Boomerang Festival – A new Indigenous cultural festival in Byron Bay

Boomerang Festival is a new Indigenous festival featuring the very best the Indigenous Australian community has to offer on 4 different stages in the theme of music, culture, theatre, film, visual arts, comedy, dance and emerging artists. The Boomerang Festival will also feature a selection of cultural exchanges and thought provoking conversations with workshops on traditional healings, A First Nations Film Festival, panels and forums.

Above: Thelma Plum will be gracing the audience at Boomerang Festival 2013. Photo: Carine Thevenau.

The event will be held on the long weekend of October 4 to 6, 2013 just outside of Byron Bay town, Northern NSW on traditional Bundjalung land at the Bluesfest site at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm.

Above: Gurrumul will be appearing at Boomerang Festival 2013 in Byron Bay. Photo: Adrian Cook.
Right: Archie Roach will play Boomerang Festival.

The first announcement of this jam-packed line up of exciting artists and comedians to play Boomerang Festival are Gurrumul, The Medics, Archie Roach,, Shellie Morris, Thelma Plum, Arakwal Dancers, Sean Choolburra (with his comedy show ‘Fifty Shades of Black’) and the Wontok Sing Sing. There will also be talks from speaker Larissa Behrendt a practicing barrister and professor of Law and Research at Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning UTS . There will also be one of Australia’s favourite television and film personalities Ernie Dingo who will be part of the speakers program.

A featured film on a conversation with former 60 minutes journalist Jeff McMullen and Archie Roach will be screened, plus one of Australia’s longest running Indigenous plays; ‘I Don’t Wanna Play House’ by Tammy Anderson. More artists, speakers, films and comedians will be announced on July 3, 2013.

The desired aim of the Boomerang Festival is to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by showcasing the strength of Indigenous culture and just how extraordinary the talent in our Indigenous community is.

Above: Wontok Sing Sing is a 17 piece ensemble that represented Oceania in London at the Olympic Festival 2012 and will be appearing at Boomerang Festival 2013.

With no government grants this is a fully commercial event set up and established by a new partnership between Bluesfest Director Peter Noble and leading cultural creative, Boomerang Festival Director, Curator and Bundjalung woman Rhoda Roberts. The Boomerang Festival is the first of it’s kind in Australia to showcase such an array of Indigenous talent and culture in the one place.

Above: Shellie Morris will be hitting the stage at Boomernag Festival 2013 in Byron Bay.

Festival Director director Peter Noble says, “Boomerang is a festival of Indigenous ideas, of all aspects of our original culture. We think now is the right time to show the viability and value of Australian Indigenous culture in an accessible event that will give all Australians a sense of pride on experiencing the best of the best in Indigenous arts today.”

For more information on the Boomerang Festival visit http://www.boomerangfestival.com.au