

This year there will also be new camping choices including the option to camp with your vehicle. The camping area closest to the event site will still be sans cars however. It is also important to note that you will need to purchase a vehicle pass for the day you want to arrive if you are driving. These will be available from available Monday 30th May via the festival website.

If you’re not driving, there will be shuttle services running between the surrounding locations including Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads and North Byron Parklands, for your added convenience.
Finally, if you’re keen on a bit of glamping, you can alternatively book yourself into either Tepee Love, Flash Camp, Tent City or Byron Bay Camping Hire. The Meadow is also perfect for those looking for a family friendly location. 

For more information on things festival related, see: splendourinthegrass.com

What: Splendour In The Grass Festival 2016
When: Friday 22 July, Saturday 23 July and Sunday 24 July
Where: North Byron Parklands, Tweed Valley Way, Wooyung (15 mins north of Byron Bay)

Splendour In The Grass Line up

Day One – Friday 22 July
The Strokes (only Aus show)
, The Avalanches (only Aus show), 
Violent Soho, 
Hermitude, 
Band Of Horses,
The 1975, 
Leon Bridges, 
James Vincent McMorrow (only Aus show), 
The Kills, 
Years and Years
, Illy
, Peter, Bjorn and John
, DMA’S
, Jack Garrett
, Motez, 
Emma Louise, 
Nothing But Theives, 
Robert Forster
, Fat White Family, 
Methyl Ethyl, 
High Tension
, Roland Tings
, Sampa The Great, 
Lucy Cliché
, Dro Carey
, World Champion,
Kllo
, Nicole Miller
, Ribongia

Day Two – Saturday 24 July
The Cure, 
At The Drive-In, 
Santigold, 
Matt Corby
, Sticky Fingers
, What So Not, 
Gang of Youths
, Crystal Fighters, 
Ball Park Music
, Snakehips
, Michael Kiwanuka, 
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, 
Lido, 
Beach Slang
, Boo Seeka, 
Slum Sociable
, LDRU, 
Harts
, Ngaiire, 
Opiuo, 
Dom Dollar, 
Paces
, Running Touch
, Dreller, 
Sui Zhen
, Banoffee, 
The Meeting Tree

Final Day – Sunday 25 July
Flume, 
James Blake
, Sigur Ros (only Australian show), 
Boy and Bear, 
Jake Bugg, 
Courtney Barnett, 
The Preatures, 
Duke Dumont (DJ set)
, Golden Features, 
Tegan and Sara
, City Calm Down, 
Mark Lanegan
, Jagwar Ma
, The Internet, 
Marlon Williams and the Yarra Benders, 
Lapsley, 
Urthboy, 
Little May
, Ganz
Spring King
, Tired Lion
Green Buzzard, 
Just a Gent, 
Feki, 
Remi

Check out the official Splendour 2016 Mixtape on Pandora here.

Book tickets for Splendour In The Grass 2016 here 

By Sandy Dhaliwal