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Festival co-founder and First National Byron Bay CEO Chris Hanley, who will also be interviewing several authors over the weekend, highlighted the event’s strong sense of community.<\/p>\n
“People from the Northern Rivers come together with visitors from around the world and magic happens in those tents,” he said. “And this showground is the single most beautiful public space in the Byron Shire.”<\/p>\n
Melia Naughton will not only entertain children and parents as part of the Sunday morning kids’ program with The Gumboots, but she’ll also close the festival that afternoon with a rousing Shire Choir singalong.<\/p>\n
“We never reveal the song, but it’s usually a pop or rock song that most people will know \u2013 something joyous and uplifting,” she said.<\/p>\n
Although last year’s co-Australian of the Year and Brainstorm author Professor Richard Scolyer and Insight presenter Kumi Taguchi were forced to cancel due to illness, Alice said the program has otherwise remained largely unchanged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FESTIVALGOERS are being urged to follow in the footsteps of Melia Naughton \u2013 who is performing with her kids’ rock band The Gumboots \u2013 and don their wet weather gear for the Byron Writers Festival this weekend. With rain on the radar, it could be a muddy event at Bangalow Showground, but organisers say they […]<\/p>\n