Hippies and hemp at Nimbin Mardigrass festival

THE Nimbin MardiGrass festival will be held from May 2 to 4 in Australia’s counterculture capital.

The event will include a parade featuring dancing Ganja Faeries dressed in green costumes, a convoy of kombi vans and market stalls selling hemp clothing and products.

Nimbin transformed from a small dairy town to a hippie haven after it hosted the Aquarius Festival, which celebrated alternative and sustainable lifestyles, in 1973.

Organisers painted the town’s buildings in bright colours in the lead-up to the event, which led to many of the 10,000 attendees setting up communes in surrounding areas.

Nimbin Mardigrass began in 1993 to raise awareness about the legal issues surrounding cannabis use, as well as to support the rights of those who use it for medicinal or recreational purposes.

Over the years, it has evolved into a celebration of alternative lifestyles and counterculture.

Cannabis experts will discuss the medical, scientific and political issues around the plant at the 2025 MardiGrass Hemposium.

The festival has also partnered with drug education charity Entheogenesis Australis on a program dedicated to other medicinal plants, covering topics such as botanical research, mushroom cultivation, harm reduction, saliva testing and the emerging industry of mainstream psychedelic therapy.

“We have new speakers and new events this year and no doubt new visitors coming to celebrate 30 years of the Hemp Olympix, one of our most popular traditions,” MardiGrass Organising Body president Michael Balderstone said.

A local volunteer organisation called Jungle Patrol will help with crowd safety, first aid and traffic management.

Organisers are also looking for drug-free drivers to help locals and visitors travel safely to and from their accommodation.

For more information and tickets, visit nimbinmardigrass.com