When Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival first popped up in 2022, it took what was already one of the regional foodie capitals of NSW to whole new heights – transforming the region into a buzzing hub with supper clubs, art installations, wellness classes and a heap of other beautifully-varied, beautifully-Byron events. The ten-day ode to the region’s counterculture is coming back to the Northern Rivers in May 2024, this time with a boosted program thanks to a string of new event partners. Here’s what we know so far about Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival 2024.
After an invite-only launch event bringing together foodies, producers and creatives for a sample of what to expect, the festival will officially begin on Friday, May 17 – with an opening party celebrating the region’s produce through a spectacular menu curated by Byron’s leading hospitality heavyweights. Taste The Cape opening party will take over The Farm Byron Bay on May 17 – with more info and tickets available here. The following nine days will follow a similar ethos, with food-centric events popping up at venues and properties across the region. Arabian-themed cabaret shows will take over Brunswick Picture House for a two-night ‘Rock the Casbah Dinner & Show’ series with drinks and food from Middle Eastern-inspired cocktail bar The Smoking Camel, the iconic Raes on Wategos will host a long seafood lunch, and an ode to autumnal produce will take over the acclaimed farm-to-table eatery Harvest on Monday, May 20. Other event highlights include a free live-music event at beachside pizzeria and bar Treehouse, an intimate fireside dinner at an estate deep in the hinterland, and an East-meets-West themed evening from Brisbane-based chef Louis Tikaram, the culinary curator of Caper 2024. Having grown up in nearby Mullumbimby before going on to work at leading kitchens around the world (including Longrain and Tetusuyas in Sydney, and West Hollywood’s Southeast Asian-inspired rooftop bar E.P & L.P), Tikaram is focusing on spotlighting Byron’s producers through this year’s program.
On the evening of Sunday, May 26, Caper 2024 will come to a close with a tropical-themed party, set to take over the North Byron Hotel with live music, DJs and a menu from Tikaram and other local chefs cooked over an open fire. As the presenting partner and official watering hole for the festival, North Byron Hotel will be alive with Caper festivities throughout the ten-day event – with a line-up ranging from musical performances to cooking demos, pony rides to cheese and wine tastings.
You can learn more and snap up tickets over here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.